posted May 13th, 2011 - Only two teams from Italy competed at the World Challenge this year. The 2010 event had four teams involved in the internal Italian race.

However, Excidis had a very interesting lineup, and Area 51 came back with the same lineup as in 2010 to go from the 32nd place of 37 teams and a 16.2 average in 2010 to the 26th place of 40 teams this year, with a 17.0 average.

Excidis was a lineup that was put together only for the World Challenge. Player coach Marco Arrigo, former Sinapsi member and bronze medalist with Italy's 8-way team Ex3mo in 2008, and Manuela Quarella teamed up for the third consecutive indoor competition in Bedford. They had Alessandro Betti and Roberto Valli fill the two open slots this year.

World Challenge 2011		Round1	Round2	Round3	Round4	Round5	Round6	Round7	Round8	Round9	Round10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	10,C,5	20,P,2	H,M,Q,K,A	L,J,16,12	E,7,15	O,11,22	14,B,17	6,13,9	4,3,21	1,G,8	Total	Avg
12	Italy Excidis	18	19	36	21	23	19	21	21	17	19	214	21.4
26	Italy Area 51	15	14	31	16	20	14	16	16	14	14	170	17.0

Alessandro Betti and Roberto Valli are two other Italian top competitors. They were both Marco Arrigo's 8-way team mates with Ex3mo in 2008 and members of the original Ex3mo project, which started as a 4-way team with Max Pugi and Giorgio "Jack" Verga.

Max Pugi was a Team Perris member in 1997, while Giorgio Verga trained and competed with Italy's national team Outcast in 1993. There are other cross connections between the two Italian teams at the World Challenge 2011.

Alessandro Betti and Roberto Valli were also members of the Dream Team, which competed for Italy at the World Meet 1999 in Australia. Tunnel Alien Igor Galvan, founder of Area 51, was filming the Dream Team by then, and his Area 51 team mate of 2010 and 2011, Antonella Chiarin, was a Dream Team member in 1999, as well.

Excidis had no plans for the 2011 season beyond the World Challenge. However, the great indoor scores may change this situation. The Italian Nationals 2011 are scheduled for August 25 - 28, and former Sinapsi member Livio Piccolo will host the competition at his skydiving center in Fano.

90percent publisher Emanuele Bielli, who is also chairman of the Italian Skydiving Federation, informed the NSL News that this will be the first national championships in Italy where all four NSL competition classes will be applied, including the new Italian Rookie Class.

Excidis will have serious competition for the Italian 4-way title if the team decides to continue. There is a new Ex3mo 4-way lineup, with Ivan Quadrio, Placido Udine, Fabio Lorenzetti and Mario Fattoruso. Ivan Quadrio, Placido Udine, Fabio Lorenzetti are all Ex3mo members, Mario Fattoruso trained and competed with top team Felix in the past years. The same lineup competed last year without any training, and they will work with coach Pete Allum this year. This lineup will also represent Italy at the World Cup 2011 in Germany.