posted Oct 3rd, 2013 - It doesn't seem like much that Carolina Turbo XP has moved up the USPA Open Class leaderboard by one slot, from 7th place in 2012 to 6th place of all Open Class teams in 2013. However, the Sun Path Products NSL News has taken a closer look at the positions and numbers that lead to a different conclusion.

The news update from the USPA Nationals 2013 on 14 September 2013 during this year's live coverage of the event mentioned the young team even as a USPA bronze medal contender. The final leaderboard with the eligible teams is showing that the bronze medals were very much in reach.

In fact, it was a great battle for the USPA bronze medals between Turbo and the Golden Knights who were defending last year's position. Turbo was not anywhere close to a medal position in 2012 and now challenged the US Army team throughout the whole 10-round competition.

USPA Nationals 2013		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/AAA Class	G,9,C,P	F,5,15	1,E,8	4,M,7	H,N,B,O,3	14,20,L	Q,K,12,17	11,16,19	10,A,18	2,22,D	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	38	28	22	26	33	23	25	20	19	21	255	25.5
2	Paraclete XP4	28	21	19	23	27	20	17	18	15	17	205	20.5
3	Golden Knights	26	22	17	22	28	15	21	17	16	17	201	20.1
4	Carolina Turbo XP	26	19	19	22	24	18	19	17	16	17	197	19.7

Carolina Turbo XP has the most consistent progression of all US teams who are currently competing in the Open Class competition. It is a fairy tale story that the Sun Path Products NSL News has covered step by step, from the first USPA gold medals in the Intermediate Class of 2009 to the full time skydiving team in 2013.

It seemed to be just a matter of time when Turbo would get to the top of the leaderboard, and year by year the team is getting closer. Four of the five teams who were still ahead of Turbo last year, including SDC Rhythm XP, were still scoring higher this year. However, Turbo has now left behind all unofficial "amateur" teams.

DNR had the bronze medal battle with the Golden Knights at the USPA Nationals 2012. This time, Turbo challenged the US Army 4way team to the last round. Neither DNR's 2013 lineup nor Arizona Prime were able to get in front of Carolina Turbo XP this year.

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	AAA Class	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	30	28	24	23	34	22	28	19	20	37	265	26.5
2	SDC Rhythm XP	30	24	23	24	25	21	25	17	19	30	238	23.8
3	Golden Knights	23	22	20	22	24	17	21	16	17	26	208	20.8
4	DNR	26	22	19	22	22	17	23	15	17	24	207	20.7
5	Paraclete XP4	22	19	17	20	23	17	19	15	15	23	190	19.0
6	Carolina Turbo XP	22	18	16	19	21	15	20	15	14	19	179	17.9

The most important fact comes with scoring numbers. Carolina Turbo XP went from 17.9 in 2012 to 19.7 this year. No other team could keep up with this progression. Paraclete XP4 came close with a stronger lineup compared to 2013, while Turbo's lineup has not changed.

The magic 20-average level is not really a topic for Turbo. The team is looking at a much higher scoring level next year. Only the total of seven point deductions at Skydive Chicago kept Turbo from also leaving the 20-average benchmark behind.

The Turbo family is highly motivated for the 2014 season, and the Carolina Skydiving League teams and competitors will benefit from the momentum. The Turbo members plan to copy what SDC Rhythm XP has achieved with the Midwest Skydiving League. Both teams represent a new generation of 4way competitors in the USA, and they are both now preparing the next generation after themselves for the future.