posted Nov 5th, 2009 - It's a little bit early to post the competition draw for a meet that it still two weeks away. However, it is very unlikely that any of the teams will be able to practice the competition jumps before the meet actually begins.

The first competition day is Thursday, November 19. It would be an incredible logistical challenge to line up the 100 competitors of one of the teams to train the sequences before the competition begins.

Seriously, it is not really a competition draw. BJ Worth, organizer of this year's Kaleidoscope Dives at SkyQuest 2009, has now released the 100-way sequences that will be used at the 100-way meet in DeLand. It is also not really a serious competition, however, both big-way groups will surely try to show the best quality level of the dives.

It is not the first time in skydiving history that the idea of a 100-way competition came up. "South African Steve" Woodford was heading a 100-way competition project years ago. Teams were lined up at different locations and could provide their footage for judging.

It is surely the first time in skydiving history that two 100-way teams will be on an event site at the same time and jump the same sequences. It will be a very friendly competition for great quality and not for points, as BJ Worth's Kaleidoscope Divers are mostly team mates in his World Team.

There used to be 40-way competitions in Florida in the 80's and 90's, which were also live events. Teams from Zephyrhills and DeLand traveled back and forth taking turns in hosting the event on the Easter weekend.

The SkyQuest management considered the option of bringing back the 40-way competition for a while when Guy Wright's 40-way project, Team Elite, was successful at Fantasy of Flight. However, BJ Worth said that the Kaleidoscope Divers would prefer to do their Kaleidoscope Dives together with the whole group during the four SkyQuest days.

The 40-way competition idea was simply skipped when the World Team founder decided to invite a second group to join the Kaleidoscope Dives at SkyQuest. It was not clear by then how big both groups would eventually be. It turned out that BJ Worth ended up with two 100-way teams.

Well, the National Skydiving League promotes Formation Skydiving competition - whether it's a 2-way or a 100-way meet. The 40-way competition would fit nicely, and there is nothing wrong with a 100-way competition. SkyQuest 2009 will now feature the first live 100-way competition in history.