posted Apr 24th, 2012 - The NSL News reported on 28 February 2012 that there would be pressure on team Thunder at the Paraclete XP Outdoor Championship 2012.

It would be the first outdoor competition for the Dutch/Belgian 4way combination where the amateur team would meet the best 4way teams in the world. Thunder had attended the World Challenge 2011 with most of the top 4way teams and won the ESL Championship 2011. However, the Paraclete XP Outdoor Championship had both, the best 4way teams in the world at an outdoor competition, which was something special and new for the two Dutch and two Belgian members.

Additional excitement was guaranteed due to the fact that the DeLand Norgies would also be a serious test for Thunder, as the status of the best unofficial "amateur team" in the world would be on stake, as well. The same challenge was still waiting for Thunder at the World Challenge 2012 at this point in time, with the German bronze medalist at the World Cup 2011, Paratec-Saar, registered for the indoor competition in Bedford.

Paraclete XP Outdoor 2012		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	Q,8,H,22	16,19,13	10,14,2	E,C,20,K	5,M,9	A,6,F,17	D,21,N,B	P,O,G,J,1	18,4,7	12,15,3	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	25	20	18	35	36	25	33	31	23	20	266	26.6
2	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	23	21	20	33	34	29	30	30	20	21	261	26.1
3	Aerodyne Aerokart	23	21	19	33	29	28	28	29	23	21	254	25.4
4	SDC Rhythm XP	21	17	15	28	29	23	27	27	19	18	224	22.4
5	Thunder	20	17	16	27	27	22	27	26	17	17	216	21.6

Both events are history now, and Thunder has mastered their own goals and challenges successfully. The 21.6 average at the Paraclete XP Outdoor Championship 2012 was too much for the DeLand Norgies, bronze medalists at the World Meets 1999, 2001 and 2003, who finished with an impressive 20.1 average without much training at all.

The Thunder average in DeLand also sent a strong message to Germany. Paratec-Saar's 19.6 average for the bronze medals on their home turf last year does not impress the weekend jumpers of the two neighboring countries any longer, and Thunder was looking forward to the showdown with the Germans at the World Challenge 2012.

Unfortunately, the German team had to cancel the event on a very short notice, as one team member fell ill a few days before the competition. It was bad luck, as both teams are eager to meet for the first time and fight it out for the unofficial amateur top spot. The Germans have been proud of the great and much deserved achievement after many years of training and competition with the same lineup. Team member Jörn Thiele said that there will be a next time...

World Challenge 2012		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	D,Q,9,10	17,P,11	2,21,7	14,J,O,M	A,L,18,16	N,H,20,G	C,E,19,22	1,8,4	K,6,3	12,F,5	Total	Avg
4	XL	30(-1)	27	24	32(-2)	26	31	27	21	24	26	268	26.8
5	SDC Rhythm XP	29	23(-4)	22(-1)	29(6)	21(-2)	30	26	21	23	23(-1)	247	24.7
5	Aerokart Maubeuge	29	27	23	34(-1)	19(-3)	26(-2)	22(-1)	19(-1)	23(-1)	25(-1)	247	24.7
7	Thunder	29	25	23	31	16(-5)	23(-6)	26	21	24	23	241	24.1
8	Satori	27(-2)	24(-1)	21	32	22(-1)	27(-1)	20(-4)	19	23	23	238	23.8

In the meantime, Thunder followed up with another great performance at the World Challenge 2012 where the competition was even stronger than at the Paraclete XP Outdoor Championship. The 24.1 average was barely enough for the 7th place but also not far away from the 5th place (24.7) that SDC Rhythm XP and Aerokart Maubeuge held tied together.

Thunder had eight clean rounds and lost a total of 11 points in Rounds 5 and 6. The 24.1 average was still significantly higher than last year's results after ten rounds in Bedford (22.4) where Thunder finished in 10th place. In fact, Thunder was one of the very few teams that scored higher this year without a Super Sequence.

Tomscat Trophy 2012 and ESL Championship 2012 are still on the Thunder agenda for this year. The account with the German team is still open, and those two events would offer an opportunity for both teams to eventually meet each other. Thunder is not eligible for the World Championship of Formation Skydiving 2012 in Dubai. Only the Germans will travel to Dubai in December.