posted Jul 11th, 2008 - Round 6 of the outdoor competition at the Paraclete XP Money Meet 2008 has now been uploaded and is available for reviews. All previous rounds can still be found at the NSL-TV page of the event.

Round 6 completed the first day of the outdoor competition. Meet Director Tony Thacker was more than happy with the results of the first day since the weather situation in Raeford did not make it very easy for him. Rain and clouds interrupted the flow of the competition several times.

Tim D'Annunzio, owner of the Paraclete XP wind tunnel and Paraclete XP team member, was just as glad as Tony Thacker. He could now continue wih the original master plan for the combination of outdoor and indoor competition.

It was a tricky situation as of the competition draw. The Paraclete XP Money Meet 2008 had been upgraded to a second category event of the International Parachuting Commission (IPC). Accurate application of the IPC rules was now a crucial component of the meet management.

Section 4.4 of IPC's GENERAL RULES define the relationship of teams and wind tunnels very clearly:

"Competitors are not allowed to use a wind tunnel (freefall simulator) after the draw has been made."

Tim D'Annunzio's plan was to publish only the first six rounds of the outdoor competition. He interpreted the specific IPC rule that the teams could use the windtunnel if they did not know the draw for the upcoming rounds.

Eight of the ten teams that competed in the wind tunnel had signed up for both events. Sebastian Tempest and CSC Rhythm XP competed only indoors and had their own schedule for the ten rounds throughout the weekend. The teams with double duties had already completed their first four indoor rounds on Friday evening and before the competition draw for the first six rounds of the outdoor event was posted.

The master plan was based on the execution of the first six outdoor rounds on Saturday, so the indoor competition could continue Saturday evening. It worked out well, and four more indoor rounds in the evening made Saturday a very busy day for the eight teams.

The competition draw for the next and last four rounds of the outdoor competition was then posted late in the evening on Saturday. The last two rounds of the indoor competition were scheduled for Sunday at the end of the jumping day.

Saturday was the most challenging day as of the weather situation, and Tony Thacker and Tim D'Annunzio were both smiling when the the teams had completed their six outdoor rounds.

Airspeed Odyssey posted another sole highscore in Round 6 from the Pilatus Porter, even after a 1-point deduction. The US national team had not given up one single point to any team throughout the first six rounds and was now seven points ahead of the Golden Knights at the end of the first day. Perris Fury lost a point in Round 6, as well, and was three points behind the Army team.

Mass Defiance had the team's highlight of the competition in Round 6. Ben Liston (Center Inside), Dennis Rook (Tail), John Silva (Center Outside), Brian Stephens (Point), with Steve "Scuba" Feldman on camera, tied the Golden Knights' and Perris Fury's 19-pointers in this round. Former Airspeed member Dennis Rook seems to inspire the former USPA Advanced Class champion to perform on a higher level without much more training. Mass Defiance was standing at a 19.0 average Saturday evening.