posted May 17th, 2011 - The May issue of the Blue Skies Mag featured the next piece of the "Turning Points" series. It is the fifth contribution from the Formation Skydiving competition community for the comprehensive Blue Skies Mag coverage of the whole skydiving world.

The previous articles each provided an overview of the situation on the top level of 4-way competition after the major events at the beginning of the new competition season, the Dubai Championship 2011, the Valentine's Meet 2011, the Paraclete XP Indoor Skydiving Championships 2011 and the Shamrock Showdown 2011.

The results of the World Challenge 2011 were subject of the latest NSL contribution for the brand new June issue. However, it was also time to take a short break and look at the bigger picture. Who is actually the top team in the world at this point in time?

Turning Points - Who is Number One?

In the pro leagues of football, basketball, hockey, baseball, soccer each team usually has the potential to beat the other team, and surprises follow upsets almost every weekend. There is no guarantee that the best teams win all the time. It's even more exciting in golfing where almost each tournament produces a new winner. In fact, the current No. 1 in the world, Martin Kaymer, has won only one of the six tournaments that he has attended this year.

For 25 years, ever since the new dive pool system was introduced in 1985, it was very easy to say who would win the next 4-way competition. It would be France or USA, and it was usually one or the other for one or two years. This may be history, as Formation Skydiving competition has finally reached the point where the sport on the top level begins to show the same characteristics as in so many other sports. Nobody can say for sure who will win the next competition.

This is not only because a third nation has caught up with the powerhouses of Formation Skydiving competition, thanks to NMP-PCH Hayabusa, the national 4-way team from Belgium. It looks as if Arizona Airspeed, Aerodyne Aerokart Maubeuge and Hayabusa can win a competition at any time, and Russia can always produce a winning lineup, as well. Isn't that exciting? There are even rumors that we may also catch up with the prize money of other sports. Who mentioned a million dollars in Dubai 2012...?

Two more international meets have been completed in the meantime, the Shamrock Showdown 2011 at Skydive DeLand and the World Challenge 2011 at Bodyflight Bedford. The NSL News reported both events live on-line from the competition sites and had the opportunity to observe the currently three best teams in the world. Let's see how close to each other they really are.

Dubai Championship 2011		Round1	Round2	Round3	Round4	Round5	Round6	Round7	Round8	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	P,17,18	M,N,F,3	H,A,6,B	Q,1,C,14	4,10,15	16,O,J,22	K,2,E,11	G,9,8	Total	Avg
1	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	24	34	30	23	19	22	24	28	204	25.5
2	Aerodyne Aerokart	24	33	33	20	18	25	23	24	200	25.0
3	Arizona Airspeed	23	33	31	23	19	23	22	25	199	24.9

Aerodyne Aerokart Maubeuge placed 2nd behind NMP-PCH Hayabusa at the Dubai Championship 2011. Then they were defeated by Arizona Airspeed at the Valentine's Meet 2011 and beat Hayabusa at the Shamrock Showdown four weeks later. Airspeed took the 1st place in DeLand and were defeated by Hayabusa two weeks later at the indoor competition in Bedford. France placed 3rd at the World Challenge. However, they won the five rounds of the second day over Hayabusa and Airspeed both. Is that confusing or what...?

Yes and no. It is confusing for the 4-way fans of the past two decades who always had a clear picture of the top teams. It is not confusing for sports fans in general. It is actually exciting for both, general sports fans and 4-way fans. You can go to an international 4-way competition that the top teams attend, and you may have no clue who is winning. Sorry, Airspeed fans and Frenchies, the days are over when you could put all your money on your teams. It is a gamble now.

It's not even enough that you don't know who is going to win the meet. Each day is a new day and may see a different team in a better shape than yesterday's winner. It means nothing to be ahead at the end of the first day - unless a superfast sequence of only random formations puts your team far ahead of the others, or behind...

Valentine's Meet 2011		Round1	Round2	Round3	Round4	Round5	Round6	Round7	Round8	Round9	Round10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	18,N,9	20,6,5	11,O,7	15,13,P	21,L,D,C	G,F,M,K,4	A,3,22	10,19,H	14,2,B	1,E,17	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	25	23	27	23	30	36	23	21	21	21	250	25.0
2	Aerodyne Aerokart	26	19	26	21	27	35	24	19	18	19	234	23.4

That happened at last year's World Challenge when Airspeed lost the meet in Round 2. It happened again a few weeks ago, and France was the victim this time. However, chances are little that the competition draw creates a sequence of only random formations. Only Paul Mayer, host of the annual World Challenge, made it a rule that there has to be a fast random sequence each year.

Let's see if we can create a world ranking that is being adjusted after each new competition, just like the golfers have it. Hayabusa won in Dubai in January and started as the No. 1 of the 2011 season, Maubeuge 2nd, Airspeed 3rd. The Valentine's Meet followed with a lower relevance factor compared to Dubai. Let's say that Hayabusa was still No. 1 at the end of February, and Airspeed switched positions with Maubeuge.

Airspeed won the Paraclete Indoor Championships, however, none of the international top contenders attended the meet, so we move forward to the Shamrock. That was the first outdoor competition with all three top contenders and their current lineups. Airspeed won clearly and would have taken away the world's No.1 position from Hayabusa at that time. France defeated Hayabusa by eight points in DeLand and may have been in 2nd place at the end of March, which would leave Hayabusa in 3rd place.

Shamrock Showdown 2011		Round1	Round2	Round3	Round4	Round5	Round6	Round7	Round8	Round9	Round10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	N,H,3,1	J,4,C,13	7,17,19	B,20,15	12,22,M	F,18,2	E,16,9	G,8,21	P,A,11,14	10,Q,D,L	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	25	25	25	24	20	25	30	22	24	29	249	24.9
2	Aerodyne Aerokart	23	24	23	24	19	23	29	23	24	24	236	23.6
3	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	21	23	22	23	19	21	28	20	22	29	228	22.8

Everything changed again two weeks later. The Belgians were so dominant in Bedford that they are probably considered the best team in the world at the moment. And again: at the moment... Airspeed would be closely behind Hayabusa after placing 2nd at the World Challenge, and France dropped to 3rd place. However, France only lost due to the "manipulated" random sequence in Round 3 and won the five rounds of the second day. Well, "if's" and "could's" and "would's" don't count for world rankings, only the numbers matter. Hayabusa 1st, Airspeed 2nd and Maubeuge 3rd after the World Challenge 2011.

Really? Airspeed's Center Inside, Niklas Hemlin, had something to say at the end of the indoor competion in Bedford, plain and simple, and he made a good point: "You don't win a World Championship of Formation Skydiving in the windtunnel..."

That's right, no IPC medals and no Excalibur sword for Hayabusa's 1st place at the World Challenge 2011. However, £5,000 is not that bad, and that after winning $20,000 in Dubai, plus some change at the Shamrock.

Niklas Hemlin's statement still stands since a windtunnel competition does not have an exit and a subterminal page. So, is Airspeed still on the top of the world rankings after winning the Shamrock Showdown? You tell me...

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
1	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	27	25	65	29	33	23	28	28	22	25	305	30.5
2	Arizona Airspeed	26	24	60	27	34	24	27	28	23	25	298	29.8
3	Aerodyne Aerokart	26	25	52	27	31	25	29	27	24	24	290	29.0