posted Oct 21st, 2013 - The Sun Path Products NSL News review of the USPA Nationals 2013 continues with footage of the ten Paraclete XP4 rounds at Skydive Chicago.

The outcome of XP4's ten 4way rounds had two sides. The team members were not overly happy with the actual performance, while this XP4 lineup won the first 4way medals for Paraclete. Former Airspeed 4way and 8way world champion Kirk Verner said that his team had way too many point deductions and other flaws to be really happy.

The higher expectations were not surprising, as XP4 had a very strong lineup this year, with reigning 4way world champion Josh Hall in the Center Outside slot and reigning 8way world champion Brian "BK" Krause as the Tail in the rear piece. However, the USPA silver medals behind Arizona Airspeed are a fact, and guest team SDC Rhythm XP in 2nd place would have still brought the 3rd place as the best placement in the XP4 history.

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 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(-1)	23	25	20(-1)	19(-1)	21	255(-3)	25.5
G	SDC Rhythm XP	33	24	18(-3)	26	29(-2)	21	21	18	18	19	227(-5)	22.7
2	Paraclete XP4	28(-1)	21(-1)	19(-2)	23(-1)	27(-2)	20	17(-3)	18	15(-1)	17	205(-11)	20.5
3	Golden Knights	26(-1)	22	17	22	28	15(-1)	21	17	16	17	201(-2)	20.1
4	Carolina Turbo XP	26(-3)	19	19	22	24(-3)	18	19(-1)	17	16	17	197(-7)	19.7

The Paraclete team project started with 8way in 2005. Paraclete owner Tim D'Annunzio was a team member, together with his son John. They brought home two USPA 8way bronze medals in 2005 and 2006 before the first Paraclete 4way team competed at the Paraclete Money Meet in 2007. Tim and John D'Annunzio had Kirk Verner and Andy Honigbaum in the lineup. Matt McLean was filming the team, as he still does now.

The original 4way lineup started with a 12.9 average in 2007 and finished with a 16.1 average a year later at the USPA Nationals. The Paraclete 8way lineup had placed only 4th in 2008, and the 2009 season was dedicated to only 8way training and competition. The USPA 8way bronze medals came back to Paraclete at the end of the XP8 2008 season.

Paraclete XP4 resumed 4way action in 2010. Tim D'Annunzio had stepped back, and John D'Annunzio continued for two years with Kirk Verner, Andy Honigbaum and John Eagle. The new XP4 lineup placed 4th with a 21.2 average in 2010 and 5th with 20.8 in 2011.

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

John D'Annunzio and Kirk Verner formed a completely new 8way lineup in 2012, which took most of their attention. They competed in 4way only at the USPA Nationals, with 8way member Todd Hawkins and VFS 4way expert Will Pesek, who won his VFS gold medal with SDC Standard XP and finished with a 19.0 average in 6th place in traditional 4way with XP4.

The new XP4 lineup for the 2013 season was more serious with training and competition and had a great start with the 26.9 average at the World Challenge 2013. The new SDC Rhythm XP lineup could not even stay close to XP4, and the new Airspeed lineup might have had difficulties to beat XP4 in Bedford.

The results for those two teams at both events explain why the XP4 members were not quite satisfied, despite winning the first USPA 4way medals for Paraclete. Rhythm had a great performance at the USPA Nationals and outscored XP4 by a significant margin. However, the 4way silver medals and the 5th consecutive 8way medals will be in the record books, and it will not matter how they made it to the Paraclete headquarters in Raeford...