posted Sep 13th, 2011 - It seems that no meet story from the Midwest Skydiving League is complete without a weather report, and the MWSL September Meet was no exception. Saturday morning Ottawa was blanketed in the thickest fog in recent memory courtesy of the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee.

The forecast was iffy at best, and the lingering fog did not allow jumping until after noon. Thanks to a bit of luck and skillful manifesting by Karry Schwartz, MWSL Director Alan Butt and his seven teams amazingly came within two loads of having all rounds completed.

Once again most of the MWSL teams competed in the AA Class. MWSL regulars SDC Flying Fish and SDC Jetstream Tango were joined by a recast Peregrine and the 2011 version of last season’s Steve Lefkowitz player-coach team, the Hawks. It may have been the best race ever between at least four teams in MWSL history, with only four points separating the teams after four rounds.

MWSL 2011 - September		Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	17,5,16	L,A,9,21	20,15,2	19,M,1	Q,22,E,F	B,P,13,G	Total	Avg
1	SDC Furies XP	15	18	13	15	18	16	95	15.8
Rank	AA Class	21,2	L,A,9	20,15	19,M,1	Q,22,E	B,P,13	Total	Avg
1	Hawks	6	8	5	8	9	-	36	7.2
2	SDC Jetstream Tango	7	9	4	6	6	-	32	6.4
3	Peregrine	6	8	4	5	6	-	29	5.8
4	SDC Flying Fish	6	6	5	7	4	-	28	5.6
Rank	A Class	21,2	L,A,9	6,C	19,M	Q,E,F	B,P,G	Total	Avg
1	ArchRivals	7	7	6	9	7	9	45	7.5
Rank	Rookie	O,N,D	L,A,H	C,J,K	M,L,B	Q,E,F	B,P,G	Total	Avg
1	SDC Rage	0	0	3	1	1	-	5	1.0

The Hawks eventually had their best round of the day in the fifth round, which turned out to be the final one, and beat Jetstream with a 7.2 average. Adding to the excitement of the competition was the fact that each team had its best meet of the 2011 season.

The Hawks won $100 off a future SDC Rhythm XP tunnel camp at Paraclete XP for their performance. Peregrine got 10 minutes of tunnel time by winning this meet’s Paraclete XP Challenge for the most improved score with the 5.8 average, a full 1.5 points higher than at the last meet.

Each of the remaining classes had a single entrant. The SDC Furies XP, training hard for the Open Class competition at the USPA Nationals 2011, again scored a 15+ average through six rounds in the challenging AAA Class.

In the A Class, the ArchRivals, the only team to attend all four MWSL meets this season, had their best meet ever with a 7.5 average. They had a very consistent meet with no round scoring under six points and were awarded a set of four pairs of NSL Gloves.

In the Rookie Class, team SDC Rage made their competitive debut after a limited number of training jumps this year, scoring five points through the five rounds. Meet coach Laurent Beaudouin awarded them the SDC Rhythm Coaches’ Choice Award of $100 off a Rhythm tunnel camp for their enthusiasm and "super confidence".

It was the final MWSL meet of the 2011 season, and the closing ceremony also included the awards for the season records. The Angry Birds won MWSL gold medals in the AA Class easily after winning each of the three meets they attended. JetStream Tango and Peregrine tied with a total of 6 MWSL meet points, but Jetstream was awarded the silver medals based on the higher scores. The ArchRivals took home the gold medals in the team's first year in the A Class.

2011 represented the thirteenth season for the Midwest Skydiving League. Director Alan Butt expresses his thanks to all of the MWSL supporters, including Skydive Chicago, Chicagoland Skydiving, SDC Rhythm XP, Paraclete XP and SkyVenture Colorado: "Also thanks to all the teams, packers and others who keep the league going. Good luck to the teams going to Eloy this fall and hope to see everyone back in 2012."