posted Aug 2nd, 2008 - The German skydiving federation (Deutscher Fallschirmsport Verband - DFV) is once again working on its public relations for the sport leading into the World Meet 2008. These efforts began in 2006 when Germany hosted the World Championship of Formation Skydiving in Gera.

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The DFV introduces its natonal teams (EADS in 8-way, FSC Eisenach in 4-way Open, Chicas in 4-way Women) to the general public by sending press releases to the media world in Germany. A professional PR company is doing the media work for the federation.

All three national lineups competed at the Nuggets Cup a week ago and seem to be well prepared for the competition in France after posting new national records.

The 8-way team hopes to be competing for a set of medals. The official DFV press release provided the following information.

World Skydiving Championship - German 4way Formation Skydiving teams well prepared

The German 4-way Formation Skydiving team FSC Eisenach presented itself in good shape a few weeks before the World Skydiving Championships in Maubeuge, France (9 - 14 August 2008). 19 teams from three nations, including Switzerland, Austria and Germany, attended a high-profile competition in Leutkirch that served as a preparation for the upcoming world meet.

The German national 4-way team, FSC Eisenach, dominated at the event and took the first place with a 20.4 average, followed by the Swiss national team Viva with an 18.8 average. The third place went to the German top team X-Ray Remscheid with a 17.2 average. The Austrian national team Monkey Circus took the fourth place with a 16.8 average.

The German Women's team Chicas, with Susa Serra (Leutkirch), Dr. Petra Bärenfänger (Hanau), Sylvia Maier (Friedrichshafen) and Marion Thomas (Berlin), placed fifth with a 16.2 average, tied with the Swiss national military lineup, CISM Rotondo.

The German national 4-way team, with Dr. Jörn and Max Thiele (Bruchsal), Markus Bastuck (Saarlouis), Dieter Schwarz (Eisenach) and videographer Alexander Hau (Merzig), tied the German record highscore for a single round of 32 points already in the first round. The Chicas posted a new German record for the Women's category with 23 points in the same round.

4-way Formation Skydiving competition is the most popular event at the World Skydiving Championship with 24 participating nations in France. The top contenders for gold medals in all three categories are coming from the USA, France, Russia, Belgium and Norway.

Despite the good results at the Nuggets Cup in Leutkirch, the German teams are considered only underdogs at the world meet.