posted Feb 25th, 2013 - The Paraclete XP Outdoor Championship 2013, with the annual Shamrock Showdown Skins Game, has been the first major 4way outdoor competition of the new season for many years, and it will once again bring an international field of top teams to DeLand in March.

This year's event will also include a special preview of the 4way situation in Russia. Four teams have signed up for the competition and will have their own internal battle on the Paraclete XP leaderboard.

The NSL News introduced Sunny Wind with the story on 25 October 2012 and a.Team 4way on 17 February 2013. Black Cat has been a part of Russia's 4way presence on national and international leaderboards for many years, sometimes on the top part, sometimes in the middle of the field. The latest Russian addition to the Paraclete XP Outdoor field is the most exciting one. Sky Panthers Barkli is sending a top lineup to DeLand.

1st Place: $3,000 2nd Place: $1,500 3rd Place: $500 Plus $2,000 for the Paraclete XP Shamrock Showdown 4way Skins Game ($400 after handicap, Rounds 6 - 10)

Currently Registered Teams: Arizona Airspeed (US), Evolution (CA), Thunder (BE), Sky Panthers Barkli (RU), Dubai Asaar Black (AE), Anima (BR), China (CN), SDC Rhythm XP (US), Carolina Turbo XP (US), Black Cat (RU), a.team4way (RU), Sunny Wind (RU), Dubai Asaar Yellow (AE), Teiwaz (US), DeLand DeLand (US)

World Meet 2006		Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Total	Avg
Rank	4way Open	N-20-16	K-J-C-G-3	D-19-B-6	L-14-10	F-17-M-2	Total	Avg
1	DeLand Fire (US)	20	27	25	17	28	117	23.4
2	Gap Nice Icarius Autrement (FR)	17	25	23	21	25	111	22.2
3	Sinapsi PD (IT)	19	26	22	19	24	110	22.0
4	Sky Panthers Barkli (RU)	21	23	23	17	25	109	21.8

The Russian national team of the last seven years, with two 8way world champions of 2001 and three of 2003 who also won 4way bronze medals in 2010, will be the benchmark for all other Russian 4way teams at the beginning of the 2013 season. The Sky Panthers Barkli scores will also show Russia's international 4way position at this point in time.

Team captain Oleg Shalamykhin informed the NSL News that his team is coming back for the 2013 season with the same lineup that competed at the Mondial Dubai 2012. NMP-PCH Hayabusa and Sky Panthers Barkli are now the only teams on the world's top 4way level who had no personnel changes after Dubai.

In fact, Oleg Shalamykhin, Sergey Shenin and Vladimir Pavlenko have been training and competing together for a longer time period than any other top 4way or 8way competitors in the world, as the NSL News reported with a series of articles last year. The story continues for at least another year.

World Meet 2008		Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Round 7	Round 8	Total	Avg
Rank	4way Open	B,17,7	H,N,13,A	10,J,C,6	18,12,2	E,3,9	19,O,4	D,M,5,16	14,20,21	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed (US)	30	32	24	16	29	21	28	15	195	24.4
2	Maubeuge (FR)	28	30	23	17	27	23	28	18	194	24.3
3	HayaBusa Defence (BE)	27	33	23	17	27	22	25	17	191	23.9
4	Sky Panthers Barkli (RU)	28	30	22	16	28	20	27	17	188	23.5

Oleg Shalamykhin, Sergey Shenin and Vladimir Pavlenko continued with Michail Kuznetsov in 4way after winning the 8way gold medals in 2003. They missed the World Meet bronze medals in Germany 2006 by one single point and the silver medals by two points. It was almost exactly the same situation in Maubeuge 2008 where the same Sky Panthers ended up three points behind the bronze medals.

This lineup's persistance was finally rewarded in Menzelinsk 2010 where Michail Kuznetsov won his second bronze medal after 2004, and the same 3way (Oleg Shalamykhin, Sergey Shenin, Vladimir Pavlenko) was finally also climbing onto the 4way podium. Andrey Seliverstov was filming the Sky Panthers Barkli.

Michail Kuznetsov then stepped back, and sponsor Leonid Kazinets trained and competed with Sky Panthers Barkli. However, his time for skydiving is limited, and Barkli 8way member Nikolay Vylegzhanin has shared the slot with him. Andrey Seliverstov was again on camera when Sky Panthers Barkli's 5way team finished in 5th place at the Mondial Dubai 2012.

World Meet 2010		Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	4way Open	10,7,12	3,11,5	J,M,Q,P,L	19,1,13	N,18,20	K,17,8	2,15,H	4,D,6	O,E,9,G	22,B,16	Total	Avg
1	Aerodyne Aerokart (FR)	21	22	56	20	22	24	22	24	40	26	277	27.7
2	Arizona Airspeed (FR)	22	21	53	23	20	24	23	25	40	23	274	27.4
3	Sky Panthers Barkli (RU)	19	21	56	21	19	21	23	22	41	21	264	26.4

Nikolay Vylegzhanin and Leonid Kazinets have now switched their prime positions as Center Outside and Alternate. Sky Panthers Barkli will compete at the Paraclete XP Outdoor Championship with Oleg Shalamykhin, Sergey Shenin, Vladimir Pavlenko and Nikolay Vylegzhanin. The team will also train in this constellation throughout the 2013 season.

All Sky Panthers Barkli members were in DeLand last year at the same time but competed only in 8way, as they focused on winning a medal for Russia at the Mondial Dubai 2012. The main Barkli focus is now on 4way, and the same event doesn't offer 8way competition this time.

The Sky Panthers will be well prepared for the first international showdown. Oleg Shalamykhin, who has also accepted the official position of the Russian national coach, said that his team has completed some indoor training in Moscow, and they will follow up with outdoor training in DeLand beginning on the 5th of March. The competition begins on March 15th.

Mondial Dubai 2012		Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	4way Open	5,12,E	6,D,B,K	O,8,7	N,13,18	10,21,M	19,H,11	C,G,1,A	20,9,15	16,F,P,Q	2,J,4	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed (US)	27	34	27	22	23	23	32	25	40	26	279	27.9
2	NMP-PCH Hayabusa (BE)	25	34	27	21	23	24	32	27	40	25	278	27.8
3	Aerodyne Aerokart (FR)	26	30	27	21	23	25	29	23	37	24	265	26.5
4	Evolution (CA)	22	31	24	17	19	21	28	22	30	22	236	23.6
5	Sky Panthers Barkli (RU)	19	29	22	21	21	18	28	20	35	20	233	23.3