posted Oct 28th, 2025 - The first five rounds of the 8-way competition at the USPA Nationals 2025 featured the two top contenders in a way how most of the expert observers expected it to turn out. The pickup team of Golden Knights and Arizona Airspeed members offered the opposition that Paraclete XP8's new lineup had to be ready for, and they were.

GKAZ8 won two of the first five rounds before a wind break interrupted the 8-way competition for a few hours. XP8 came out of the weather hold like their own hurricane and sealed the outcome of the U.S. 8-way duel with a convincing 21-pointer in Round 6 that alone increased the lead by five points. The difference is at 12 points after six rounds, which is most likely more than enough to win the 8-way competition.

Prison 9 is also far enough ahead of Mandatory Fun for any suspense in the competition for the USPA 8-way bronze medals. Two of the original Arizona Airspeed members (Dan BC, Jack Jefferies) are helping out for Prison 9 who are missing Michelle Karamon (GKAZ8) and Gorka Amian (Gorkastin8ors in 8-way Advanced) who had competed for Prison 9 at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025. Mandatory Fun! had to replace Niklas Hemlin, which created a gap in the lineup at the USPA Nationals. Prison 9 and Mandatory Fun! had won FAI silver and bronze medals for the U.S. delegation at Skydive Teuge, and one of the two teams will not finish in a medal position in Eloy.

USPA Nationals 2025		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		11		Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Open	Q,H,9,7		B,20,E,14		C,8,21		17,10,2		18,O,A,19		6,15,K		F,D,22,M		13,4,16		12,L,G,J		P,1,5		11,3,N		Total	Avg
1	XP8	17		14	-2	14	-1	15		14	-2	21	-1	-		-		-		-		-		95	15.8
2	GKAZ8	14	-1	16	-1	12	-2	10	-2	15		16	-2	-		-		-		-		-		83	13.8
3	Prison 9	11	-1	13		9	-3	11	-1	10		15		-		-		-		-		-		69	11.5
4	Mandatory Fun!	11		11		9	-1	9		9	-1	12	-1	-		-		-		-		-		61	10.2
5	No Guts No Gloryhole	9	-2	8	-2	9		8		9		12		-		-		-		-		-		55	9.2
6	Perris Byte	7		7		4		6		6	-1	9		-		-		-		-		-		39	6.5
7	Papa D's G8ngsteRhs	7	-2	5	-3	6		5		5		6	-1	-		-		-		-		-		34	5.7

GKAZ8 found a new name for the lineup at the USPA Nationals that leans on the names of previous XP8 lineups. AZXP8 competed for the U.S. delegation at the FAI Tanay Mondial 2021. Niklas Hemlin, Chris Kuhlmann and Mikhail Markine represented Arizona Airspeed in Russia in August 2021. They won the 8-way gold medals together with Jeana Billings, Kirk Verner, John D'Annunzio and Brian Krause. Michelle Karamon completed the lineup, with Elliot Byrd on camera.

A different XP8 lineup won the next FAI gold medals in Eloy 2022, and the name changed to GKXP8 when three Golden Knights (Mike Connors, Jesse Stahler, Andrew Starr) joined the active lineup for the outdoor world championship at Crystal Coast 2024. The "Olden Knights" won with a historic 8-way performance, together with Jeana Billings, Kirk Verner, John D'Annunzio, Matt Davidson and Andrew Happick, Chris Bess on camera.

The challengers of the current XP8 lineup compete under GKXP8, this time with the complete Golden Knights lineup (Jesse Stahler, Mike Connor, Mitch Stockenberg, Nick Birkner) including Skyler Romberg on camera. Airspeed members Joey Marshall, Alisson de Vargas and Doug Hendrix compete with them in 8-way, and Michelle Karamon has switched from Mandatory Fun! at the outdoor world cup to the GKXP8 lineup this week. Their former team mates Jeana Billings and Kirk Verner have continued with Paraclete's traditional XP8 name, and they will compete at their 4th consecutive outdoor world championship next year.

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