posted May 26th, 2009 - The scores of all European teams of last weekend's competition are now posted on the leaderboard, and they include four teams from Norway.

The NSL News reported on 13 May 2009 that Norway would join the international NSL Network this year.

The first synchronized meet was completed last weekend, and IPC Delegate Trude Sviggum provided scores and meet information.

The competiton was held at Oestre Aera, which is the official training center for the Norwegian national teams. It is located close to Rena with a driving distance of approx. 2.5 hours north from Oslo.

Trude Sviggum reported that the new official national 4-way team, Nexus, organised a basic skills camp on the meet weekend.

The NSL News had introduced Norway's new national 4-way team with the story on 17 November 2008 (Archives > 2008 > News > Search for "Nexus").

Fortitudo members Ellen Burchardt and Kristine Willadsen joined forces with two members of last year's team X3M4S, Marianne Nordlund and Yngve Haugom, and are eager to move on after two years with the national team in the female category.

They have formally become members of the new official Norwegian national 4-way team of 2009. Nexus will represent Norway at the World Cup 2009.

Ellen Burchardt and Kristine Willadsen organized and coached at last weekend's competition and helped forming the lineups, which were composed of the participants at the skills camp. Many of them had never done 4-way before, and this was their first skydiving competition.

Fortitudo member Trude Sviggum also competed at the meet, together with her two former Fortitudo team mates and Arne Rydning in the AAA Class. The teams were jumping from a Pilatus Porter, which is the jump plane for this season at Oestre Aera.

Trude Sviggum said that the exits were challenging for the teams, as they were for all national teams that trained for the World Meet 2008 in France.

The weather was good in the morning and most of the day, and the Porter had a busy schedule. The teams finished all six rounds before it started to rain later the same day.

Trude Sviggum said that she used a skins game concept similar to the one applied at the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2009. A handicap was applied for rounds four, five and six, based on the results of the first three rounds. Småspirer won Round 4 after handicap, Bullemus won Rounds 5 and 6.

Royal Intermediate won the overall competition of the three A Class teams before handicap. The same lineup is planning to attend the Norwegian Nationals 2009. Trude Sviggum thinks that the team has a good chance to place on the very top in the A Class if they can "...manage to nail the exits".

3/5 Fortitudo was the only team in the AAA Class competition at the meet in Norway. Ellen Burchardt, Kristine Willadsen and Trude Sviggum helped Arne Rydning to the best jumps and the highest meet average of his skydiving career.

The next competiton in Norway will be held at Voss during the opening weekend for "Ekstremsportveko", the annual Norwegian Extreme Sports Week. Trude Sviggum hopes that the same and more other teams will come and join the competition there. She said that the national championship was the only Formation Skydiving competiton in Norway last year. She was excited to see four new lineups at the first competiton this year.

The Bullemus lineup included Siw Gjerstad who is the manager of the Oestre Aera skydiving center. Henrik Molinder is from Sweden and works in the cafeteria of the DZ. Lise Vikan is also on another A Class team with Nexus member Yngve Haugom.

Royal Intermedate member Anders Mæland has not even completed 100 jumps yet. Trude Sviggum says that he is very talented and could be a member of the next generation of Norwegian top competitors. His athletic background may favor his skydiving career. He is also one of the best snowboarders in Norway.