posted Oct 30th, 2003 - Last time the NSL News spoke with DeLand Majik member Solly Williams he was evaluating the situation at the World Championship of Formation Skydiving for the NSL audience. The interview took place in September in Gap, France, the event site of the Mondial 2003.

Six weeks later, Solly Williams is back home in DeLand with a 4-way gold medal that he just won with Majik at the USPA Nationals 2003, which also earned his team the trip to the next World Meet in Croatia.

The interview with Solly Williams looks back at the events in Lake Wales today and covers some of the Majik future.

---

NSL News interview with Solly Williams on 30/31 October 2003

---

NSL NEWS: Solly, congratulations for winning the USPA Nationals and qualifying as the U.S. national team. Did everything in Lake Wales go the way you expected it? SOLLY WILLIAMS: Pretty much, in terms of how close the competition was, yes. I certainly knew we had a very good chance to win, so I am not totally surprised.

NSL NEWS: Let's go back into the competition. Majik was two points behind after the six rounds of the first meet day. What was the game plan for day two? SOLLY WILLIAMS: We felt that our performance on the first day was steady. We did not really need to change any game plan for the remaining four rounds. The way the draw flowed we went into the second day feeling confident. There was definitely an air of optimism in the team as we approached the day.

NSL NEWS: It was quite a technical draw, especially the second half of the meet. The well trained Golden Knights were already two points ahead. Would the last four rounds of the meet not favor the Army team? SOLLY WILLIAMS: We as a team joked with the Knights about how well we slept the night we finished two points behind them. And they responded that they did not sleep well knowing they had a slim lead to defend. In essence, rounds seven and eight were going to make a difference to the outcome of this meet, as round nine and ten were pretty slow jumps.

NSL NEWS: Airspeed won two points in the slow round ten over you and the Knights. Were you sure that the Army team could not come up with such an effort? SOLLY WILLIAMS: The Airspeed continuity allowed them to be more efficient than both the Knights and us. This gave them a favorable advantage, and to top it off they skydived with the most confidence in this round.

---

USPA Nationals 2003		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open	8,A,Q,F		15,3,G		4,N,22		J,7,B,H		O,13,17		16,K,1		21,D,L,14		6,5,2		12,P,11		10,19,18		Total	Avg
1	Golden Knights	26		18		19	-2	32		23		21		-		-		-		-		139	23.2
2	DeLand Majik	26		19		17		32		23		20		-		-		-		-		137	22.8
3	Airspeed Vertical	27		18		17	-2	34		18	-5	19		-		-		-		-		133	22.2

---

NSL NEWS: What was their technical advantage in this round? SOLLY WILLIAMS: Coming out of the Icepick (Block 19) Airspeed could build a quicker Zircon, which gives the rear piece a B-slot for Block 18. I am not sure about the Golden Knights, but Majik did not have this in their continuity - yet.

NSL NEWS: What was their psychological advantage in this round? SOLLY WILLIAMS: Airspeed knew they had nothing to lose and everything to gain. NSL NEWS: One step back. On the second day, Majik caught up with the Knights in round seven and took the two-point lead in round eight. How did both teams sleep that night? SOLLY WILLIAMS: Let me allow you in on a little team secret, Kurt. We watched the Knights' round eight being judged and once the score was posted we all decided to go back to our team room not showing any emotion at this time. I wish we had a video clip of what ensued once we got into the room. Imagine five kids jumping around; hugging each other, laughing, as though they had just being told they had life-long passes at Disney. That was us.

NSL NEWS: Thanks for allowing us into the team room, Solly. This means that you were sure to have it in the bag. Did you then skydive conservatively on the remaining two rounds of the third and last day? SOLLY WILLIAMS: We definitely approached the last two rounds with confidence. However, we were very well aware of the fact that we did not need to push too hard. We had the lead and we would have to make a bad mistake to lose these Nationals.

NSL NEWS: How would you comment Airspeed’s round five? SOLLY WILLIAMS: In all fairness to Airspeed the imposed penalty, in my opinion, is a little harsh. How to penalize the error on the hill seems to be a topic of discussion but the penalty later on in the skydive eludes me. NSL NEWS: How important was this round for the outcome of the meet? SOLLY WILLIAMS: From a psychological point of view, this probably opened a door of confidence for both the Knights and us. The conversation in our camp was that it was 'good night' to Airspeed.

---

USPA Nationals 2003		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open	8,A,Q,F		15,3,G		4,N,22		J,7,B,H		O,13,17		16,K,1		21,D,L,14		6,5,2		12,P,11		10,19,18		Total	Avg
1	DeLand Majik	26		19		17		32		23		20		21		19		-		-		177	22.1
2	Golden Knights	26		18		19	-2	32		23		21		19		17	-2	-		-		175	21.9
3	Airspeed Vertical	27		18		17	-2	34		18	-5	19		21		19		-		-		173	21.6

---

NSL NEWS: Do you know how they took it? SOLLY WILLIAMS: Being the true champs that they are, they kept their heads up and did everything they needed to do. That was to stay focused and probably hoping that we would make an error.

NSL NEWS: Solly, you were in France for the world meet and saw the new world champions performing live. Can Deland Majik beat France Maubeuge next year? SOLLY WILLIAMS: Yes, we can. It is not going to be easy and there are no guarantees that we will. We are aware of our weaknesses and we plan to improve with a year of hard training. Having said that we beat the French team last year and today Majik is a stronger team than it was a year ago.

