posted Aug 7th, 2007 - Solly Williams followed up with more information from his coaching and observing corner in Stupino. He commented the viewings of Round 5 live in front of the DZ-TV screen and provided some other observations and thoughts. He currently suffers from a cold, and the NSL News is grateful for his continued efforts to bring the event closer to the NSL audience.

Solly's World Meet Corner

Things couldn't be closer in the 4-way Open competition with Round 6 almost complete.

The weather here is about as hot as it gets adding an extra dimension to the test. I'm sure most people have come to terms with this draw that won't be sending any messages across the water. It's very medium to slow with six rounds being 6-point sequences.

Round 5 involved memory, and it will be interesting to see who had the grit to maintain pace. Belgium's Hayabusa Defence seems to be skydiving with a "going for it" attitude, while France Maubeuge has had a few glitches out the door costing them points. Russia's Sky Panthers are moving well in general but picked up a poorly keyed bust in Round 4.

Will the daring speed of Hayabusa hold up against the French team that is moving well but being a little troubled from this plane, or is it going to be the free flowing Panthers? Tough call right now. The French team has probably been the most consistent so far but seems to be a little cautious at times. We'll know in a few hours.

Norway's Arcteryx seemed a little glitchy this morning. However, they are holding off a challenge from the new German team and are hoping to bite into the gap of the pack in front of them. That is the Russian Black Cat and the French B-Team that looks really smooth and solid, too. It helps to be 8-way world champions, I guess...

The Norwegians just posted a very nice 21-pointer. No glitches, but I doubt this will be the winning score. They got two more points than the Germans who had some trouble in the camp with a sprained ankle at the mock-up before that jump and rode the plane down to generate more recovery time. They will now be the last team to complete Round 6.

Hayabusa just showed they’re happy to be sharing the leaderboard with a very nice 24-pointer. The judges watched it once and posted the score. Great jump. Next up are the other two leaders. Oops, the judges aren't finished with Black Cat who I think are going to double-bust to 19 points. Yep, posted. 19. They never got going and had separation issues out the door. They give away two points to the French Aerokart team and Norway.

The Panthers just sent a message loud and clear. BRING IT!!! Clean 25 points in Round 5 give them a 1-point lead over Belgium with France up next. The judges want a few more looks though. Little separation between 1 and 2, looks clear in my books, and here it comes 2... 4?? Wow!! They get a bust on the freeze frame.

France just got 23 points, which means the tie at the top is no more. Yep it's posted. Clean with one missed catch on Block 2. Very smooth indeed, but I can't help but wonder if the 8-way history of these guys makes it hard to let it all hang out a little. Five more round here, and let's see which plan wins the prize. Full throttle or... We all know consistency wins meets.

I won't be around to give you the scores of the 6th round, but word on the street is that the French team had a good round. Six rounds of 4-way are now complete. The 8-way competition starts soon. Will Germany catch Italy, or is Italy going to turn the heat on Russia. The French 8-way, although having a shaky Round 2, is going to be out front alone.

Teams seem to be having a good time here although there have been some troublesome exits across the board. The bad weather before the meet had an effect on last-minute training, which also had an impact on numerous NJ's. The pace of the rounds has been fast today.