posted Sep 4th, 2009 - The competition in the female 4-way category and in 8-way was already completed with all ten rounds yesterday, as the posted scores have shown. So were all artistic events.

Both Formation Skydiving events were attended by a small number of teams, which made it easier for the Meet Director to complete rounds quickly. The weather system that keeps the Open Class teams on the ground this morning was already moving in yesterday afternoon.

The female 4-way competition still offered great highlights, despite the smallest participation ever since the event was introduced in 1999. Aerokart Deep Blue Maubeuge, the French national 4-way team, with Sophie Deremaux, Bérangère Duplouy, Françoise Simons-Hamouchi, Amélie Tirman and Christophe Chekroun on camera, posted the highest 10-round average in the history of the event.

Only two teams have touched the 20-average mark before. Fastrax Blue posted a 20.0 average at the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2008. However, Becky Broccato, Kelley Fredrickson, Erin Murphy and Brianne Thompson completed only five rounds, and these five rounds included three fast sequences, two with one block and three random formations and one with five random formations.

The 31-pointer for the fastest sequence lifted the 5-round average to the 20-average mark.

Bodyflight Storm finished with another 20.0 average at the World Meet 2008 in Maubeuge. The competition draw was significantly slower compared to Blue's at the Shamrock Showdown, but it was still only a 6-round competition last year. Deep Blue's 20.4 average was posted yesterday after all ten rounds were completed, and the competition draw included 20 of the 22 blocks.

The new video clip includes Deep Blue's last four rounds. The first six rounds were already uploaded earlier this week. The same clip also features the final showdown between the two German teams who battled for the silver medals, Chicas and Incognito Leutkirch.

It was an exciting race over the ten rounds in Prostejov. The reigning German champion and national team of the past years, with Petra Bärenfänger, Helena Kuebler, Sylvia Maier, Marion Thomas and Mark "Euro" Evert on camera in the lineup, took the lead in Round 2 and never gave it up. It was still a race all the time, as Incognito never stopped to put pressure on the leader.

In fact, Incognito won three of the ten rounds, and the Chicas won only four rounds. Both teams tied their scores in the other three rounds. The Chicas were up by four points after Round 8, but Incognito reduced the difference to three points in Round 9.

The next sequence of the last round would be the chance of a life time for Incognito, as the team from Leutkirch loves the faster jumps. Steffi Dichmann, Sarah Hajooze, Anne Heinrich, Pia Weingart and Dom Falk on camera had already shown in Round 6 that they could outscore the Chicas by more than one point in a faster round.

The Chicas were much aware of this situation and knew that they could not just try to carry the 3-point lead over the finish line, they would havae to work for it. So they did, as their vast collection of competition experiences allows them to adjust to any specific meet situation.

Incognito won the round by one point, but the Chicas still ended up two points ahead and had the upper hand after all. Silver and bronze medals are going to Germany, and the exciting showdown of Rounds 9 and 10 can be watched on the video clip.