NSL NEWS: What are the Majik weaknesses? SOLLY WILLIAMS: We have some blocks that need some attention and we also are considering expanding on our continuity plan. With the world meet being out of a tailgate (helicopter), this opens up a new chapter for Majik. The French have the advantage as they competed in 2001 out of a tailgate.

NSL NEWS: Do you know if the French team will have the same lineup? SOLLY WILLIAMS: I have heard mixed reports but at this stage we are presuming they will remain unchanged. NSL NEWS: Do you see any other teams in the race for the sword next year? SOLLY WILLIAMS: Norway we know is in a re-building phase. So that rules them out. I have no official confirmation about United Kingdom (XL) and the same goes for Italy. However, if any of these two teams continue, they have every reason to believe they can win.

NSL NEWS: Does Majik already have detailed plans for the 2004 season? SOLLY WILLIAMS: We have penciled in a training plan that we expect to solidify in two to three weeks. The bottom line is we plan to make in the region of 800 jumps.

---

USPA Nationals 2003		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open	8,A,Q,F		15,3,G		4,N,22		J,7,B,H		O,13,17		16,K,1		21,D,L,14		6,5,2		12,P,11		10,19,18		Total	Avg
1	DeLand Majik	26		19		17		32		23		20		21		19		19		17		213	21.3
2	Golden Knights Gold	26		18		19	-2	32		23		21		19		17	-2	19		17		211	21.1
3	Airspeed Vertical	27		18		17	-2	34		18	-5	19		21		19		18		19		210	21.0
4	Airspeed Dragon	19	-2	15		17		30		20		14	-2	18		17		15		14		179	17.9
5	Golden Knights Black	20		15		16		27		15	-2	17		17		16		16		14		173	17.3
6	Perris School Boys	21		15		14		25		18		13	-2	16		14		12		12		160	16.0
7	DeLand Synchronicity	18		15		14		23		15	-2	14		15		15		14		12		155	15.5
8	The Ranch Team	17		14		13	-1	22		15		16		12		14		13		12		148	14.8
9	Teiwaz	17		13		13		17	-2	15		14		15		13		11		11		139	13.9
10	DeLand Chikara	16		12		11		19		14		12		13		13		13		9	-2	132	13.2
11	Optik Kurves	16		11		11		22		12		12		14		10		11		9		128	12.8
12	Elsinore Illusion	16		6	-4	12		22		14		9	-2	14		13		12		9	-2	127	12.7
13	4 Something	14		9		9		16		7	-2	9		11		8	-3	9		9		101	10.1
14	Wingspan	11		10		7	-2	14		9	-2	10		9		7	-2	7	-2	8		92	9.2
15	Guy Chuck JP Billy Mike	7	-4	7		8		9	-2	8	-1	4	-2	0		7	-1	3	-1	6	-1	59	5.9

---

NSL NEWS: Taking the same competition draw as in Lake Wales, what would be the Majik average after 800 jumps and in September 2004? SOLLY WILLIAMS: We had one unnecessary bust in round three but over and above that there was only another four or five points in that draw. That would have given us a very close to 22-point average. 22 on that draw would be very tough to beat. Hopefully we can do that next year.

NSL NEWS: France scored 22.9 in Gap this year. Was the draw much faster? SOLLY WILLIAMS: Any time there is a score of 35+ in a draw one should expect a higher average. I do not want to take anything away from the French as their performance in Gap was truly masterful.

NSL NEWS: 22.0 max score with a slow draw in Lake Wales or France's 22.9 in Gap – it seems as if the average does not increase very much any longer. Are we at the end of the rope? SOLLY WILLIAMS: We might be at the end of the rope, but these days you can buy rope that has a little stretch in it. It will take a world record performance over ten rounds to improve upon our current world record of 23.1 points. Is it possible? Absolutely.

NSL NEWS: Which competitions are on the agenda before the world meet? SOLLY WILLIAMS: SkyQuest in two weeks, FSL Shamrock Showdown in March, Malevsky World Cup in July, and we will probably consider doing other FSL meets, as well.

NSL NEWS: Where is the Majik future going in the bigger picture? DeLand was dominating the 4-way competition until 1993. Is the current success just a random peak, or will you try to build more on it, as Airspeed did? SOLLY WILLIAMS: The nature of our sport often makes it difficult to predict how long an era will last. On a personal note I would like to stay involved with this project for a couple more years as a competitor. It is also a goal of DeLand Majik to create continuity, which means we will be scouting for some young blood.

NSL NEWS: Do you see yourself continue as a coach after retiring as competitor or leave skydiving behind? SOLLY WILLIAMS: Over the past decade I have always considered myself to be more of a coach than a competitor. Should I hang up the competition jumpsuit I would continue in the same vein should there remain a demand. I love what I do today and feel very grateful for the situation that I am in. I have no reason to leave skydiving behind me.

NSL NEWS: Where does our sport need improvements and progression, in your eyes? SOLLY WILLIAMS: Skydiving is always fighting a loosing battle with trying to gain corporate sponsorships. Subjects like trying to get skydiving into the Olympics are wonderful ideas but if we will ever see this come to fruition I remain somewhat skeptical about. I believe we need to concentrate on expanding our base of competitors. Subjects like the creation of the female 4-way category, the World Skydiving League, Rookie and Intermediate classes, etc. are all influential factors in expanding our base of competitors.

NSL NEWS: Thank your for the interview, Solly, and good luck. SOLLY WILLIAMS: On behalf of DeLand Majik and the new U.S.A. 4-way team I would like to thank the outgoing champions Golden Knights, as well as Airspeed for the excellent camaraderie and sportsmanship over the last few years. They have set a great example.