posted Sep 24th, 2026 - Round 1 of 4-way Open at the USPA Nationals 2026 created a big splash in the formation skydiving competition world, and there was every reason for it. The Golden Knights felt the impact of the meet opener throughout the entire competition and even after its conclusion, as they were unable to fully compensate for the nine-point loss in Round 1. Arizona Airspeed ultimately carried a three-point advantage across the finish line, winning 254-251.

There was no serious impact for the Golden Knights, even though they would certainly have preferred gold medals over silver at this year's national outdoor championship. The U.S. Army team will still represent the country at the upcoming FAI Outdoor World Championship 2026, where the new USPA 4-way champions, Arizona Airspeed, will be spectators only. The Golden Knights still have the opportunity to win FAI medals and possibly even add their names to the William H. Ottley Sword for the FAI 4-way Open Class world champions, also known as the “4-way Excalibur.”

The Golden Knights are also qualified for next year's FAI Outdoor World Cup by virtue of their second-place finish in 4-way Open, alongside Arizona Airspeed, SDC Rhythm XP, and Elsinore Elevate. At the same time, it seems quite unlikely that a similar situation, with a Super Sequence in Round 1 and a deficit that cannot be fully recovered, will happen again anytime soon.

USPA Nationals 2026		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open	A,9,B,D		5,C,L,15		F,7,8		E,H,13,N		16,P,M,20		Q,G,11,21		4,12,17		22,O,2		19,6,J		18,1,K		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	47		25	-2	26		31	-1	26	-1	18		20	-1	20		23		18	-2	254	25.4
2	Golden Knights	38	-4	27	-1	25		30	-2	27	-1	19	-4	20		21		25	-1	19	-2	251	25.1
3	SDC Rhythm XP	31	-4	19	-3	20	-2	24	-3	21		17	-3	16	-1	19		20	-1	17	-1	204	20.4
4	Elsinore Elevate	35		19		21		22	-2	18		17	-1	15		16		16	-2	15	-1	194	19.4
5	Hammertime 2.0	27	-1	19		19		21	-2	19		16	-2	13	-1	16		17		14	-3	181	18.1
6	Four Warned XP	26	-4	15	-1	20	-1	21	-2	18	-1	16	-1	12	-3	16		18		13	-2	175	17.5
7	Ranch TNT SDAZ	28	-2	16	-1	19		21		17		13	-2	12		15		15	-1	14		170	17.0
8	Redline XP	24	-1	16		17		17		17		15	-1	11	-2	11	-1	16	-1	13		157	15.7
9	SDC Rhedux	24	-1	14		16	-2	16	-3	15	-1	14	-2	10		14		15	-1	13		151	15.1
10	Girls Will Be Girls	24	-1	13		15	-3	17	-1	14		14	-1	13		14		13	-2	13		150	15.0
11	Adorable AF	20	-2	14		15	-1	19		11		13		11		11	-2	14		10	-3	138	13.8
12	Chicken Bolts	16	-5	13	-2	15	-2	12	-4	12		13	-2	13	-1	12		10	-5	13	-1	129	12.9
13	Mercenaries	21		12		13	-2	17		12	-1	14		9	-1	11		9	-4	10	-1	128	12.8
14	Air Raid XP	21		10	-1	15	-2	10	-8	13	-1	14		7	-4	11		13	-1	10	-3	124	12.4
15	AeroGiRhls	12		8	-1	11	-1	14		9		8	-1	7		10		8		8	-1	95	9.5
16	Perris 3 D & Dan	13		9	-1	11	-1	5	-3	8		8		8	-1	8	-1	8	-1	8		86	8.6

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Arizona Airspeed - Golden Knights at the USPA Nationals 2026

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On the other hand, it is also a fact that the same thing could theoretically happen at any competition at any time, given the random and unique nature of each competition draw. The previous example is actually not that far back, although the circumstances were different.

Arizona Airspeed and the Golden Knights both experienced a Super Sequence in Round 1 just three years ago at the USPA Nationals 2023. At the time, the event served as the qualifier for the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2024, and only the winner would go on to compete at Crystal Coast.

Just as the Golden Knights did last week, Arizona Airspeed—the reigning 4-way world champions from Eloy 2022, with the same lineup—lost the Super Sequence in Round 1, this time by five points (43-48) after receiving eight point deductions. SDC Rhythm XP, the bronze medalists at the same event, won Round 1 despite receiving four penalties of their own. Arizona Airspeed, however, recovered quickly and emphatically, coming back with a vengeance in Round 2. They did not give away another round after their disastrous start and went on to win by a commanding 43-point margin over XPG4 in second place (268-225). A year later, they went on to claim their second consecutive world championship title.

USPA Nationals 2023		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open Class	O,E,C,Q,H		20,M,J,1		10,12,B		4,18,L		11,17,5		8,9,22		A,19,K,13		G,3,2		21,14,15		D,F,7,N		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	43	-8	29		22		23	-1	28		21		26		23		20		33	-2	268	26.8
2	XPG4	46	-2	21		17		17		20		17	-1	23		18		17		29	-1	225	22.5
3	SDC Rhythm XP	48	-4	19		17		16		20		17		22		17	-1	16		25	-1	217	21.7
4	Golden Knights	39	-3	23		18		17	-1	21		17	-1	24		15	-2	14		28		216	21.6
5	Pour Decisions	35	-1	18		15		16		18		16		20		15		14		23	-1	190	19.0
6	RhEvolution XP	27	-4	19		13		15		16		15		16	-1	16		13		23		173	17.3
7	Skydive Midwest NEXT	26	-4	18	-1	12	-2	15		17		14		17		15		13		23		170	17.0
8	Spaceland Apex	22	-5	11	-1	11	-2	14		15		13	-2	19		14		13		22		154	15.4
9	Alti-2 Technologies	24	-1	12	-1	10		13		13		11	-1	14		11		11		18	-1	137	13.7
10	Rhetirement Party	21		12	-2	11		10	-1	8		12		13		12		10		17		126	12.6
11	Rippin Flatties	10	-4	4		3	-3	5		4	-3	4	-1	6		3		5		10	-3	54	5.4

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Arizona Airspeed - Golden Knights at the USPA Nationals 2023

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Airspeed team captain Joey Marshall mentioned during the NSL Live Talk on September 18th that his current teammates were ready to give Round 2 special attention, even though they had won the Super Sequence in Round 1 and established a comfortable nine-point lead.

Joey Marshall must have remembered how his own team came back with a vengeance after the heavy loss in Round 1 of the USPA Nationals 2023. He had no doubt that the Golden Knights, the reigning USPA 4-way Open Class champions from 2025, would react in the same way to their terrible meet opener. He was right, as the Golden Knights came back with an excellent round and the high score for Round 2.

The Golden Knights probably did not know just how well prepared the new Airspeed lineup was, based on Joey Marshall's previous experience. Airspeed nevertheless offered enough resistance to prevent the U.S. Army team from fully compensating for its early deficit. The Golden Knights could win only six of the remaining nine rounds, and never by more than two points. It was still a three-point advantage for Airspeed after Round 10. The Golden Knights had witnessed Arizona Airspeed's comeback in 2023 with the same lineup that competed last week. At the time, the Golden Knights were in their first year with the new lineup, with Andy Sippl on camera. SDC Rhythm XP, the winner of the Round 1 Super Sequence in 2023, ultimately finished in third place, while the Golden Knights will now try to put their best performance forward at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2026 next month.

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