posted Nov 10th, 2013 - The Sun Path Products NSL News recently went back in time to cover the story of AAA/Advanced Class winner ZeBone at the USPA Nationals 2013. It was the 2005 competition season that was a part of the ZeBone story.

Sabrina Graham and Kurt Disser competed with a pickup team at the Shamrock Showdown 2005, which also featured a very exciting and important competition in the AAA/Open Class.

Several top teams of the world competed in DeLand in March 2005, including two teams who would win medals at the next World Championship of Formation Skydiving in Germany 2006. Italy's national team Sinapsi PD won bronze in 2006, and DeLand Fire would become the next 4way world champions.

Shamrock Showdown 2005		Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	11-16-J	15-17-H	F-20-9	P-L-5-6	7-Q-21	E-3-K-4	19-14-G	22-2-1	12-18-A	13-B-D-8	Total	Avg
1	DeLand Fire (US)	21	22	24	23	23	20	20	15	16	23	207	20.7
2	Golden Knights (US)	21	21	23	25	23	20	19	15	16	21	204	20.4
3	Sinapsi PD (IT)	19	20	25	22	23	18	18	15	15	20	195	19.5
4	DeLand Majik (US)	18	19	22	23	20	21	18	15	16	21	193	19.3
5	Fastrax (US)	18	19	22	21	19	19	17	14	15	19	183	18.3
6	Spa Hayabusa (BE)	18	17	22	20	19	20	17	16	15	18	182	18.2
7	Arcteryx (NO)	16	16	19	20	18	16	15	14	14	17	165	16.5
8	FSC Remscheid (DE)	16	16	20	17	19	16	15	13	13	17	162	16.2
9	EADS (DE)	17	16	19	16	17	16	15	13	13	14	156	15.6
10	42 (SE)	10	11	16	14	16	16	13	12	8	11	127	12.7
11	Glitter Pimps (US)	10	12	16	14	14	14	12	11	6	13	122	12.2
12	Monkey Circus (AU)	13	11	17	15	14	12	13	11	11	4	121	12.1
13	Teiwa-Z-Hills (US)	10	9	14	11	12	12	11	11	11	13	114	11.4
14	Fastrax Select (US)	10	12	12	14	12	12	11	7	8	9	107	10.7

DeLand Fire	Golden Knights

However, the major battle was not between Sinapsi and Fire. The most exciting showdown in March 2005 took place between two US teams.

The Golden Knights had a new lineup after the World Meet 2003 in Gap where the US Army won bronze medals for the US delegation. John Hoover, Matt Davidson, Brooks Weiner and Brian "BK" Krause had completed their first season together in 2004 and finished 2nd at the USPA Nationals with a 19.9 average. The freshly crowned DeLand Majik world champions also won the USPA gold.

DeLand Fire was brandnew in 2005. Natasha Montgomery had entered the 4way world as a new shooting star after her first jump in November 2002. Her team Arizona Blade (Mark Kirkby, Thomas Hughes, Robert Healy) finished behind the Golden Knights with an 18.5 average at the USPA Nationals 2005 and matched the 19.9 average a few months later at the NSL Championship of SkyQuest 2004.

USPA Nationals 2005		Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA/Open Class	2 A 19	F 20 D 9	C 21 N 11	15 M 8	4 6 P	5 1 H	22 7 12	3 K 16	E 17 14	13 18 J	Total	Avg
1	DeLand Fire (US)	22	27	22	20	18	21	17	21	22	20	210	21.0
1	Golden Knights Black (US)	21	27	21	20	22	22	17	19	23	18	210	21.0
3	Airspeed Odyssey (US)	21	26	20	19	20	20	17	20	22	18	203	20.3
4	DeLand Majik (US)	20	25	19	19	17	20	16	20	18	18	192	19.2
5	Fastrax (US)	20	26	20	19	18	18	15	19	19	17	191	19.1

Natasha Montgomery came back with a new lineup in 2005 that was guided by reigning DeLand Majik 4way world champion Gary Smith. Former Genesis/PD Blue members Shannon Pilcher and Ian Bobo completed the DeLand Fire lineup.

Golden Knights and DeLand Fire had their first battle of the 2005 season in DeLand, and Natasha Montgomery's new lineup surprised the US Army team with a 20.7 average. The new NSL-TV video features both teams with all ten rounds at the Shamrock Showdown 2005.

The same battle was even more exciting at the USPA Nationals 2005, where both teams finished with a 21.0 average. DeLand Fire won the jump-off round and qualified as the US national team for the World Meet 2006 in Germany. There they outscored Sinapsi PD once again as in March 2005 and also left the French national team behind. Gary Smith won his second consecutive gold medal, and Natasha Montgomery became the first female 4way world champion in the Open Class, four years after her first jump. She is now a mother ot twins and has retired from skydiving.