posted Jan 30th, 2009 - The NSL News reported on 5 November 2008 (Archives > 2008 > News > Search for "Rhythm") that last year's USPA 4-way champion in the Advanced Class, CSC Rhythm XP, was looking for a new Center Inside. The story on 18 December 2008 followed up on the topic and introduced the new team member, Rob Radez. The same story also mentioned that the team name had changed to SDC Rhythm XP, as Skydive Chicago has become the new home turf for Rhythm.

The training with the new Center Inside has started, and the three original Rhythm members, Laurent Beaudouin (Tail), JaNette Lefkowitz (Center Outside), Steve Lefkowitz (Point), are already very excited about the team performance. Steve Lefkowitz reported that the first training camp with the new lineup was held at the Paraclete XP windtunnel in Raeford, as Illinois is still covered with snow in January.

SDC Rhythm XP joined tunnel forces with another team of the Midwest Skydiving League, the SDC Furies, who are coming back with the same lineup as in 2008: Gosia Cienkosz (Outside Center), Sarah Lawrence (Center Inside), Karyn Rees (Point), Shannon Sweet (Tail). Charles Lane is still filming the Furies. Both teams shared four hours on the two days of the January 17 - 18 weekend, and Kirk Verner was coaching.

Steve Lefkowitz said that Rhythm will work once again and for the whole 2009 season with the former Airspeed world champion who now lives and works in Raeford. The Furies will also work with Kirk Verner this year.

Rhythm's Point was impressed with the all-female team from Skydive Chicago: "It was the Furies' first training camp in 2009. They will keep the same lineup as in 2008, and they were looking great. The Furies are aiming to be among the top women's teams in the US this year." The Furies moved up into the AAA Class in 2007 and finished with 11.1 and 11.0 averages in the Advanced Class at the USPA Nationals 2007 and 2008.

Steve Lefkowitz was even more impressed with his team's new Center Inside: "Even though it is just the beginning of the season, we are very excited about where we are right now. Rob is a very strong inside center, and we have no doubt about his ability to pick up the added blocks and B-slots of the open dive pool."

Rob Radez competed in the AA Class last year and won the Intermediate Class competition at the USPA Nationals 2008 with his former team R4. He has now moved up into the AAA Class where he has to skip USPA's Advanced Class after joining the Advanced Class winner of 2008, SDC Rhythm XP. He will have to compete in the Open Class at the USPA Nationals 2009 and can use the MWSL meets to get used to the AAA Class competition. MWSL Director Alan Butt recently announced the 2009 schedule, which can be found at the MWSL homepage.

Steve Lefkowitz added that the group dynamics are already set for success: "We are also quickly developing the strong team dynamics necessary to reach peak performance. We used the fact that our flights were canceled Sunday night to have a nice team dinner in Raleigh, enjoy some additional social time, recap the weekend and discuss thoughts on the upcoming season. Both in the air and on the ground, we can see the team dynamics developing."

The NSL News reported already on December 18 that JaNette and Steve Lefkowitz and Rob Radez connect in a special way. The three Rhythm members studied at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and were already in touch for a while due to the similar interests and education before the team needed a new team member.

Steve Lefkowitz also said that a key part of his team's training plan is extensive wind tunnel time at Paraclete XP in North Carolina. He invites teams and individuals to share time with Rhythm over the entire season, but especially from now through early May. Anyone who is interested can contact him directly by e-mail. The team's training schedule can be found at the Rhythm website.

Last not least, Steve Lefkowitz also provided a link to a training video of the team's new lineup working in the windtunnel. The video can be viewed by clicking here.