posted Mar 2nd, 2012 - The recent NSL News coverage of the unofficial so-called "amateur teams" and their records and achievements serves only a very simple purpose, which is the well deserved additional attention.

Most of the teams in Formation Skydiving competition and in skydiving competition in general consist in fact of passionate weekend amateurs who spend their time and money to train and compete. However, the winning teams on the top of the leaderboard usually get the biggest share of media attention, prize money and medals. This is nothing unusual compared to other sports and events, as the top athletes deserve the attention just as much for their outstanding performances as the recreational participants for their efforts.

Skydiving competitions usually make no difference between full time teams and "weekend amateurs". They compete at the same events and appear on the same leaderboards, at least in the AAA/Open Class category. There is no accurate definition of an "amateur team" on this top level of 4way and 8way competition. Any discussion of this topic is based on different and individual points of views.

The NSL News has given the best "amateur teams" attention in different ways. Year by year, the USPA Nationals are producing the official national champion in the Open Class, while "amateur teams" try to win USPA's Advanced Class competition, which applies the same AAA Class dive pool and competition draw. The winners of the Advanced Class competition have to move up into the Open Class and often continue with less training - if they continue.

The former Advanced Class champions are usually still the best amateur teams in the country while they compete with the full time teams in the Open Class. The NSL News picked up this situation years ago to direct special attention to the uncrowned champions in a non-existent category. The best and most successful example of an amateur team in the USA is still Mass Defiance, USPA's Advanced Class champion of 2005 and Open Class team ever since, with the unofficial record average of 19.3 at the USPA Nationals 2007.

The NSL News has followed the same topic in the international 4way arena for several years and usually gives the unoffical "amateur world champion" special attention year by year.

ESL Championship 2006		Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	17-A-H-9	10-B-J-G	1-D-7	11-N-16	19-5-3	2-22-O	20-E-14	21-4-K	6-18-Q	P-12-13	Total	Avg
1	Belgium Spa Hayabusa	28	22	23	19	17	18	19	19	21	19	205	20.5
2	Belgium NMPV	23	20	20	15	16	15	15	18	16	16	174	17.4
3	Netherlands Punky Fish	24	19	14	11	13	15	13	17	17	16	159	15.9
4	France Noene Mandelieu	19	15	14	14	13	11	14	16	15	12	143	14.3
5	Netherlands Pulse	16	13	12	11	10	11	11	11	11	8	114	11.4
6	UK Fusion	17	13	9	10	9	9	9	12	11	10	109	10.9
7	Czechia Bad Boys	9	7	9	6	7	8	7	4	8	5	70	7.0

It seems to be easier to discuss the amateur/full time status on a national level, especially in the USA where USPA offers the Advanced Class category as the first divider of all AAA Class teams. The international 4way competition at World Meets and World Cups does not make a difference in this area, and the status definition is fully up to the audience. All participating teams are national teams, and they compete either for medals or under the olympic idea.

It is also impossible to compare the meet averages accurately due to the different competition draw at each meet. The meet results only offer an idea how the teams compare indirectly to each other as of their scoring and performance levels. However, the scoring data is a good foundation and offers plenty of room for discussion.

The NSL News has taken the Mass Defiance 19.3 average as the benchmark for this topic in the USA and has never taken a closer look at the potentially unofficial record average in the international arena. The German team Paratec-Saar earned the unofficial amateur title at the World Meet 2010 in Menzelinsk that the Spin Team from Italy had in 2008. The German team EADS may have had the title in 2006, as well, even though NMP-PCH Hayabusa was not a full time team at that time.

World Meet 2006		Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	N-20-16	K-J-C-G-3	D-19-B-6	L-14-10	F-17-M-2	Total	Avg
1	USA DeLand Fire	20	27	25	17	28	117	23.4
2	France Gap Nice Icarius Autrement	17	25	23	21	25	111	22.2
3	Italy Sinapsi PD	19	26	22	19	24	110	22.0
4	Russia Sky Panthers Barkli	21	23	23	17	25	109	21.8
5	Norway Arcteryx	18	25	21	17	24	105	21.0
6	Belgium Spa Hayabusa	19	25	18	17	23	102	20.4

Hayabusa's 20.4 average after the five rounds at the World Meet 2006 in Germany could have been the unofficial record average for an amateur team if this was Hayabusa's status in 2006. Due to the German weather it was not a 10-round meet and would not make the record books this way or another. However, Hayabusa posted a 20.5 average just a month later at the ESL Championship 2006 and confirmed the previous 20.4 average at the World Meet.

The highest average of an unofficial amateur team would be in German possession after Paratec-Saar's 22.4 average in Menzelinsk, which was supported by an extremely fast competition draw, including a world record Super Seqence. It was still only a 9-round meet for the Germans who did not make it into the finals and Round 10. The Hayabusa 2006 lineup may own the amateur record number posted at the ESL Championship 2006.

This would bring another very interesting aspect into the Paraclete XP Outdoor Championship 2012 where amateur top team Thunder will challenge the 20-average benchmark and the unofficial status of the best amateur team in the world. Team member Sven Ibens was a Hayabusa member in 2005 and 2006 before the Belgian team decided to join the army and go full time. He has now the opportunity with Thunder to beat his own highscores that he posted with Hayabusa.