posted Feb 16th, 2013 - The NSL News has covered the personnel changes of the top teams in the world on a regular basis. There is nothing unusual about changes in the lineups, and some of the moves don't even get much attention, as they happen so smoothly.

This seems to be different whenever Arizona Airspeed comes to a new crossroad, which happens often after a World Championship of Formation Skydiving. Emotions of the fans are running higher, and the gossiping is increasing pace and level.

The newest NSL News contribution for Blue Skies Mag is picking up this topic and tries to explain the situation from different angles. The most recent Airspeed personnel changes eliminated Perris Fury as a US challenger in 2011 and had a major impact on the currently second strongest team in the USA, SDC Rhythm XP, at the end of the 2012 season.

Turning Points: 4-Way Personnel Drama

Arizona Airspeed did it again. Remember the end of the 2010 season? The self-made Perris Fury lineup had the best year ever and finished with a 24.1 average at the USPA Nationals. Airspeed won with 25.5 after bringing home silver medals from the World Meet 2010 in Russia. However, Fury had moved in closer once again, as they had every year before. Airspeed was facing personnel changes at the end of the 2010 season; only Mark Kirkby would come back for the 2011 season. It was the chance of a lifetime for Fury to get to the very top in 2011.

"Not so fast," thought Kirkby, and recruited Fury's point Josh Hall for his new lineup. It was the start of Airspeed's new path to the 4-way gold medals last December in Dubai—and it was the end of Perris Fury. The three remaining Fury members tried one more year with a new point and then never came back.

Fast forward two years to end of the 2012 season. The closest Airspeed rival, new U.S. 4-way shooting star SDC Rhythm XP, came closer to beating Airspeed than ever before at the 2012 Nationals and won the silver medals after years of hard work to get to the top level in 4-way competition. Airspeed on the other hand came back from Dubai and needed a new point. It was the chance of a lifetime for Rhythm to get to the very top in 2013.

USPA Nationals 2010		Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	4way Open	16,21,11	3,L,K,10	6,22,1	12,20,4	Q,M,2,N	H,D,9,G	19,5,13	F,E,17,O	C,8,7	A,18,14	Total	Avg
1	USA Arizona Airspeed	21	23	15	15	32	42	23	40	25	19	255	25.5
2	USA Perris Fury	21	22	18	16	25	38	22	36	23	20	241	24.1
3	Golden Knights Gold	17	21	17	15	27	32	18	33	22	18	220	22.0

"Not so fast," thought the three remaining Airspeed members, and recruited Chris Farina and Thiago Gomes for their 2013 lineup. Chris Farina was the inside center for Rhythm's most successful lineup in 2012 and Thiago Gomes was the team's tail; Rhythm's whole rear piece left and headed to Arizona. It is once again the start of a 2-year Airspeed period to defend the U.S. 4-way gold medals in 2014. Is it going to be the end of SDC Rhythm XP, as well, as it happened to Perris Fury...?

"Not so fast," say JaNette and Steve Lefkowitz, heart and soul and founders of the Rhythm project, and current videographer Alex Bittner. No, it is NOT the end of the Rhythm project, not at all. In fact, it took Rhythm's 3-way just a few months to recruit two new team members for the next world class lineup; former Perris Fury member Christy Frikken and former Vibe member Mikhail Markine have joined the team.

So, what's this all about? It is obviously not the first time that Airspeed has damaged the second best team in the U.S. by attracting their team members to the Arizona desert. Many people have said that they are doing this on purpose to guarantee the success of the Airspeed project by weakening the competition. There is probably some truth to it, but only some, and the question is how Airspeed really sets the recruiting criteria.

The critical voices and the people who have been shocked by the bad news for Rhythm may have to look at this whole scenario from another angle as well; it does not really have to be the Airspeed angle. It is even more sobering to simply take a look at other sports and compare, which is one of my favorite things to do.

There is absolutely nothing unusual about sport clubs recruiting team members from other clubs. Each team always tries to fill their open slots with new members who are at least adequate substitutes, ideally even stronger than the leaving members. It also becomes increasingly difficult for a team to find adequate new members the higher it is positioned on the success and performance level. The top teams in any sport have hardly any other option than looking at the best potential candidates on the highest level. Then they buy them or attract them somehow to the other club.

Now, where can Arizona Airspeed find the best 4-way competitors if they need a new member? They are the reigning world champions and HAVE to look at the best U.S. competitors behind them to fill a slot. SDC Rhythm XP happens to be the second best team in the U.S., as Perris Fury was in 2010. Who can blame Airspeed that they are asking Rhythm members first?

I think that the damage for the challenger after the selection of the new team member is just happening naturally, and comes as a (nice) byproduct for Airspeed. Hopefully, and at least, they can say thank you to Rhythm for offering Chris Farina and Thiago Gomes the opportunity to train and compete on world class level and become candidates for the Airspeed selection.

SDC Rhythm XP will probably not be able to beat Airspeed this year. However, JaNette and Steve Lefkowitz have made their way through several personnel changes in the past years, and every single time they came out stronger than with the previous lineup. They have made great choices, and you can only expect that the current one will generate the same results. Rhythm will come back with power and vengeance.

USPA Nationals 2012		Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	4way Open	3,B,K,H	F,7,22	O,4,D,13	A,M,11,8	N,P,G,19	L,20,1	5,16,J	6,21,12	18,17,10	E,C,Q,15	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed (US)	30	28	24	23	34	22	28	19	20	37	265	26.5
2	SDC Rhythm XP (US)	30	24	23	24	25	21	25	17	19	30	238	23.8
4	Golden Knights (US)	23	22	20	22	24	17	21	16	17	26	208	20.8

And here is another point. Just imagine that Rhythm will once again move close to Airspeed, possibly at the end of the 2013 season, as it is a very strong lineup. Let's say closer than Airspeed would like to see it. What is Airspeed going to do then? Fire an Airspeed member, so they can steal one of the Rhythm members and weaken the challenger? Well, of course that is bizarre and will never happen. But it makes the point. Airspeed's main purpose is to replace a leaving member with the best 4-way competitor they can find at any certain point in time.

The challenger has to find a way to beat the reigning champion, and a part of this is keeping a well working lineup together for a few years. But that's another story...