posted Feb 5th, 2026 - NSL News reported on January 21 that SDC Rhythm XP member Doug Barron committed to double duties in both 4-way and 8-way competition for 2026. This commitment is hardly surprising, as the entire Rhythm lineup trained and competed in 8-way throughout 2025. At the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025, SDC Rhythm XP finished fourth in 4-way, while the 8-way team Prison 9—featuring all five Rhythm members—earned a second-place finish.

Performing double duties at FAI/ISC competitions is considerably more demanding than at USPA Nationals or training camps, where events are scheduled separately and follow a predictable timeline. At world championships and world cups, the meet director determines the daily order of 4-way and 8-way rounds based on weather and aircraft availability. As a result, competitors handling double duties may be required to switch between 4-way and 8-way events within the span of an hour.

Doug Barron’s situation at the upcoming world championship in October will be significantly less demanding than at last year’s world cup. This time, he will compete in only one event—8-way Open with Paraclete XP8. SDC Rhythm XP did not qualify for the world championship, where the Golden Knights will represent the United States in 4-way Open. With only a single event to focus on, Doug Barron will share the same competitive schedule as his XP8 teammates. Meanwhile, XP4 members Jeana Billings and Jennifer Davidson will also compete alongside Doug Barron, while Ranch TNT will represent the U.S. delegation in 4-way Women.

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NSL Live Talk with SDC Rhythm XP and Gary Smith

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Lineup history of SDC Rhythm XP since 2007

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Only the training and competition days themselves tend to become unusually long for competitors handling both 4-way and 8-way double duties. During the World Cup in Teuge, the SDC Rhythm XP members competing with Prison 9 had to arrive at the competition site early in the morning and were unable to leave when the meet director released the other 8-way teams for the day and called the 4-way teams back into action for the remainder of the schedule.

A similar situation is expected at the Rhythm and XP8 training camps this year. XP8 plans up to ten training days per month, leaving little room for additional 4-way camps. As a result, SDC Rhythm XP aligns its schedule as closely as possible with XP8 for logistical reasons. While this approach improves overall efficiency for double duties, it also significantly increases the intensity of each training day. The NSL News followed Doug Barron’s daily agenda as closely as possible during one of these extended training days at Paraclete XP.

Doug Barron receives full support from his current teammates—Greg Oldendick, Steve Loufek, and Chris Webb—who are entering their second year together with the same lineup. They make use of the additional time available through a mix of off-skydiving work and 2-way drills to fine-tune individual skills. SDC Rhythm XP also successfully brought in coach Gary Smith for the first time, coinciding with one of the double-duty training camps. Gary Smith visited Paraclete XP for several days after once again guiding NMP PCH HayaBusa to a strong performance at the Wind Games 2026.

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NSL TV Unfiltered: SDC Rhythm XP at Paraclete XP

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Doug Barron was not the only competitor handling 4-way and 8-way double duties this week at Paraclete XP. The new XP4 lineup—Jeana Billings, Jennifer Davidson, Anna Brunner, and Laura Galdamez—faced the same situation as SDC Rhythm XP with Doug Barron. Jeana Billings and Jen Davidson are also current XP8 members and have plans to compete in 4-way Women at the national indoor championships, as the NSL News reported yesterday.

XP4 began each training day in the morning alongside SDC Rhythm XP, with XP8 training sessions starting in the afternoon. This schedule remained consistent throughout the week. It worked well for XP4 member Anna Brunner, who continued working her regular job, even on days when additional training time was available for the team.

Jeana Billings, Jennifer Davidson, and Laura Galdamez continued 4-way training with various substitutes during the same time slot. XP8 members Carl Kallgren and James Hall assisted in the 4-way sessions, and even NSL News reporter Kurt Gaebel had the opportunity to try to keep up with the XP4 pace. The three XP4 members used the extra time without their inside center to focus on training the B-slots. This adjustment moved point flyer Jennifer Davidson to outside center and tail Laura Galdamez to inside center, while outside center Jeana Billings shifted to tail to make room. The substitutes all filled the point slot. Jeana Billings and Jen Davidson then transitioned to 8-way training in the afternoon, where they joined forces once again with Doug Barron.

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XP4 training with substitutes James Hall and Kurt Gaebel

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