posted Apr 16th, 2010 - The NSL News goes back to the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2010 before the video coverage of the second day at the World Challenge 2010 will begin.

There are good reasons to connect those two events, as several teams attended both competitions this year. The Shamrock Showdown was up first, and it is an interesting fact that the three top teams in DeLand (Aerodyne Cypres Maubeuge, NMP-PCH Hayabusa, Perris Fury) finished in exactly the same order between the three of them at this year's World Challenge.

The other interesting aspect is the fact that the same three Shamrock teams all defeated Arizona Airspeed two weeks later at Bodyflight Bedford. It was the first time that this Airspeed lineup lost a meet, and it was also the first time that this Airspeed lineup had not attended the Shamrock Showdown.

The NSL News had already mentioned earlier the relevance of the Shamrock Showdown as an indicator of the upcoming season. It is time for an update and a closer look at the Airspeed years with the current lineup, which was formed at the beginning of the 2007 season.

Eliana Rodriguez, Craig Girard, Andy Delk and Mark Kirkby competed at the Shamrock Showdown 2007 and won with a 23.0 average over Team Fastrax (227) and the Golden Knights (222). The same three teams finished in exactly the same order at the USPA Nationals 2007, and Airspeed was the new US national 4-way team for the World Meet 2008 in France.

Airspeed came back to DeLand for the Shamrock Showdown 2008 where the French national 4-way team, with exactly the same lineup as today, visited for the first time. Airspeed won the Shamrock again (252 - 247) and then the gold medals at the World Meet 2008 half a year later. France placed 2nd in Maubeuge.

The results of the Shamrock Showdown 2009 reflected once again the final leaderboard of the USPA Nationals the same year. Airspeed won the Shamrock Showdown in March (22.9) over France (226), Spaceland Force XP (220) and Perris Fury (214).

Airspeed, Force and Fury finished in exactly the same order half a year later at the USPA Nationals 2009. Airspeed qualified once again as the US national team for the World Championship of Formation Skydiving 2010 in Russia.

According to the events of the past years, the results of the Shamrock Showdown 2010 would now indicate what can be expected at this year's World Meet.

Aerodyne Cypres Maubeuge at the Shamrock Showdown 2010 - Rounds 1 to 10

Airspeed missed the Shamrock Showdown 2010, and Aerodyne Cypres Maubeuge won this year's event in Deland. If the results of the Shamrock continue to reflect correctly what happens later at the major events of the season it would neither be good news for NMP-PCH Hayabusa nor for Airspeed. France would win the 4-way gold medals this year, and Belgium would end up in second place.

The results at the World Challenge 2010 even confirmed the situation after the Shamrock Showdown. France won again, and Hayabusa finished in second place. This time, Airspeed was competing too, and the results are very well known.

Airspeed and Hayabusa will have to change the recent Shamrock history now, if they want to win this year's World Meet in Russia.