posted Feb 22nd, 2013 - The recent personnel changes in the lineups of the US top teams, Arizona Airspeed and SDC Rhythm XP, have made the NSL News headlines on a regular basis, and it is not over yet. In fact, the latest breaking news from Arizona is making the biggest wave so far.

Thomas Hughes informed the NSL News yesterday that Niklas Hemlin has stepped back and is taking a longer break from active 4way competition.

Thiago Gomes, who left SDC Rhythm XP to become Airspeed's alternate for the 2013 season, is now a full active member in the Point slot. The other former Rhythm member of 2012, Chris Farina, moves back from Point to Center Inside where he competed for Perris Fury and SDC Rhythm XP in the past years. Thomas Hughes (Center Outside) and Mark Kirkby (Tail) continue in their original slots.

World Challenge 2007		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	19-O-5	A-G-K-P-M	13-9-N	Q-10-F-B	1-J-20	8-16-D	11-14-7	L-2-21	4-C-12	H-15-3	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed (US)	26	42	31	31	24	26	24	24	24	28	280	28.0
2	Fastrax (US)	26	43	32	30	24	26	23	24	25	26	279	27.9
3	XL	27	44	30	32	24	21	17	21	21	24	261	26.1
4	Hayabusa Defence (BE)	23	41	29	27	21	20	21	20	21	24	247	24.7

Niklas Hemlin was born and grew up in Sweden. He was a member of the Swedish national 4way teams between 1996 and 1999 before he moved to the USA. He became the alternate for Team FX in 2000 and then trained and competed for PD Blue in 2001. He spent the 2002 season as a player coach for Jetstream before John Hart hired him for a professional career with Fastrax at the end of the year.

Niklas Hemlin and John Hart built the Fastrax team project from scratch to the top 4way level in the world. The Fastrax 2007 lineup, with Doug Park and Thomas Hughes in the center slots, challenged Arizona Airspeed to the extreme with a 1-point difference at the World Challenge 2007. Airspeed cleared some space at the Malesvky Cup 2007 (26.0 - 24.7) and eventually won the USPA Nationals (25.3 - 24.4) by nine points.

It was the end of the Fastrax project, and Niklas Hemlin hibernated for a few years as a top competitor, while he continued his professional coaching work for John Hart at Start Skydiving.

Paraclete Indoor 2013		Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	4way Open/AAA	18,O,2	19,9,13	A,8,D,J	10,F,Q,22	M,C,4,B	3,L,20	17,12,5	11,1,E	N,16,14	21,K,H,6	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed (US)	23	26	31	25	33	23	25	23	23	29	261	26.1
2	Just In Time (US)	22	23	31	23	31	21	23	23	21	27	245	24.5
3	SDC Rhythm XP (US)	24	23	27	23	33	21	21	22	21	25	240	24.0

His Airspeed opportunity came up when Mark Kirkby recruited a new lineup at the end of the 2010 season. Niklas Hemlin now moved from Ohio to Arizona and from from Point to Center Inside. It took him two years with Josh Hall, Thomas Hughes and Mark Kirkby to win the gold medals at the Mondial Dubai 2012.

Arizona Airspeed started into the 2013 season with a solid foundation of three reigning 4way world champions and recruited Chris Farina for the Point slot, plus Thiago Gomes as the alternate and for a slot in the near future. Airspeed launched the 2013 season with little training and attended two meets with the new lineup, including Center Inside Niklas Hemlin, the Paraclete XP Indoor Championship 2013 and the Valentine's Meet 2013.

The remaining two 4way world champions, Mark Kirkby and Thomas Hughes, will now have a new and fresh start. Thomas Hughes said that his team will go ahead with the same plans. Training with the new lineup starts at the beginning of March, and Airspeed will compete at the Paraclete XP Outdoor Championship 2013 and then the World Challenge 2013.

Valentine's Meet 2013		Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	7,6,G	17,9,12	15,O,J,Q	3,P,K,D	C,B,4,M	N,11,20	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed (US)	24	23	29	26	28	-	130	26.0

The new changes make this year's playing field even more interesting. Both US top teams are now in the same situation. Two members of the 2012 lineups continue with two new players. The two returning members of both teams are in their original slots (Thomas Hughes/Mark Kirkby - JaNette/Steve Lefkowitz), and one new member is also in the A-slot (Chris Farina - Mikhail Markine). Thiago Gomes and Christy Frikken are both in new positions.

The situation also has an interesting international aspect. Both US top teams are now in the same situation as the French national team, where Mathieu Bernier and Julien Degen, both 4way world champions of 2010 and bronze medalists of 2012, have two new members in their lineup.

Evolution from Canada has the three LeMay brothers coming back with Katie Woods. Only NMP-PCH Hayabusa continues with exactly the same lineup as in 2011 and 2012. The Belgian team was only one single point behind Airspeed in Dubai. The silver medalists of 2012 have probably become the world's top contenders overnight - if they weren't already...