posted Nov 1st, 2011 - The NSL News welcomes the audience back to the USPA Nationals 2011 on Tuesday morning with a greeting from Solly Williams who provided a short summary of the first event day.

His Qatar Tigers are currently in 1st place of the Advanced Class competition as a guest team. Spaceland Lite is the best US team so far in 3rd place and the USPA gold medal position. Solly Williams mentioned that the competition draw is not on the fast side. The last three rounds will increase the averages after a slower first day of the meet where even Arizona Airspeed missed the 20-point scoring level in two rounds.

Solly Williams also confirmed what several other competitors and coaches mentioned when the NSL News asked about the quality of the judging. It has been much better so far as in previous years and events, if not the best ever. The option of slower judging speed and selected reviewing, introduced and tested at the Shamrock Showdown events of the past years, seems to work really well at the USPA Nationals, as well.

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The NSL TV camera was then accepted into the Airspeed team room where the leader reviewed and debriefed the video of Round 8. It was a good round, as each Airspeed member confirmed.

The scoreboard confirmed Airspeed's impressions after the jump, as the 26-pointer was the round winner and beat the next highest score by four points. Once again, SDC Rhythm XP was the team right behind Airspeed, this time together with Paraclete XP4.

Rhythm had felt pressure this morning and did not really know how to deal with the new and unusual situation. They found a great way how to master the pressure and increased the distance to the Golden Knights by one point. Rhythm has to maintain the 2nd place for two more rounds to create the biggest upset of the competition and the biggest success for the team. Round 9 is in progress.