posted Mar 27th, 2013 - The second $400 cash prize in the Shamrock Showdown Skins Game of the Paraclete XP Outdoor Championship 2013 went to SDC Rhythm XP after Sunny Wind from Russia had won Round 6 after handicap.

The Top 5 teams were closer together than in any other round of the competition with a difference of only one single point, which played out to the advantage of Rhythm. Barkli and Arizona Airspeed were tied in 1st place after Round 6 and both did not have a handicap. Evolution and Thunder were ahead of Rhythm, which gave Rhythm automatically a higher handicap number.

Rhythm then tied Evolution's and Thunder's 21-pointers, which was enough to win the $400 skin for the round. Thunder was closely behind (23.85 - 23.49) and Carolina Turbo XP's 19-pointer made the 3rd place (22.76) after handicap.

Arizona Airspeed	SDC Rhythm XP

Paraclete XP Outdoor 2013		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	6,17,15	B,11,16	18,N,22	9,4,F	J,E,C,3	K,O,12,M	5,D,8	Q,13,14	G,7,H,10	1,20,21	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed (US)	21(-2)	23(-1)	19	28(-1)	33(-1)	20(-3)	22(-1)	19(-2)	25(-1)	19(-1)	229	22.9
5	SDC Rhythm XP (US)	17	18(-1)	17	25	28(-1)	21(-2)	21	15(-2)	19(-1)	15(-2)	196	19.6

It was a good start of the second day for SDC Rhythm XP. It had begun with the first time for the new lineup to outscore Arizona Airspeed in Round 6, followed by the $400 skin in Round 7.

The first round of the day was still far from being a great round for either team on Saturday morning. In fact, the other three top teams plus Carolina Turbo XP all scored higher than Airspeed and Rhythm in Round 6. However, it is a special occasion when any US team wins a round over reigning world champions, and it does not happen very often.

Rhythm with Solly Williams in the Center Inside slot had won Round 1 at the Paraclete XP Indoor Championship 2013 and tied Airspeed in Round 5. That was it when Airspeed still had Niklas Hemlin in the lineup. One winning and one tied round were also the best Rhyhtm could do against Airspeed at the USPA Nationals 2012.

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
3	SDC Rhythm XP (US)	24	23	27	23	33	21	21	22	21	25	240	24.0

SDC Rhythm XP's 19.6 average is the team's lowest outdoor result in a 10-round meet since June 2010 and doesn't seem to be very encouraging. However, a closer look at Arizona Airspeed's scoring progression over the same time period shows that not too much has changed in Rhythm's pursuit of the top spot in the USA.

The distance between both teams has only slightly increased since the USPA Nationals 2012. The audience has good reasons to expect that both teams will continue the same exciting efforts of maintaining the top position or getting closer in 2013. The new lineups both need time to get back to last year's performance and scoring level and are facing the same situation.

Airspeed competed two times this year with Niklas Hemlin and once with the new lineup in DeLand. Rhythm started the new lineup in DeLand, as well, and has the next test at the World Challenge 2013 next week.

USPA Nationals 2012		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 Class	3,B,K,H	F,7,22	O,4,D,13	A,M,11,8	N,P,G,19	L,20,1	5,16,J	6,21,12	18,17,10	E,C,Q,15	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed (US)	30	28	24	23	34	22	28	19	20	37	265	26.5
2	SDC Rhythm XP (US)	30	24	23	24	25	21	25	17	19	30	238	23.8

Arizona Airspeed is not traveling to Bedford this year, and SDC Rhythm XP has to measure the situation after the upcoming indoor competition according to the other teams' results who competed in DeLand, as well.

Rhyhtm will still have strong direct competition from the USA in Bedford. Four members of the Paraclete XP 8way team have signed up for the World Challenge 2013. The 8way plans have not materialized so far, as Josh Hall and Thiago Gomes could not commit to the training and competition schedule.

All four members (Kirk Verner, John D'Annunzio, Josh Hall, Brian Krause) are 4way experts and well trained. It would be no surprise if this lineup performs on a level where Airspeed started this year with the new lineup. Rhythm will surely find the same domestic and international challenges in Bedford, which is one of the many reasons to travel to Bedford...