posted Feb 17th, 2014 - It is no surprise that previews of the Paraclete XP Outdoor Championship 2014 have been in the center of the attention for the Sun Path Products NSL News for a while. The winter break is long, and the indoor meets and activities have been dominating for a while.

The power of the World Challenge 2014 does not make it much easier for outdoor competition to get back to the center of attention either, and newer indoor events, such as the Canadian Indoor Championship 2014, are also moving into the event picture.

It happened almost unnoticed that another indoor competition brings the first top event to the Sun Path Products NSL News attention very soon: The Paraclete XP Indoor Championship 2014.

World Challenge 2009		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	17,10,4	19,Q,8	G,7,D,9	A,C,E,H,K	14,M,J,3	N,16,6	20,F,12	15,21,L	13,22,18	11,2,B	Total	Avg
1	Airspeed Odyssey (US)	23	26	36	53	29	27	24	24	21	25	288	28.8
3	HayaBusa Defence (BE)	22	25	32	56	25	25	21	25	21	23	275	27.5
5	Aerodyne Maubeuge (FR)	22	26	34	44	26	25	22	24	22	23	268	26.8

It's not the first time that the Sun Path Products NSL News will provide live coverage from Raeford. The history of the event was the topic on 11 May 2013. This year's competition is still very special in many ways.

It's the first time that Paraclete XP and National Skydiving League present the Indoor and Outdoor double header as a 10-day package to make it easier for teams from abroad to participate. The success of the move is tangible, as the field of teams for the Paraclete XP Indoor Championships will include several teams from across the Atlantic for the first time in history.

It will also be the first time that the three top contenders for gold medals at the World Championship of Formation Skydiving this year (USA - Belgium - France) face each other, first at the indoor meet in Raeford, then at the outdoor meet in DeLand. The same counts for 8way, where Golden Knights and France have never competed directly with and against each other at an indoor meet.

World Challenge 2010		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	5,4,12	J,M,E,D,L	20,17,8	15,18,7	22,A,F,K	21,C,G,6	9,19,16	B,13,14	H,P,O,3	N,2,10	Total	Avg
1	Aerodyne Aerokart (FR)	22	63	23	26	31	28	29	28	32	23	305	30.5
3	NMP-PCH Hayabusa (BE)	22	57	23	25	36	28	28	26	34	22	301	30.1
5	Arizona Airspeed (US)	23	55	23	25	30	29	26	27	36	22	296	29.6

It surely is not the first time that Arizona Airspeed, NMP-PCH Hayabusa and France attend the same indoor competition. In fact, is had happened four times in history, every single time at Bodyflight Bedford for the annual 4way World Challenge.

The outcome of this year's indoor showdown of the three best teams in the world seems to be completely open though - as it has been in the past. There has not been one single World Challenge yet where the same three 4way teams ended up in the same positions.

The first three events generated three different winners (Airspeed in 2009 - France in 2010 - Hayabusa in 2011). NMP-PCH Hayabusa then won this 3-team showdown two consecutive times in 2011 and 2012, however, Airspeed and France finished in switched positions in 2012.

World Challenge 2011		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	10,C,5	20,P,2	H,M,Q,K,A	L,J,16,12	E,7,15	O,11,22	14,B,17	6,13,9	4,3,21	1,G,8	Total	Avg
1	NMP-PCH Hayabusa (BE)	27	25	65	29	33	23	28	28	22	25	305	30.5
2	Arizona Airspeed (US)	26	24	60	27	34	24	27	28	23	25	298	29.8
3	Aerodyne Aerokart (FR)	26	25	52	27	31	25	29	27	24	24	290	29.0

Hayabusa is probably the top contender for the 1st place at the Paraclete XP Indoor Championship 2014 after winning the World Challenge for the third consecutive time in 2013 and then the Wind Games 2014 earlier this year.

It will be the last opportunity for NMP-PCH Hayabusa in 2014 to show the Belgian indoor dominance one more time, as Arizona Airspeed is not planning to travel to Bedford this year. The reigning 4way world champions had skipped last year's event, as well, after not missing any of the World Challenges since the event was launched in 2006.

The new French national team, Volt'R, has signed up for all three meets, the Paraclete XP double header and the World Challenge, together with NMP-PCH Hayabusa.

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

France needs the competition experiences for the new lineup with new slots. NMP-PCH Hayabusa is in the team's 4th year with the same lineup and slots, and Arizona Airspeed goes into the 2nd team year unchanged. The new French national team had a slot scramble last year, as the Sun Path Products NSL News reported on 18 December 2013.

The first big showdown of the year is happening in Raeford and will be covered live from the Paraclete XP competition site with the 16-foot flying chamber. This indoor showdown will also include the first 8way confrontation between Golden Knights and the new French national 8way team.

The three top contenders and several other US teams and international visitors will then travel to DeLand for a couple of training days from jump planes and the first major outdoor competition of the world meet year.