posted Feb 2nd, 2012 - The field of teams for the World Challenge 2012 has grown by 33 teams since the NSL News posted the first preview of this year's event on 9 January 2012 and brings it dangerously close to the record number of 2011.

A total number of 63 teams competed last year at Bodyflight Bedford, and it is difficult to imagine that the current number of 59 teams will not be higher at the beginning of April. There seems to be a never ending growth of this indoor meet, as several new teams keep signing up while most of the previous attendants come back for the next event.

The German national team Paratec-Saar, bronze medalist at the World Cup 2011, is the last top team that could not resist any longer making the trip to Bedford. It is the very first World Challenge for the German national team, and the NSL News does not even have any Paratec-Saar indoor scores at all in the database. This brings two of the top contenders for the unofficial amateur world champions eventually directly together this year, Thunder and Paratec-Saar.

The German part of the World Challenge 2012 will also provide a preview of the situation in Germany this year. Some experts see the German female lineup of ISB Air Remscheid even as a challenger for the very top position in Germany's Open Class. Both teams have signed up for the meet in Bedford and make it a German 3-team delegation. The Usual Suspects were the only German team so far that has made the trip to Bedford and is now back for the third time.

The new separate leaderboard for the female 4way competition will look even more interesting, as well. The NSL News introduced the new indoor category at the World Challenge 2012 with the story on 28 January 2012. There were already more teams registered than competed at the World Cup 2011.

The best female 4way competitors in the United Kingdom, who have been the best in the world at the same time for many years, could not watch any longer how the other top teams signed up without their own participation on home turf. The Just4Fun lineup is one of the strongest ever and will be a serious factor on the top of the female leaderboard.

Claire "Sparky" Scott and Liz Matthews just came back from their lucrative trip with a similar pickup team, Bodyflight, to the 3rd Dubai Championship 2011 where they outscored the new French Aerodyne Deep Blue Defenders and collected $40,000 together with Sarah Smith-Cannon and Julia Foxwell.

Julia Foxwell now went back to her Center Outside position with Satori where she trains and performs on an even higher scoring level. Claire Scott and Liz Matthews go way back together. They competed for the United Kingdom at the first official World Championship in the female category in Spain 2001 and finished in 4th place with a 14.1 average, two points behind bronze and six points behind gold medals.

Then they continued together for two more years to win the gold medals in France 2003 with a 16.5 average, together with Sacha Chilton and Sarah Laughton.

The story of the Just4Fun lineup continued when Amanda Kemp joined the Perris Airkix lineup with Claire Scott in 2005 and won her first gold medal at the World Meet 2006 in Germany. Emma Beyer and Julia Foxwell were their team mates. Liz Matthews was on leave for her first baby.

The potential of female top competitors in the United Kingdom had grown in the meantime, and two female lineups took the first two places at the UK Nationals 2007. Just4Fun member Tarnya Hollis joined Airkix and replaced Claire Scott who had a new Team Bodyflight lineup (Hannah Betts, Sarah Smith, Kate Stephens). Team Bodyflight won the UK Nationals 2007 and then the gold medals at the World Meet 2008 in France.

The 2009 season mixed up the lineups again and brought together the complete Just4Fun lineup at the UK Nationals 2009. Claire Scott, Hannah Betts, Tarnya Hollis and Amanda Kemp had joined forces to form Pussy Galore who competed at the World Challenge 2009. However, Hannah Betts was not available at the UK Nationals 2009, and Liz Matthews came back to action. There was the Just4Fun lineup.

Pussy Galore became Team Bodyflight in 2010, and Claire Scott stepped back now to have a baby. Sarah Smith-Cannon took her slot and won her second medal at a World Meet, this time silver behind Aerokart Deep Blue.

Team Bodyflight became a player coach project in 2011, with Amanda Kemp and Sarah Smith-Cannon guiding twin sisters Rebecca and Victoria Bradley through the World Cup season. However, Claire Scott was ready for her comeback and eventually traveled with Sarah Smith-Cannon, Liz Matthews and Julia Foxwell to Dubai.

Just4Fun members Claire Scott, Amanda Kemp, Liz Matthews and Tarnya Hollis know each other better than any other female 4way lineups at the World Challenge 2012. The team name is new and only for this event, but it can be misleading. The lineup is highly competitive and probably the top contender in the female 4way category at the World Challenge 2012.