posted Aug 29th, 2012 - NMP-PCH Hayabusa lost two points in Round 6 and stands at a 24.4 average after Round 7. The next round will bring the leader to the 25-average level at the end of the second day.

However, as mentioned earlier, the attention now turns to the Golden Knights. The female lineup of the US Army had a perfect meet until Round 6. The first flaw of the whole meet in missing a grip while building the T of Block 22 gave the Aerodyne Deep Blue Defenders an opportunity to win the first round, and they did so.

France won the round by two points, but the Golden Knights were still in the lead by five points. Round 8 brought the fastest sequence of the meet so far, and there was the potential for the Defenders to get even closer to the US team.

World Cup 2012		Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	1,19,2	14,18,15	N,16,20	E,6,J,A	C,K,9,13	F,8,11	Q,22,L,21	B,17,H,P	12,D,0,4	G,10,7	Total	Avg
1	Golden Knights (US)	17	15	18	28	23	19	18	27	-	-	165	20.6
2	Aerodyne DB Defenders (FR)	16	15	17	27	21	17	20	31	-	-	164	20.5
3	Polaris (NO)	15	13	14	25	20	17	17	22	-	-	143	17.9

The NSL Reality TV camera followed the Golden Knights between Round 6 and Round 7. A round of NSL Talk will hopefully follow later, together with some more competition jumps.

The French team expected the Golden Knights closer than before and wanted to be ready for a good battle. The strength of the US Army team after 600 training jumps this year was probably still a surprise for the Defenders and the audience.

The absence of French national 4way coach Marin Ferre could also be a factor at the World Cup, as Jeremie Rollett usually doesn't work with the team. However, fact is that the Golden Knights have improved their performance and scoring level significantly, and the Aerodyne Deep Blue Defenders have to expect a very tough competition in Dubai. "Beer-Thirty" Ted says...