posted Mar 13th, 2008 - The final preparations for the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2008 are in full swing, at Skydive DeLand as well as in the NSL office. FAI judge Jukka Olkkonen from Finland arrived on Thursday with his DDC Score Systems and was busy testing and setting up the equipment.

The same judging and scoring system was already used at several meets in Scandinavia and also at the ESL Championship 2007. Jukka Olkkonen and Golden Knight Eric Heinsheimer will be the event judges.

They will have a very busy weekend. The number of teams went up to 27 when three lineups of the Norwegian Basic Camp 2008 requested to be included in this year's Shamrock Showdown.

The additional teams will require the use of a third jump plane in DeLand. Eight national 4-way teams will keep the Pilatus Porter busy all day long. France Maubeuge and Airspeed Odyssey will launch the first round with the first Porter load on Saturday morning at 7:50 am.

Canada Evolution and Russia's Black Cat share the second load. The national teams of the USA and Norway in IPC's female category, Fastrax Blue and Fortitudo, follow in load three. Danish Blaze and the German Chicas complete the cycle from the Pilatus Porter.

Skydive DeLand's Twinotter is maxed out with 16 teams that will exit from the left-hand door. Team Fastrax, DeLand Groove, UK's Satori and Sweden's Blue Spirits are in the first Twinotter load of the day at 8:00 am. Sebastian Tempest, Skydive Miami, Sequence and Skybreakers from Denmark share the second load, Golden Knights, Perris Fury, Optic Nerve and Teiwaz the third load. The Twinotter cycle completes with Team Twisted, FSC Wind Damaged, Cold Turkey and Down with the Syndrome.

The three Norwegian lineups will use the Skyvan with its tailgate for the competition jumps. Two of the three teams from Norway, Bangsimon and Venom, are signed up for the AAA Class competition. Two familiar names can be found on Venom's team page.

Derek Broughton is the Point of Norway's national 4-way team Arcteryx that cannot attend the meet with the complete lineup. Ole Petter Hjelle and Mathias Nord are both in Europe at the moment. Derek Broughton is working with the participants of the Norwegian Basic Camp and competes as a player coach.

He has former DeLand Norgies member Pal Kolbenstvedt as a second player coach in the Venom lineup.

Pal Kolbenstvedt's former teammate with the DeLand Norgies, Lise Aune-Nansen, will be competing with Fortitudo at the same time. Last not least, Derek Broughton's Arcteryx teammate Ditta Valsdottir competes as a player coach with Super Duper Fantastic 4way Skydiving Team (SDF4ST) in the A Class.

There are other interesting aspects of and changes in the lineups. John Hart of Team Fastrax is not available this weekend. Doug Park and Thomas Hughes recruited adequate substitutes. Two former XL members will make the Fastrax appearance look like another XL reunion. Pete Allum will fly the Tail slot, and Steve Hamilton is the new Center Outside for the Shamrock Showdown. Doug Park switches to the Point position.

Two DeLand Groove members, PD Factory Team Canopy Pilots and 4-way world champions Ian Bobo and Shannon Pilcher, will have double duties once again, together with Doug Park of Team Fastrax. They will compete with Optic Nerve on Saturday. Scott Keeler will come back to his original Point position on Sunday.

Optic Nerve founder, Dr. Joel Shugar, takes on three different lineups with Teiwaz members this weekend. Chris Ash, Kris Byrne, Thiago Murradas and Ari Perelman have formed Sebastian Tempest.

Bob Byrne, Rodney Cruce and Nick Grillet have joined forces with Knight Trax member Sean Sweeney and compete for Team Twisted. Jim "Bu" Klinge, Robert Chromy and Kurt Gaebel have Bu's FiaZco teammmate Steve Johnson in the the lineup.

The opening ceremony with the meet briefing and competition draw is scheduled for 6:00 pm at Skydive DeLand. The meeting for the teams and competitors will begin with a little acrobatic show. Local yoga master Emma Tranter and Canada's LeMay 4-way family will combine for a special treat that requires more than only skydiving skills.

The weather forecast is promising, and the first scores will hopefully be posted early on Saturday morning.