posted Sep 2nd, 2009 - Round 5 at the FAI World Cup 2009 was the most interesting round of the competition in many ways. It was a neck-breaker for some teams and a showcase for others.

No other round had a number of penalties that came even close to the point deductions in Round 5.

The Murphy Flake as the exit formation and the subterminal move to the first Stardian of Block 6 caused a lot of trouble for the videographers, as well as for some teams.

The Swedish team Evolution funneled the exit and had additional penalties later on. Evolution ended up with a 9-pointer and fell hopelessly behind Nexus and the Pro Team in the race for the unofficial Scandinavian championship.

The team from Finland went the other way with a stellar performance and created a 2-point lead over Norway's national team. The Pro Team is now tied in 11th place with Lithuania's Magic 4 team and Italy's Vertigo.

Block 6 was the other troublemaker of Round 5. The judges disagreed with several techniques and issued incorrect inters when the centerpoints of the pieces came too close. Aerokart Pamiers Maubeuge and Kaktus Hunter lost a total of three points due to the two obstacles in this round.

Aerodyne Cypres Maubeuge, France's national 4-way team, Hayabusa Defence and Black Cat each lost two points, and seven other teams had 1-point deductions. The total damage for this round was 24 points in the Open Class. The highest combined damage before Round 5 was 12 points in Round 4 (nine in Round 3, five in Rounds 1 and 2).

The French national team lost its clean record in Round 5 for unfortunate reasons. It was another clean performance that would actually have produced another sole highscore - without the penalties.

The subterminal transition from the Monopod to the Stardian was too much for the camera angle, and the judges did not like one of the block techniques. France still increased the lead over Hayabusa by another point.

The French national team in the female category, Aerokart Deep Blue Maubeuge, also went the other way, just like the Pro Team in the Open Class. The 22-pointer without any penalties was only one point behind the highscore in the Open Class.

The Deep Blue performance throughout the six rounds gains in value when compared to the Open Class scores. The French ladies are still maintaining a close contact to the best Open Class teams in the world.

The 20.0 average is a fact after five rounds, and the fast sequence of Round 6 will probably lift it even higher. Coach Marin Ferre will be very happy with both of his 4-way lineups.

It was not much easier for the German ladies in Round 5. Both teams lost a total of five points, Incognito three and Chicas two. However, the Chicas also completed two more points in working time and increased the lead over the challenger to five points.

The judges are working on Round 6, the scores will still be posted before the NSL News goes to bed.