posted Apr 28th, 2013 - The NSL News continues with the video coverage of the Top 10 at the World Challenge 2013 and now features SDC Rhythm XP from the judging perspective.

It was Rhythm's fourth trip to Bedford where Janette and Steve Lefkowitz competed with Thiago Muradas and Rob Radez for the first time in 2010. Rhythm made it to the Top 10 at the first visit and finished with a 25.3 average, boosted by the traditional Super Sequence at that time.

Rhythm was back next year with the same lineup and finished in 5th place with a 25.7 average at the World Challenge 2011. It was the last event with a Super Sequence in the 10-round meet. Then the lineup changed when Rob Radez stepped back at the end of the 2011 season, and Chris Farina took the Center Inside slot.

World Challenge 2013	World Challenge 2012

World Challenge 2013		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	O,E,J,K,3	M,Q,A,14	4,6,16	8,18,N	H,19,12	2,7,13	11,C,P,9	15,D,10	L,F,17,G	20,1,22	Total	Avg
1	NMP-PCH Hayabusa (BE)	40	37	25	28	28	25	37	25	42	20	307	30.7
2	Evolution (CA)	39	36	24	23	21	22	33	24	37	21	280	28.0
3	Gavroches Maubeuge (FR)	34	35	23	22	24	22	33	24	34	19	270	27.0
4	Paraclete XP4 (US)	34	34	23	22	22	23	31	22	38	20	269	26.9
5	XL	30	35	22	23	23	23	29	24	37	19	265	26.5
6	SportLoto (RU)	35	28	19	23	24	21	30	23	34	20	257	25.7
7	Thunder (BE)	33	32	21	23	23	22	29	21	31	19	254	25.4
8	SDC Rhythm XP (US)	33	33	19	19	22	21	23	22	36	18	246	24.6
9	Dubai Asaar Black (AE)	21	30	19	20	20	21	26	20	30	17	224	22.4
10	a.team4way (RU)	30	27	18	20	18	18	26	19	30	16	222	22.2

SDC Rhythm XP defended the 5th place successfully last year and posted a 24.7 average. The end of the 2012 season brought the next change of the lineup when Chris Farina and Thiago Gomes both left the team and joined Arizona Airspeed.

JaNette and Steve Lefkowitz came with a completely new rear piece (Christy Frikken, Mikhail Markine) to Bedford this year and finished in 8th place this time. The placing did not hold up with the 5th places in 2011 and 2012. However, a closer look at the meet averages shows this year's Rhythm results in a different light.

The 2012 lineup, with 50% Rhythm members and 50% future Airspeed members, mastered the first World Challenge without a Super Sequence just one single point ahead of the new Rhythm 2013 lineup. New Rhythm engine Christy Frikken and her piece partner Mikhail Markine drove the same Lefkowitz front piece to a 24.6 average this year.

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
1	NMP-PCH Hayabusa (BE)	34	33	25	36	28	35	30	25	28	30	304	30.4
2	Aerodyne Aerokart (FR)	31	31	25	37	28	33	26	23	27	30	291	29.1
3	Arizona Airspeed (US)	34	29	24	34	28	34	29	22	26	30	290	29.0
4	XL	30	27	24	32	26	31	27	21	24	26	268	26.8
5	SDC Rhythm XP (US)	29	23	22	29	21	30	26	21	23	23	247	24.7
5	Aerokart Maubeuge (FR)	29	27	23	34	19	26	22	19	23	25	247	24.7
7	Thunder (BE)	29	25	23	31	16	23	26	21	24	23	241	24.1
8	Satori (UK)	27	24	21	32	22	27	20	19	23	23	238	23.8
9	Rabbit Restraint (US)	24	19	19	31	19	25	23	17	20	23	220	22.0
10	Ex3mo 4 (IT)	26	23	19	25	17	24	21	16	22	19	212	21.2

There were reasons why the 2013 placing at the World Challenge was not as good as in 2011 and 2012. Gavroches Maubeuge, SportLoto and Thunder came back with the same lineups as in 2011 and were a year ahead of Rhythm's new lineup. Evolution visited Bodyflight Bedford for the first time with the world class lineup and did not surprise anybody with the 2nd place.

US team Paraclete XP4, with two 4way world champions (Josh Hall, Kirk Verner), 8way world champion Brian "BK" Krause and John D'Annunzio, were showing what the combination of experience and talent can do in a very short amount of time and with a lot of indoor expertise.

The new start for SDC Rhythm XP with the next lineup was just as strong as it was in 2012, at least as the Bedford numbers are telling. The Rhythm members are in Perris this weekend, where Christy Frikken is still at home. They are guiding six Rhythm project teams through the season opener of the Southern California Skydiving League. The NSL News will follow up with the new scores soon.