posted Jun 26th, 2026 - The competition among the three world-class teams at the top of the Paraclete XP Summer Classic 2026 leaderboard naturally attracted most of the attention in the NSL News, and for good reason. However, the closest battle of the meet actually unfolded just behind the top contenders. Pickup team Couples Therapy finished only two points ahead of Redline XP after all ten rounds. Similar to NMP PCH HayaBusa, Couples Therapy had a slower start on the first day and trailed Redline XP by four points after Round 7. The momentum shifted on the second day when Couples Therapy won all three remaining rounds by a combined margin of six points, enough to overturn the deficit and claim the duel by two points.

Doug Barron, current member of SDC Rhythm XP and the XP8 world championship team, teamed up with Jamie Caldwell for the first seven rounds. When Doug Barron was unable to continue on the second day, his 8-way teammate Jeana Billings stepped into the lineup, joining Michelle Nguyen and Samuel Lecrone to compete with the second couple.

Kirk Verner's son Trey served as the team's videographer throughout the competition. The two XP8 world champions contributed in different roles over the weekend. While Jeana Billings was coaching 8-way team XPialidocious, Kirk Verner was judging the competition videos that Trey Verner recorded and delivered. Although the battle for the overall title captured most of the headlines, the showdown between Couples Therapy and Redline XP turned out to be the closest contest of the entire Summer Classic, proving once again that some of the most exciting stories unfold throughout the rest of the leaderboard.

XP Summer Classic 2026			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA/Open/Advanced Class		L,O,15,10		8,G,17		13,1,21		K,2,E,B		14,18,A		20,Q,J,F		4,H,6		9,N,12		3,16,11		M,D,5,P		Total	Avg
1	Golden Knights	US	23		25		23		31	-1	21		31		24		25		20		38		261	26.1
2	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	24		23		22	-1	27	-3	20	-1	33		22		25		23		38		257	25.7
3	Arizona Airspeed	US	23		21		20		29		18		32		24		24		20		38		249	24.9
4	Couples Therapy	US	11	-2	11	-1	11	-1	16	-1	12	-1	19	-2	13	-1	15		12		21	-1	141	14.1
5	Redline XP	US	10	-1	16		12	-2	16		13		16	-2	14	-1	14		12		16	-1	139	13.9
6	Platinum XP	US	10		11		11		15		10		16		11		12	-1	10		16		122	12.2

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Couples Therapy - Redline XP at the Paraclete XP Summer Classic 2026

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Kirk Verner also served as player-coach of the original Redline XP lineup that claimed the AAA/Advanced Class gold medals at the USPA Nationals 2019. James Hall, now one of the newest members of XP8, was part of that championship-winning team alongside current Redline XP members Louis French and Matthew Hunt. James Hall will compete in 8-way at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2026, once again guided by his former 4-way teammate Kirk Verner and fellow XP8 member Doug Barron.

After capturing the AAA/Advanced Class title in 2019, Redline XP took a break from competition before returning last year with new members Alex Bucevicius and Jonathan Perl. The new lineup finished eighth in the AAA/Open Class competition at the USPA Nationals 2025. For the 2026 season, XP8 alternate Ian Pedowitz has replaced Jonathan Perl, while Radim Studeny continues as the team's videographer. The revised lineup opened its outdoor campaign with a 13.9 average at the Paraclete XP Summer Classic 2026.

The return of Redline XP reconnects several storylines that have shaped recent U.S. Formation Skydiving competition, including the continuing mix of rivalry and cooperation among athletes who have shared team lineups, coaching responsibilities and podium finishes over the years. Whether Redline XP's latest chapter develops into a full-fledged comeback remains to be seen. One thing is already certain, however: whenever the Redline XP name appears on a competition leaderboard, experienced competitors take notice. The remaining meets of the season will determine whether Redline XP can once again challenge for USPA Advanced Class medals against a new generation of teams. Either way, the return of a familiar name adds another compelling storyline to the 2026 season.

