posted Jan 12th, 2009 - The NSL News reported on 27 December 2008 that the two top contenders from Sweden, Evolution and Blue Spirits, will probably continue their race for the national top spot in 2009.

A new update from Sweden now confirmed that both teams have made plans for the 2009 season. Lennart Vestbom, who represents the Swedish Parachuting Association and helps to coordinate the events in Sweden, provided the NSL News with the meet schedule for 2009 and added some team information.

The competition season in Sweden begins with the first Swedish Cup meet on the June 13 - 14 weekend. It will be hosted by the FK Aros parachuting club and takes place in Västerås. The second meet of the Swedish Cup is scheduled for July 4 - 5 in Gryttjom. The Stockholm Skydiving Club is the event host. The Swedish Nationals conclude the 2009 season on July 28 - 31. Host in Gryttjom is once again the Stockholm Skydiving Club.

The Swedish Nationals 2009 is open for guest teams. In fact, a guest team won the competition in 2008, as the NSL News reported on 3 August 2008. The Tigers from Finland ended up on the top of the Swedish leaderboard. The Swedish national team Evolution then fought back successfully at the World Meet 2008.

The Swedish teams are used to having guest teams visiting from Finland. However, this time Lennart Vestbom is trying to attract additiona participation from other Nordic and Baltic countries, as well, and has sent invitations to the teams, also including the best Ukrainian team from Chaika in Kiev. Teams from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania would have a reasonable travel distance to Sweden. Lithuania's national team Magic 4 actually beat Sweden and Finland at the world meet in Maubeuge and finished tied with Denmark's national team Blaze in 12th place with a 15.8 average.

Lennart Vestbom also informed the NSL News of a personnel change in the Evolution lineup. Martin Askelin is stepping back and will be the alternate in 2009. Mikael Kaulanen replaces him in the active lineup. "Micke" Kaulanen is a former member of Team Spaï, which competed for Sweden at the World Cup 2007 in Russia.

The official Swedish national team for the World Cup 2009 in the Czech Republic will be selected after an indoor competition at Bodyflight Bedford or after the first competition of the Swedish Cup series. This will give the teams enough time to prepare for the Swedish Nationals 2009, which is the qualification event for the World Championship of Formation Skydiving in 2010.

Lennart Vestbom confirmed that the Swedish national champions of 2009 will be selected as the national team for the world meet in 2010. This situation makes it possible that the winner of the Swedish Nationals 2009 at the end of July may not be the official Swedish national team at the World Cup 2009 in September. However, it will give the new Swedish national 4-way champion of 2009 enough time to prepare for the World Meet in 2010, and the FAI World Cup rules would still allow another Swedish team to compete in the Czech Republic in September. Each nation can register up to four teams at a World Cup.

In 2008, the qualification for the world meet in Maubeuge was open until the last event in Sweden. The Swedish Nationals 2008 on July 21 ended up as the qualification event for the world meet, which began two weeks later on August 9. The qualification rules for the world meet in 2010 will make it easier for the next Swedish national team to prepare for the world meet.