posted Sep 19th, 2008 - The NSL News has covered the development and progression of Formation Skydiving competition in the Czech Republic on a regular basis ever since Jan Klapka joined the international NSL Network by launching the Czech Republic Skydiving League in 2005.

The league has almost been a perfect example for what the NSL mission stands for. Year by year, the passionate 4-way fan Jan Klapka has moved 4-way competition in his country a step forward and upward. He currently applies three of the four NSL competition classes, and the missing AA Class will be introduced next year.

The Czech skydiving community has become so motivated and engaged that the Czech Aeroclub even decided to bid for hosting the FAI World Cup 2009 and succeeded. The event is scheduled for 30 August - 6 September 2009 in Prostejov.

The international 4-way community also just recently learned that teams from the Czech Republic have already become very competitive. Fast Arrows won the A Class competition at the ESL Championship 2008 by outscoring the top teams from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands with a 12.5 average after the four rounds of the event on Texel.

Fast Arrows is a perfect example for the progression of the Czech teams through the competition classes. The team was formed in 2007 by a new and passionate 4-way fan, Jan Cermák. He made his first skydive in 2006 and has over 1,500 jumps and windtunnel training of more than 30 hours by now.

Jan Cermák is a former Czech national competitor in Judo and transfered his competitive attitude into skydiving. He was joined by Jirina Klapková, Martin Kratochvíl and Renata Matasová in 2007. Jitka Hejlová was filming the team. Jirina Klapková is Jan Klapka's wife and is just as passionate about 4-way competition as the founder of the Czech Skydiving League.

Fast Arrows of 2007 competed in the new Rookie Class, attended all four league meets (6.3 - 10.0 - 9.0 - 10.6) in the Czech Republic and won three of them.

Jan Klapka added the A Class for the 2008 season as the opportunity for his Rookie Class teams to make the next step up, and Fast Arrows did not hesitate. The same lineup began training the eight blocks of the A Class dive pool, mostly indoors at Bodyflight Bedford.

The lineup changed for the first time when Renata Matasová was injured in a landing accident. Fast Arrows was so fortunate to find a young and very talented Czech skydiver who filled the open slot quickly. 17-year old Michal Ebermann has been in the sport for just over a year and has approx. 120 jumps in his logbook.

However, the bad luck continued for the new lineup when Jirina Klapková broke her leg in the middle of the 2008 season during a competition. The Czech national championship was approaching quickly, and Jan Cermák tried to find a short-term solution.

Teiwaz member and full-time coach Robert Chromy, who was born and raised in the Czech Republic and still has his Czech passport, has already been working with teams from the Czech Republic, including Fast Arrows, for several years. Jan Cermák called the Florida resident the week before the championship and asked for Chromy's help as the Center Inside.

He was available and accepted the player coach position for the event in August. Fast Arrows still completed 20 training jumps with the new lineup (Jan Cermák, Robert Chromy, Michal Ebermann, Martin Kratochvíl and Jitka Hejlová on camera) and then won the A Class championship with a 13.1 meet average after ten rounds.

Jan Cermák mentioned already by then that his team was also planning to attend the ESL Championship a few weeks later. Robert Chromy traveled back to Florida to take care of his local affairs and then returned to Europe, this time to the island of Texel in the Netherlands.

The Dutch weather was not cooperating very well, and Fast Arrows with Robert Chromy could not add any training jumps prior to the competition. However, the Czech team performed well enough and won the ESL A Class title three points ahead of the Dutch team Tiramisu and four points ahead of UK's Strangers with a 12.5 average after four rounds.

Robert Chromy is now back in Florida and will compete with Teiwaz at the upcoming NSL Playoffs weekend. Fast Arrows will move up into the AA Class, which will be introduced by Jan Klapka for all Czech teams next year. The lineup for the 2009 season still has to be finalized, and Jan Cermák is working on it.