posted Dec 15th, 2009 - The NSL News recently posted scores, photos and lineups of the last tunnel meet this year. Organizer Ben Liston now reported that "the 2nd annual indoor competition at SkyVenture New Hampshire this December simply rocked."

Approx. 120 people competed in the meet, which included 4-way FS events on Saturday and 2-way VFS events on Sunday. The 10-round 4-way competition attracted 29 teams and the new 2-way VFS event 15 additional teams. Thanks to the amazing support from industry sponsors and local businesses, every competitor walked away with a prize. Performance Designs, United Parachute Technologies, SkySystems USA, Liquid Sky Jumpsuits, The Ranch Pro Shop, SkyVenture New Hampshire, Ouragon Suits, Ranch Fallout, Bev Suits, Parachute Equipment Corp., The Radisson Hotel of Nashua, Sunpath Products, and Bonehead Composites all donated prizes for the meet.

SkyVenture New Hampshire additionally provided discounted tunnel time for the event, t-shirts, medals and a pizza lunch for everyone. Nationally rated judges Jim Rees and Butch Crook judged all the rounds, Sara LaWare and Stacey Geesey ran the manifest and assisted the judges, the tunnel staff kept everyone safe and the the airspeed accurate. Ben Liston (FS) and Ari Perelman (VFS) served as meet directors.

Ben Liston said that part of the reason for the huge success of the NH tunnel meets is that it is a community organized event, and he explained:

"We depend on donations from within the industry for prizes rather than using cash purses, local judges donate their time for pizza and free t-shirt, the meet directors and other volunteers to work, free of charge, to prep the event and keep the day running smoothly. New for this year, 24 player/coaches also volunteered their time to guide the 12 Rookie Class teams, which comprised of two player coaches and two competitors, through the morning meet.

"This group effort allowed us to keep the total meet fees down to just $60/person, which covered all of the competition flights, their warm-up time, t-shirt, food, medals, everything. Beyond just the great price and free stuff, the meet brings together the vast majority of competitive flyers in the North East for day of great vibes and great competition."

However, there was still exciting competition, as Ben Liston reported: "But don’t let the good vibes fool you, competition proved to be fierce in all classes."

In the Rookie Class, which was a 5-round meet, West Point team Haner/Dratch won with a 15.0 average, finishing just a single point ahead of silver medalists Team Ripstik with a 14.8 average. Killin’ Time finished 3rd with a 13.6 average.

In the modified A/Intermediate class, the top three positions were in flux throughout the 10-round meet. In the end, team 50/50 (19.0 average) edged out West Point Apocalypse (18.8) by just two points for the win. West Point Vigilantes (17.3) came in third. Syncing Feeling Feeling (16.9) performed well throughout the course of the meet and finished in 4th place.

In the modified AAA/Open Class, Bu Defiance took the first place with a 22.0 average. There was a heated race between team Centerline (the 2008 USPA Advanced Class silver medalists) and Ranch Fallout (the 2009 USPA Advanced Class silver medalists). The teams were tied after seven rounds, but the currency prevailed and Ranch Fallout was able to finish six points ahead of Centerline to secure the second place with a 17.9 average. Centerline finished with a 17.3 average, which is a very respectable score given that the team hadn't trained this season and that the Open Class tunnel draw included a handful of new blocks (3, 16, 21, and 22).

Ben Liston had more in mind than only the actual competition:

"Beyond the goal of having a fun and affordable winter meet, the main aims of the competition were to provide an opportunity for jumpers newer to the FS and VFS scenes to have a chance to compete and learn, and also to give people the opportunity to meet folks who they might be able compete with over the course of the next year. Success on these fronts is what we are most proud of.

"The 2-on-2 Rookie Class event with its player coach format, suggested by the Ranch Fallout members, proved to be incredibly successful, and the conversations and party that went well into the night at the local pub and Radisson Hotel bar about the upcoming year were strong evidence that folks are excited about the upcoming season.

"In case there was any doubt, competitive skydiving is alive and well in the North East. As organizers, we look forward to expanding the meet next year to be able to accommodate more teams, we are considering bringing in some world class coaches to assist with the event and run a pre-meet camp, and we also hope to expand the on-site media coverage. Keep your eye out for news about a possible event this spring!"