posted Jan 5th, 2012 - More videos of the USPA Nationals 2011 bring another eye candy to the audience. This time, the NSL News features an internal 4way Open Class battle for the 8th place. One team consists of four former world champions, the other team has current weekend competitors in the lineup, including two standing amateur average record holders, Mass Defiance members Ben Liston and Brian Stephens.

The lineup of former world champions comes from different eras of 4way competition. Oldspeed members Jack Jefferies and Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld were members of the original and legendary Arizona Airspeed lineup that was formed to bring the 4way world championship gold medals back to the USA in the 90s, as Dan BC explains in his book "Above All Else".

This Airspeed lineup, with Mark Kirkby and Kirk Verner, won 4way gold medals in 1995 and 1997 and added a few 8way gold medals later on.

USPA 2011		Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Round 7	Round 8	Round 9	Round 10	Total	Avg
Rank	Open Class	M,5,13	21,14,22	12,20,D	11,Q,16	O,C,10,K	P,L,19,8	18,6,2	15,9,G	7,F,17	A,B,N,J,3	Total	Avg
8	Oldspeed	16	11	15	18	21	16	16	21	21	26	181	18.1
9	DNR	19	14	16	14	18	16	15	20	24	23	179	17.9

Only one of the other two Oldspeed members was actually an Airspeed member. Andy Delk won his 4way gold medal at the World Meet 2008 in Maubeuge after joining Airspeed in 2005. Jack Jefferies and Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld had retired from Airspeed's 4way lineup at the end of the 1999 season.

The Airspeed Vertical 2005 lineup (Craig Girard, Eliana Rodriguez, Andy Delk, Brian Johnson, Will Pesek on camerea) lost to DeLand Fire at the USPA Nationals and needed another two years and Mark Kirkby back in his Tail slot before winning the USPA Nationals 2007 and competing for the USA in Maubeuge 2008.

The 4th Oldspeed member had not allowed team mate Andy Delk to go for the gold at world championships earlier. Shannon Pilcher was with DeLand Fire in 2005 and won the USPA Nationals after the famous jumpoff with the Golden Knights in Perris. DeLand Fire then won the gold medals in Germany 2006, and Andy Delk defended them successfully for the USA in 2008. The three generations of 4way world champions joined forces in Oldspeed at the USPA Nationals 2011.

Jack Jefferies makes his only skydives every year at the national championships, and Dan BC does not train any longer in any discipline either. Andy Delk flies the jump planes in Eloy and does not jump very often out the exit door. Shannon Pilcher is mostly focused on Canopy Piloting, even though he is still coaching 4way teams. The USPA Nationals 2011 was his first 4way competition after the accident in the Swiss Alpes.

The other team in this internal Open Class battle, DNR was a pickup team too. The two Mass Defiance members joined forces with Steve Johnson and James "Bu" Klinge, both highly experienced and skilled 4way Open Class competitors who have trained and competed together in various lineups in the past.

The competition between those two teams was neither planned nor expected. It just happened to take place in the middle of the leaderboard and ended with a 2-point difference to the advantage of the former 4way world champions. It makes a good story, brings back memories and shows great 4way skydiving. Most of all, both pickup teams had great fun...