posted Dec 22nd, 2014 - The performance of the best unofficial amateur teams in the world has been a topic for the Sun Path Products NSL News for several years.

Thunder ISR took the top position in the world a few years ago and has defended it successfully year by year. The story in the USA began with Mass Defiance who won the USPA Advanced Class gold medals in 2005, moved up into the Open Class and continued to improve the scoring average year by year without changing into a full time team.

Brian Stephens, James Rees, John Silva and Ben Liston, with Steve "Scuba" Feldman on camera eventually posted a 19.3 average in 5th place at the USPA Nationals 2007, which desired special recognition and would stand as the highest unofficial amateur average in the USA and worldwide for years.

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
G	Evolution (CA)	24	20	22	21	22	19	26	16	18	33	221	22.1
3	Golden Knights (US)	23	22	20	22	24	17	21	16	17	26	208	20.8
4	DNR (US)	26	22	19	22	22(-2)	17(-2)	23	15	17	24	207	20.7

US 4way team DNR, with former Mass Defiance members Ben Liston and Brian Stephens, then re-wrote the US amateur story at the USPA Nationals 2012. Mass Defiance's unofficial record average was wiped out when DNR (James "Malibu" Klinge, Ben Liston, Brian Stephens, Steve Johnson, with Pat Walker on camera) posted a 20.7 average in Eloy two years ago.

DNR came back a year later with a different lineup for the USPA Nationals 2013. A third Mass Defiance member, John Silva, had joined his former team mates and replaced Steve Johnson. DNR of 2013 was not able to defend the unofficial US amateur title successfully.

Arizona Prime (Shannon Pilcher, Nick Grillet, Ari Perelman, Don Burnette) finished 11 points ahead of DNR (19.3 - 18.2) at Skydive Chicago.

USPA Nationals 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	G,9,C,P	F,5,15	1,E,8	4,M,7	H,N,B,O,3	14,20,L	Q,K,12,17	11,16,19	10,A,18	2,22,D	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed (US)	38	28	22	26	33	23	25	20	19	21	255	25.5
G	SDC Rhythm XP (US)	33	24	18	26	29	21	21	18	18	19	227	22.7
2	Paraclete XP4 (US)	28	21	19	23	27	20	17	18	15	17	205	20.5
3	Golden Knights (US)	26	22	17	22	28	15	21	17	16	17	201	20.1
4	Carolina Turbo XP (US)	26	19	19	22	24	18	19	17	16	17	197	19.7
5	Arizona Prime (US)	28(-2)	22	13(-5)	22(-2)	26(-1)	18	16(-3)	17	15	16	193	19.3
6	DNR (US)	25(-4)	20	15(-3)	19(-2)	24(-1)	18	17(-1)	15(-1)	13(-1)	16	182	18.2

This year, DNA came back with the same lineup that posted the new unofficial amateur record average in 2012.

James Klinge, Ben Liston, Brian Stephens, Steve Johnson had Charles Lane on camera and finished with a 19.6 average, which was once again the highest result of all unofficial amateur teams at the USPA Nationals 2014. Voodoo, the former South African national 4-way team and new reigning 4-way champion of the United Kingdom, was the nearest challenger. Voodoo is also a team with recreational 4-way competitors in the lineup, except for player coach Gary Smith.

The 20.7 US record average by DNR in 2012 is still standing and has only been beaten by Thunder ISR. DNR and Thunder have not met yet at any indoor or outdoor competition.

USPA Nationals 2014		Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA/Open Class	L,F,3,D	8,C,Q,A	9,G,11	P,1,B,H	16,N,15	6,K,J,19	13,14,17	4,O,20	21,10,22	7,2,12	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	33	31	27	32	24	24	19	22	19	21	252	25.2
2	SDC Rhythm XP	31	26	23	27	21	19	19	19	17	18	220	22.0
3	Golden Knights	29	24	23	27	19	22	15	20	16	19	214	21.4
4	Carolina Turbo XP	28	26	23	27	17	22	17	20	15	18	213	21.3
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5	DNR	28	21	20	27	16	19	16	18	15	16	196	19.6
6	Voodoo	25	23	19	22	17	20	14	17	15	16	188	18.8
7	AAARSpeed	22	24	16	24	17	19	15	18	14	15	184	18.4
8	Bodyflight Bonobos	18	15	14	19	12	16	13	12	12	11	142	14.2
9	Le Verve XP	16	16	16	15	13	11	9	14	11	11	132	13.2
10	Spaceland Lite	13	14	14	18	13	16	10	10	10	11	129	12.9

The DNR story actually began in 2011 when James Klinge, Benjamin Liston, Brian Stephens and Steve Johnson, with Stephen Feldman on camera, came together for the first time at the USPA Nationals.

DNR of 2011 finished with a 17.9 average in 9th place. Throw Down, with a temporary lineup of current and former full time competitors, and Oldspeed with former Airspeed members, were ahead of DNR at the team's first competition.

The same DNR lineup needed only one year to get to the 20.7 average of 2012, which is still the highest average posted by an unofficial amateur team in the USA.

USPA Nationals 2011		Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA/Open Class	M,5,13	21,14,22	12,20,D	11,Q,16	O,C,10,K	P,L,19,8	18,6,2	15,9,G	7,F,17	A,B,N,J,3	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	25	19	19	22	26	24	21	26	31	30	243	24.3
2	Golden Knights Gold	18	17	18	21	24	23	19	21	29	28	218	21.8
3	Perris Fury	20	17	16	21	26	22	15	21	29	29	216	21.6
4	SDC Rhythm XP	22	17	18	21	24	20	19	22	26	26	215	21.5
5	Paraclete XP4	21	16	16	20	23	19	17	22	26	28	208	20.8
6	Throw Down	18	14	14	18	22	21	17	19	22	25	190	19.0
7	Black Cat	19	15	16	19	20	18	15	19	16	26	183	18.3
8	Oldspeed	16	11	15	18	21	16	16	21	21	26	181	18.1
9	DNR	19	14	16	14	18	16	15	20	24	23	179	17.9