posted Sep 21st, 2019 - The NSL News mentioned earlier that it was in 2006 when Arizona Airspeed lost the 4-way competition at USPA Nationals last time, which was a year before the first Rhythm lineup attended the event for the first time. Only JaNette and Steve Lefkowitz were in the lineup in 2007, and the team members changed several times before Andrew Happick and Doug Barron completed the current lineup in 2016.

The Rhythm alumni even include current Arizona Airspeed members Thiago Gomes and Mikhail Markine. Thiago Gomes left Rhythm at the end of the 2012 season to join Airspeed. It was a successful move for him, as he won USPA gold a year later and competed at three world meets for Arizona Airspeed.

Mikhail Markine followed the same path at the end of the 2015 season when Rhythm finished once again in 2nd place behind Arizona Airspeed at the USPA Nationals. It worked out well for him too, as he competed at his first world meet in 2016 and won another FAI silver medal last year. Thiago Gomes and Mikhail Markine together then almost defeated NMP PCH HayaBusa in Australia. JaNette and Steve Lefkowitz were re-building SDC Rhythm XP over and over again, until they started with the new and current lineup in 2016.

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Jump-off judging and 4-way Open Class awards - NSL Live Talk with SDC Rhythm XP

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It was first the same situation as in the earlier years. SDC Rhythm XP's new lineup was far behind Arizona Airspeed (23.8 - 26.5) at their first USPA Nationals in 2016. However, it took the new lineup only one year to close the gap to a 6-point difference (25.2 - 25.8) at the USPA Nationals 2017. The new Rhythm lineup had come dangerously close to Arizona Airspeed with the two former Rhythm members.

SDC Rhythm XP had even defeated Arizona Airspeed for the first time earlier the same year at the Paraclete XP Indoor Championship. It was Airspeed's first competition with new member Ari Perelman that competed against Rhythm's current lineup going into their second year.

Airspeed recovered well and quickly, and Rhythm could not repeat the indoor upset half a year later at the USPA Nationals 2017, despite the new record average (25.2) and the tight 6-point difference. It was the same event where NMP PCH HayaBusa visited at the USPA Nationals for the first time and finished with a new record average (27.0) of the new lineup with Jeroen Nollet in the tail slot.

Disaster then struck when Rhythm was just on the way to make it even more difficult for Airspeed in 2018. Doug Barron was severely injured, and SDC Rhythm XP lost pretty much the whole 2018 season, while Arizona Airspeed moved up to the HayaBusa level in Australia 2018.

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USPA Nationals 2019			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		11		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		7,C,H,P		J,21,20		O,3,11		B,2,K,E		8,Q,10		15,D,F,12		N,L,M,14		6,1,9		A,18,13		G,4,5		17,16,22		Total	Avg
1	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	45	-1	24		27		37		21		25		34		25	-1	26	-1	25	-4	-		289	28.9
2	SDC Rhythm XP	US	41		22		21	-1	33		21		23		27		25		24		25		21	-1	262	26.2
3	Arizona Airspeed	US	40	-1	24		22	-2	32		19	-2	24		29		25		21	-2	26	-1	20	-2	262	26.2

Video Footage Courtesy of USPA/OmniSkore!HD

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Doug Barron went through an incredible recovery process in 2018 and 2019 and wanted to be back as soon as possible, despite the pain and the physical limitations. JaNette Lefkowitz explained in this week's NSL Live Talk with the new U.S. 4-way champions in Raeford that her team was just hoping to get back to the 2017 level with Doug Barron back in his tail slot. Rhythm alumnus Rob Radez had stepped in for him at the USPA Nationals 2018.

SDC Rhythm XP then went through a 2019 season that was much more fortunate than the complete team history. Arizona Airspeed had an unexpected personnel change and had to replace Ari Perelman with Matt Davidson. There was only little time for training, and the new lineup still finished with a personal 4-way record average for the Golden Knights member, who also stepped in for the U.S. Army team after Round 3 this week.

Airspeed's impressive 26.2 average with Matt Davidson after three months of training was still not enough to shake off SDC Rhythm XP. It was the new U.S. national 4-way team that contributed their own share to win the 4-way Open Class competition over the defending champions. SDC Rhythm XP beat their own goal, the 25.2 average of 2017, by ten points and then mastered the jump-off round against Airspeed successfully, as well. It was no surprise that emotions, tears and a cheering audience broke out at the end of the live judging on Tuesday at Skydive Paraclete XP.

Steve Lefkowitz said that the USP Nationals 2019 were not only a happy end. SDC Rhythm XP will now compete as the U.S. national 4-way team for the first time next year at the World Championship of Formation Skydiving, and this week's competition was just the beginning of a new Rhythm chapter...