posted Mar 6th, 2012 - The NSL News has defined the "modern" history of Formation Skydiving competition with the introduction of the current set of dive pools and rules at the World Championship 1985 in Yugoslavia. It is the same point in time when the story of the 8way battle between Russia and the USA begins.

The first period between 1985 and 1999 was completely dominated by the USA. The Golden Knights won all the gold medals between 1985 and 1997 and still own the world records for a single round (31) and the highest average (22.4) posted at the World Meet 1997 in Turkey. It seemed like it would continue like that when Arizona Airspeed won the 8way gold medals for the USA in 1999 for the first time.

The history of US dominance in 8way competition goes even farther back in time. It is a fact that no other nation ever won a World Championship of Formation Skydiving in 8way since 1975. Craig Girard was the biggest contributor and won five 8way gold medals in his career, three of them with the Golden Knights (1989, 1991, 1993) and two of them with Arizona Airspeed (1999, 2004).

1985	1987	1989	1991	1993	1995	1997	1999	2001	2003	2004	2006	2008	2010
12.0	13.2	13.8	18.1	16.9	19.6	22.4	21.1	19.2	20.1	19.1	19.8	20.0	19.6

This incredible dominance ended in 2001 when Russia's newly formed 8way team outscored Airspeed by one single point in Spain. The NSL News explained yesterday how the story of the Russian 8way world champion team began at the "Central Sport Parachute Club Airborne Troops" in Ryazan, initiated and managed by Alexander Beloglazov.

Airspeed must have known that something was brewing in Russia. The French 8way teams had been the closest contenders winning the silver medals between 1985 and 1995, with one exception in 1989. Russia had moved up into 2nd place in 1997 and began to move closer from then on. Only a 2-point advantage was left for Airspeed at the World Meet 1999 in Australia to win the gold medals.

Alexander Beloglazov launched the Russian 8way project in 1991, and it took exactly ten years until the first 8way team in the world took the gold medals and the 8way Excalibur sword away from the USA in 2001.

The NSL News mentioned yesterday that three of the original project members were in this 2001 lineup and that all current Sky Panthers Barkli members were in the 8way project of 1991, except the youngest skydiver Lenid Kazinets. Oleg Shalamykhin explained that the training consisted of physical exercises in various sports every day, plus classroom work. All members of the group had to go through several tests of physical training to continue with skydiving training from March to November.

The whole group included the 8way team and a few 4way lineups. However, Alexander Beloglazov had his focus on 8way and did not give the members much of 4way training. Several members eventually left the project to train and compete in 4way at the end of the 1993 season, and Alexander Beloglazov had to recruit a new lineup. That's when some of the current Sky Panthers (Vladimir Pavlenko, Oleg Shalamykhin) got their first slots in the 8way team that would finally win the first Russian gold medals in 2001.

By the way: Black Cat members Vasily Korotkov, Alexey Minaev and Evgeny Staschenko came from the same 8way project that was launched in 1991 and then won the gold medals in 2001. Black Cat will also compete at the Paraclete XP Outdoor Championship 2012, but only in 4way. The NSL News will follow up with more information of the Russian world class competitors who visit DeLand next week.