posted Mar 11th, 2015 - The Sun Path Products NSL News covered the 8-way competition at the Paraclete XP Indoor Championship 2015 yesterday with an introduction of the international visitors in Veloce QRF's 8-way lineup. The same article mentioned that the Golden Knights did not try to defend last year's 8-way title.

This does not mean that the Golden Knights did not compete in Raeford this year. In fact, all current 8-way members attended the competition, except for Andrew Starr, who had a back surgery last week and needs time to recover.

The names of two AAA/Open Class 8-way teams (Raeford Knights, Husky Knights) indicate that Golden Knights members were in the lineups. In fact, each of the two teams had four members of the 8-way world champion team. Kurt Isenbarger and Sean Sweeney competed with their two new members, David Flynn and Sherri Jo Gallagher, for Husky Knights, while Justin Blewitt, Jessie Stahler, Josh Coleman and Matt Davidson guided the Raeford Knights as player coaches through the 8-way competition.

Paraclete XP Indoor 2015		Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Round 7	Round 8	Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Open	10,6,B	D,L,15,11	19,18,K	1,N,C,3	8,17,D	F,E,Q,7	13,J,O,2	16,G,4	Total	Avg
1	Paraclete XP8 (US)	24	31	22	36	21	27	20	35	216	27.0
2	Veloce QRF (FR)	19	24	19	28	18	24	20	33	185	23.1
3	VIVA 8 (CH)	18	21	16	29	16	20	16	28	164	20.5
4	Rhythm Verve XP (US)	17	18	17	24	16	19	16	25	152	19.0
5	Paris Berlin Express (FR)	16	20	15	24	14	15	13	23	140	17.5
6	Raeford Knights (US)	16	17	13	21	14	20	12	21	134	16.8
7	Spaceland Lite 8 (US)	16	17	14	20	12	16	12	20	127	15.9
8	Monster XP	15	15	13	19	12	16	13	18	121	15.1
9	Husky Knights (US)	16	15	13	19	11	16	13	17	120	15.0

The Golden Knights had actually planned to attend both Paraclete meets and travel to DeLand on the following weekend. The trip was canceled when it became clear that the US Army team would not have the complete lineup available. Andrew Starr had to get his surgery done as soon as possible, as the team needs him for the active lineup.

The Golden Knights have run out of options for their 8-way team, and the situation for the defending 8-way world champions is difficult. New member Sherri Jo Gallagher starts her 8-way career on camera, while former Demonstration Team member David Flynn now has a slot in the active competition lineup. He started on camera earlier this year and then switched slots with Sherri Jo Gallagher.

The dominating position of the Golden Knights in 8-way after the FAI World Championship of Formation Skydiving 2014 and the second consecutive gold medals for the US delegation in 8-way initiated personnel changes in the US Army's Competition Team. Captain Sean Sweeney wanted to use the opportunity and bring in new team members.

World Meet 2014		Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	T.	Avg
Rank	8-way Open	E,3,C,5	F,G,D,21	19,H,2	M,4,1	O,14,A,P	8,J,16	7,11,12	22,20,15	17,G,18	13,B,9	T.	Avg
1	Golden Knights (US)	24	22	15	26	22	21	19	26	21	20	216	21.6
2	Barkli (RU)	19	18	13	25	14	16	16	19	18	13	171	17.1
3	Venturi (FR)	19	16	14	23	18	13	18	19	15	16	171	17.1

It seemed to be a good timing, as France and Russia were also in the process of re-building their 8-way teams. Larry Miller and Mike LaRoche left the Competition Team, former videographer and alternate Andrew Starr moved up, Sherri Jo Gallagher was the new member in the active lineup, and David Flynn became the alternate.

The Golden Knights seemed to have enough distance to France and a head start into the next 2-year cycle. That changed shortly after the personnel changes. French national coach Jeremie Rollett made an unexpected 8-way move, as the Sun Path Products NSL News reported on 21 October 2014. He assigned the French 8-way world champions of 2006, 2008 and 2010 and the complete 2012 lineup at the Mondial Dubai 2012, to the job of re-capturing the 8-way Excalibur and gold medals for France in 2016.

The pressure was back on the Golden Knights, as the introduction of the new Golden Knights team member on 23 January 2015 explained. Andrew Starr's back troubles did not make it any easier for the US Army team to deal with the new French 8-way lineup.

World Meet 2012		Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Open	N,21,B,5	14,C,13	22,M,20	17,H,16	J,E,12,4	7,19,15	G,K,8,2	O,L,F,P,A	10,11,18	9,Q,D,1	Total	Avg
1	Golden Knights (US)	21	19	27	26	26	18	20	28	19	25	229	22.9
2	Aerodyne Maubeuge (FR)	22	19	22	23	27	20	20	28	19	25	225	22.5
3	Barkli (RU)	19	18	22	22	21	15	15	24	16	20	192	19.2

The recruiting situation for the Golden Knights became even more difficult when the Golden Knights Command decided to add a new VFS 4-way lineup to the Competition Team. Much needed talent for the 8-way team now has to be shared with the new discipline, even though the US Army's VFS 4-way team has very little chances to compete for the USA at a world meet, while the 8-way team tries to defend the US gold medals.

Larry Miller, double 8-way world champion of 2012 and 2014, cannot come back from the Demonstration Team, and it seems as if the other remaining six world champions (Sean Sweeney, Justin Blewitt, Josh Coleman, Matt Davidson, Kurt Isenbarger, Jessie Stahler) have to bring the new members up to speed as quickly as possible, after Andrew Starr's 3-month recovery time, to keep up with France.

The female 4-way lineup of the Golden Knights increases their chances for a gold medal month by month, while the 8-way lineup is in trouble.

The Golden Knights future is uncertain, and the possibility of handing the coveted world championship trophy, the Ottley Sword Excalibur, to France or Russia on US soil has increased dramatically. The tables have turned in 8-way competition...