posted Nov 18th, 2013 - The Sun Path Products NSL News has not covered yet the final outcome of the AA/Intermediate Class competition at the USPA Nationals 2013. A few live updates from Skydive Chicago hinted that there was an exciting competition going on in this category, which was not followed up on.

In fact, the leaderboard of the AA/Intermediate Class was not only by far the largest one of the event, it was also the most exciting one. All TOP 8 teams, including guest Synergy of the Northwest Skydiving League, posted or shared at least one highscore for a round.

The AA/Intermediate Class competition was the only Formation Skydiving event that had a jump-off round for a medal position. The two teams in 8th place were two points away from a bronze medal and missed a silver medal by three points. This might have been the most competitive Intermediate Class battle for medals in USPA 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	AA/Intermediate Class	D,O,A,P	13,4	20,B,18	Q,F,2	G,21,K	9,M,H	L,1,15	E,N,11	J,19,8	6,14	Total	Avg
1	Dallas Khaos Khobalt	16	9	7	17	12	21	8	10	9	9	118(-4)	11.8
2	Prophecy	14	9	9	14	11	17	9	9	10	10	112(-6)	11.2
3	Vertigo 4 Black	13	9	10	15	12	13	9	11	10	9	111(-3)	11.1
3	SDC Jetstream Tango	15	8	9	12	9	20	9	11	8	10	111(-6)	11.1
5	Synergy	17	8	6	15	12	21	7	9	6	9	110(-9)	11.0
5	CSC Survival Instinct	16	8	7	15	10	18	8	10	8	10	110(-2)	11.0
7	Spaceland SPX5	13	7	10	14	11	18	7	10	9	10	109(-4)	10.9
7	Carolina Dynamic	17	9	9	13	11	12	8	11	9	10	109(-4)	10.9

The winner, Dallas Khaos Khobalt, had four highscores - the same number that Carolina Dynamic collected in 8th place. Bronze medal winner Vertigo 4 Black had six rounds with highscores, two more than Khaos Khobalt.

The Texas Skydiving League team won the whole competition with two major moves. The first one was the only sole highscore in Round 4 and the 21-pointer for the fast sequence of Round 6, which could be tied only by guest team Synergy. Khaos Khobalt took the lead from Carolina Dynamic in Round 4, cushioned it with the 21-pointer in Round 6 and carried it home in the last four rounds.

The penalties played a role in the race for USPA medals, as well. SDC Jetstream Tango, with substitute Gilles Dutrisac replacing Steve Lefkowitz for the USPA Nationals, had video trouble after the exit in Round 4 and Round 5. The 5-point damage for those two rounds was costly, as Tango could have avoided the jump-off round in a secure 3rd place after Round 10.

The USPA Intermediate Class Champion 2012, Dallas Khaos Khobalt, was not new to the Sun Path Products NSL News audience. The story on 18 February 2013 explained in detail how the Khobalt lineup came together this year.

The split of Dallas Khaos XP at the end of the 2012 season turned out to be very successful and produced the first Khaos gold medal. Dallas Khaos XP had ended up short in 2nd place after a jump-off with T-Minus1 at the USPA Nationals 2011. Khaos Khobalt now completed the gold medal job.

The other Khaos XP half, Dallas Khaos Black in the AAA/Advanced Class, finished only two points short of another set of USPA medals for the Khaos delegation. Dallas En Fuego, with 4way veteran Scott Latinis in the lineup, did the job for Skydive Dallas and won silver medals. All teams from Texas had collected great competition experiences at regional meets this year before traveling to Skydive Chicago.