USPA Nationals 2025			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		O,4,5		21,12,22		6,J,H,G		N,2,20		L,13,A,F		7,19,M		1,14,18		9,10,15		17,E,8		C,3,P,K		Total	Avg
G	Aethers Lille	FR	23	-1	19		33		23		34		26		18		21		23	-1	30	-1	250	25.0
1	Golden Knights	US	21	-3	19		29		22		36		26		19		19	-2	26		28		245	24.5
2	Arizona Airspeed	US	24		17		27		19		29		23		15		17		22		23	-1	216	21.6
3	SDC Rhythm XP	US	19		14	-1	27		19		26	-1	22		15		16		19		19	-5	196	19.6
4	Elsinore Elevate	US	17	-1	14		23		17		26		21		15		16		19		21		189	18.9
5	Inertia AZ	US	16	-1	14	-1	24		16	-1	25		20		14		16		12	-5	20		177	17.7
6	The OGs	US	17		9	-3	21	-1	15	-1	21	-2	18		13		12	-2	16	-1	18	-2	160	16.0
7	Redline XP	US	14	-1	10	-1	18		14		22		13	-3	12		12		17		15	-1	147	14.7
8	Ranch TNT	US	13	-3	11		21		13		18		16	-1	11		12		14		12	-2	141	14.1
8	Double Trouble	US	14		11		18		12	-1	18		15		12		12		13	-1	16		141	14.1
10	Rhetirement Rhedux	US	10	-2	7	-3	16		11	-1	17		14	-1	9	-1	8	-2	10	-1	14		118	11.8
11	XP Angels	US	11	-1	9	-1	15	-2	11	-2	16	-1	13		10		7	-2	13	-1	12		117	11.7

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Redline XP at the USPA Nationals 2025

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Platinum XP won the AA/Intermediate Class competition when Redline XP claimed the AAA/Advanced Class title in 2019, although the Platinum XP lineup at that time was completely different. Current team members Don Hurd and Matthias Kaminski trained and competed with Platinum XP during the 2019 season but were unavailable for the USPA Nationals.

Following the pandemic, new Platinum XP lineups moved up into AAA Class competition and have competed in the AAA/Advanced Class at the USPA Nationals every year since. Scott Franklin (Point), Don Hurd (Outside Center), Matthias Kaminski (Inside Center) and Bill Thomasson (Tail), with XP8 videographer Kevin Penn on camera, trained and competed together throughout the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The lineup achieved its best result with a fifth-place finish at the USPA Nationals 2025. Scott Franklin was unable to continue this season, and Danny Suter took over the Point slot beginning with the Paraclete XP Indoor Championship 2026.

The new lineup quickly reached the same scoring and performance level as last year's team at the Paraclete XP Summer Classic 2026. While the two other AAA Class teams remained out of reach at the end, Platinum XP consistently stayed close to them in several rounds. All three teams can be expected to appear once again on the AAA Class (Open/Advanced) leaderboard at the USPA Nationals 2026, where another closely contested battle is likely to unfold.

USPA Nationals 2019		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Advanced	7,C,H,P	J,21,20	O,3,11	B,2,K,E	8,Q,10	15,D,F,12	N,L,M,14	6,1,9	A,18,13	G,4,5	Total	Avg
1	Redline XP	19	17	16	21	14	16	21	17	17	17	175	17.5
2	Elsinore Elevate	23	14	14	22	15	17	19	14	14	16	168	16.8
3	SNE CenterCell XP	23	14	14	18	14	11	18	15	14	15	156	15.6
4	Air Force Shadow	20	15	13	21	10	13	18	15	15	13	153	15.3
5	Vega XP	21	14	14	21	14	13	15	16	11	12	151	15.1
6	AZ Crime	19	13	14	17	11	12	18	15	13	11	143	14.3
6	Air Force Boomers	20	14	12	15	13	10	16	15	14	14	143	14.3
8	Arizona Alpha	21	14	14	17	14	11	14	14	9	14	142	14.2
9	SDC Rhevolution XP	17	14	12	16	12	13	14	14	13	13	138	13.8
10	Space Force BTR	18	14	13	18	11	11	18	14	10	10	137	13.7
11	SNE Fly Girls	18	12	13	14	11	13	14	13	12	8	128	12.8
12	Chill: Bu	18	13	11	17	9	11	14	13	11	10	127	12.7
13	Perris Goldilocks and 4 Bears	16	11	10	15	10	10	12	10	12	10	116	11.6
14	TSC Cadence	14	9	12	14	10	11	12	12	12	9	115	11.5
15	Fast Break	15	10	10	12	10	12	14	8	10	11	112	11.2
16	Paragon	13	7	11	12	9	8	12	10	7	9	98	9.8
17	AZ Shift	9	9	9	13	9	9	10	11	8	8	95	9.5
18	Perris Section 4	15	8	9	11	8	6	10	10	9	8	94	9.4

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Redline XP at the USPA Nationals 2019

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