posted Jan 21st, 2026 - Recent NSL News updates on the Paraclete XP8 lineup changes included the return of Matt Davidson to 8-way training and competition, together with his wife, Jennifer Davidson. Alongside the other couple on the 8-way team—Jeana Billings and Kirk Verner—this 4-way group forms a strong and stable foundation for XP8 this year.

This is not the first time that life partners or married couples have worked together successfully in a highly intense competitive environment. Eliana Rodriguez and Craig Girard won 8-way gold with Airspeed in Rijeka 2004, followed by 4-way gold in Maubeuge 2008. Similarly, JaNette Lefkowitz and her husband Steve built the entire Rhythm franchise from the ground up, culminating in a U.S. national championship title in 2019.

Their teammate from 2016 to 2019, Doug Barron, has continued to lead the SDC Rhythm XP project in both 4-way and 8-way. His decision to join XP8 leaves him no choice but to step away from Prison 9. Doug Barron will continue competing with SDC Rhythm XP in 4-way, while pursuing his long-term goal of becoming a world champion in formation skydiving.

FAI Outdoor World Meet 2022			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Open		20,16,B		P,D,21,13		17,K,11		E,A,19,22		2,9,M		C,14,F,12		3,6,18		4,10,1		8,Q,O,H		5,7,J		Total	Avg
1	Paraclete XP8	US	25	-1	20		20	-1	18	-1	18		19	-1	23		26	-1	16	-2	20	-2	205	20.5
2	Qatar Falcons	QA	21	-1	14	-2	16	-1	17		16		15	-1	19	-1	20	-1	14	-1	12	-4	164	16.4
3	Airbus	DE	18		14		14		13		4	-1	12	-2	16		16		12		14		133	13.3
4	MicroClim8	UK	16		9	-2	12		10		11	-1	7	-3	15		16		11		12	-1	119	11.9
5	Mojo Annecy-Clermont	FR	15		10		11		10		11		10	-1	8	-5	13		9		10		107	10.7

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Paraclete XP8 in Eloy 2022

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Doug Barron came very close to achieving his ultimate goal when SDC Rhythm XP won the USPA Nationals 2019 and placed second at the FAI Tanay Mondial 2020. The only obstacle between Barron—and his longtime friend and teammate Andrew Happick—and a world championship gold medal was the signature lineup of NMP PCH HayaBusa.

At the end of the 2021 season, Andrew Happick could not resist the opportunity to accept an 8-way slot with the Paraclete lineups and subsequently left SDC Rhythm XP. Just one year later, he stood atop the 8-way world championship podium, earning his first FAI gold medal in Eloy 2022. He followed that success with a second 8-way gold medal at Crystal Coast 2024, and completed his 8-way career by winning another gold at the FAI Indoor World Championship 2025.

Doug Barron did not follow Andrew Happick after their 11 years together on 4-way teams (VTSD, Carolina Turbo, and Rhythm). Instead, they eventually became competitors when Barron launched his own 8-way project with Rhythm 9/Prison 9. The two had first trained and competed together in 8-way while still part of the Rhythm organization, until Happick joined XP8 in 2021.

FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Open		B,Q,19,F		G,13,K,A		12,7,8		16,E,6		1,J,9		10,15,21		5,18,L		M,20,11		C,17,2		22,O,P,3		Total	Avg
1	Qatar Falcons	QA	19		20		14	-1	22		19		14		16		18		17		22		181	18.1
2	Prison 9	US	18		16		9	-2	17	-2	19		12	-1	15		15		11	-2	15		147	14.7
3	Mandatory Fun!	US	15	-1	13	-1	11		12	-2	14		12		10	-1	14		12		15		128	12.8
4	Bra Nok XP	US	13		11	-1	10	-1	13		13		9	-2	11		11		8		11		110	11.0
5	Airbus 8-way	DE	13		14		5	-5	15		9		3	-2	9		10		7		6	-2	91	9.1
6	Shinobi XL	NL	6		4		4		6		4	-2	5		5		1	-2	4		4		43	4.3
7	Cark8	UK	3		3	-1	2	-1	4		3	-1	4		5		4		4		3		35	3.5
8	Just M8S	UK	1	-3	4		4		2	-2	3		4		5		3		3		2	-2	31	3.1

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Qatar Falcons - Prison 9 at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025

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Doug Barron invested significant effort in continuing SDC Rhythm XP, where he is now the only remaining member of the legendary 2019 lineup. At the same time, and with comparable dedication, he built the Prison 9 lineup step by step to increasingly higher levels, culminating at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025.

There, the team won silver medals behind the full-time 8-way competitors of the Qatar Falcons. All of Doug Barron’s current 4-way teammates—Steve Loufek, Greg Oldendick, Chris Webb, and videographer Charlie McGee—earned the same FAI 8-way silver medals at Skydive Teuge.

Prison 9 will now need to find new leadership if the project is to continue. Doug Barron cannot train and compete with two 8-way teams simultaneously, even though he is well accustomed to carrying multiple responsibilities in his skydiving career. The new XP8 lineup will demand his full focus, as the team prepares to defend three consecutive outdoor world championship titles from 2021, 2022, and 2024 in October this year. It also represents Doug Barron’s first truly realistic opportunity to win an FAI gold medal and have his name permanently engraved on the William H. Ottley Sword—awarded to the 8-way world champions and also known as the Excalibur. By coincidence, SDC Rhythm XP had already planned a relatively light 2026 season before Doug Barron received the 8-way invitation from XP8. The new lineup has already completed its first ten competition rounds, and NSL News will follow up soon with the results.