posted Dec 25th, 2008 - The NSL News goes back in time once again and leaps forward by one year, from Christmas 2000 to Christmas 2001. The December story in 2001 covered Eliana Rodriguez and Thomas Hughes at the time of their careers when they joined their first world class lineups in the Open Class, Eliana Rodriguez with Airspeed Zulu and Thomas Hughes with Sebastian XL.

Eliana Rodriguez has already won the World Championship of Formation Skydiving in the Open Class two times ever since, once in each event, and added these titles to her 4-way gold medal in the female category.

Thomas Hughes is still working on his first gold medal. Neither the UK team XL nor his Airspeed 4-way linups or Team Fastrax made it to the top spot in the 4-way Open Class.

The closest he came to a gold medal at a World Championship of Formation Skydiving was when he joined forces once again with his former Tunnel Rage team mate Eliana Rodriguez. The Airspeed 8-way lineup of 2006 won the silver medals in Germany, and Thomas Hughes was a member of this team. He won his second world meet silver medal with the US 8-way team this year in Maubeuge.

Eliana Rodriguez won once again both events at the USPA Nationals 2008 and continues the pursuit of excellence and the next 4-way or/and 8-way gold medal in 2010 with Airspeed Odyssey. Thomas Hughes has not announced his plans for the near future yet.

Here is what the NSL News wrote of the two world class competitors at a different point in their careers, at Christmas time of 2001.

Did you know that the next tunnel rat has joined the 4-way high society?

On the 5th of December, the NSL News had reported that Eliana Rodriguez joined Airspeed Zulu as a new member for the 2002 season. Rodriguez has been a SkyVenture wind tunnel instructor for years. And she was also a member of team DeLand Tunnel Rage that won the USPA Nationals 2000 in the Intermediate Class. One of her team members with Tunnel Rage was Thomas Hughes, 19 years of age when they won the nationals.

Watching Rodriguez flying in the wind tunnel was already quite impressive. The SkyVenture instructors will use extra time once in a while to show their own flying skills at the end of the customer's flying time. However, Hughes has always been the unofficial "King of the Tunnel". His personal show has always been a major eye catcher and made every experienced skydiver jealous and feel like a beginner.

After winning the USPA Nationals with Tunnel Rage, Rodriguez continued competing in 4-way with "Synchronicity", the U.S. national women's team. Meanwhile, Hughes took a break for most of the 2001 season.

Usually, both would still work together in Orlando when their tunnel shifts coincided to match. However, not too long ago Rodriguez and Hughes both made a longer trip to the west coast again. Airspeed had try-outs in Eloy, Arizona for two open slots.

Not only was Rodriguez interested in joining a world class team, but Hughes' interest was obviously fully back after his break, as well. At the try-outs, they were skydiving together again, this time with Airspeed celebreties like Kirk Verner and Gary Beyer. For a few jumps, they would be in the same 4-way. Then they would be tested alone and with three Airspeed members. When the try-outs were over, both had to go back home and wait for the results.

When Gary Beyer, former 8-way world champion with Airspeed, decided to come back in 4-way, it was quite obvious that there would really be only one slot for a new member. It surely was not an easy decision for Airspeed. However, and for whatever reasons, Rodriguez made it and has already moved to Arizona.

The journey toward becoming a world class team member was still not over yet for Thomas Hughes. He also has a British passport, and there was another open slot in Florida. Sebastian XL's center inside, Toby Stafford, left the team at the end of the 2001 season.

XL was not quite sure for a while whether the team would continue or not. When the decision was made, the search for the fourth member began. Thomas Hughes added more try-out jumps to his agenda, this time in Florida.

The jumps were obviously successful and promising. Hughes is the new Sebastian XL 2001 member. XL will make a few changes to accommodate the new member. Former tail, John McIver, will become the new center inside, and Hughes will take the tail position. Pete Allum and Steve Hamilton will retain their slots in the front piece. The XL training schedule is already set.

The team is planning to make 800 training jumps and probably the meets of the Florida Skydiving League 2002 season before the British Nationals in July 2002. Some of the FSL meets may promise once again exciting mini world meets, with Arizona Airspeed and the Golden Knights possibly visiting DeLand Majik on their home turf and Sebastian XL as a fourth world class team competing.

Most likely, tunnel rats Eliana Rodriguez and Thomas Hughes will meet each other again at a meet within the next two years - this time competing against each other.