TALBERT WAG CORNER

posted Dec 10th, 2015 - The day started out with light winds, mild temperatures and a great feeling around the DZ that the 4–way Open and 4–way Women's events would get several jumps done, and the pace was steady until around 2 PM, when the winds kicked up and the meet went on a weather hold.

In the 4–way Open event the meet seems to be a test of who will blink first, with the Americans (Arizona Airspeed) and the Belgian team (NMP Pch HayaBusa) tied through Round 5. The skydiving is fast paced and nearly flawless.

In addition to a displaying their abilities in the air, the comradery between these two teams has been nothing less than exemplary. It's great to see, and they have fostered a great vibe on the DZ.

World Air Games 2015			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		B,C,17,2	N,19,4	13,14,F	6,E,O,L	7,1,A	D,18,P,22	M,H,5,15	16,9,12	21,K,G,Q	11,20,3	Total	Avg
1	NMP PCH Hayabusa	BE	29	26	23	36	28	-	-	-	-	-	142	28.4
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	29	27	22(-1)	36	28	-	-	-	-	-	142(-1)	28.4
3	Black Cat	RU	23	23	21	30	21	-	-	-	-	-	118	23.6
4	Qatar Tigers	QA	22	21	17	28	23	-	-	-	-	-	111	22.2
4	FLY-IN	FR	24	20	18	29	20	-	-	-	-	-	111	22.2
6	Evolution	CA	21	22	17	28	20	-	-	-	-	-	108	21.6
7	Dubai Asaar Black	AE	21	20	17	20	20	-	-	-	-	-	98	19.6
8	Vision 99	UK	18	12	15	23	18	-	-	-	-	-	86	17.2
8	Rotor Out	AU	17	16	14	22	17	-	-	-	-	-	86	17.2
10	Ex3mo	IT	16	16	12	21	16	-	-	-	-	-	81	16.2
11	AtomiX YUU	DE	14	12	14	20	16	-	-	-	-	-	76	15.2

TALBERT WAG CORNER

As is the case in most FS competitions, the top spot isn't the only one being closely contested, with a great competition for the 4th spot going on between France and Qatar. Despite the Qataris competing as guests, this will certainly be a lot of fun for both teams, as a tight competition always is.

In the women's 4–way event the French and Americans are once again battling for the top spot. The U.S. team had a rough jump in Round 4 (6,E,O,L) and some momentum and separation resulted in four busts. Those penalties took a 29-point performance down to a 25. The American ladies picked up a single point in Round 5 and now sit 3 points back from the French.

The other four women's 4–way teams, Canada, Great Britain, Russia and the United Arab Emirates, have point difference as few as 8 and as many as 18 between them. There are still two fast (or fast–ish) jumps left in Rounds 6 and 9, so look for one of these teams to break out and maybe even gain a spot on their competition.

World Air Games 2015			Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women		B,C,17,2	N,19,4	13,14,F	6,E,O,L	7,1,A	D,18,P,22	M,H,5,15	16,9,12	21,K,G,Q	11,20,3	Total	Avg
1	French FLY-IN Girls	FR	25	22	21	30	21(-2)	-	-	-	-	-	119(-2)	23.8
2	Golden Knights	US	25	21(-1)	22	25(-4)	23	-	-	-	-	-	116(-5)	23.2
3	Montreal Fuzion	CA	16	19	16	26	18	-	-	-	-	-	95	19.0
4	NFTO	UK	18	17	15	20	18	-	-	-	-	-	88	17.6
5	Infra Red Band	RU	17	15	12	20	12	-	-	-	-	-	76	15.2
6	Dubai Asaar Ladies	AE	12	12	9	14	11	-	-	-	-	-	58	11.6

TALBERT WAG CORNER

For those curious about why the Qatar teams are competing as guests: It is because they did not finish in the Top 10 at the last world championships (Prostejov, Czech Republic 2014). They were invited by the Middle Eastern rivals, the U.A.E., to compete for some good ole’ fashioned bragging rights. And who doesn't love those?

Finally around the DZ, the absence of Wi-Fi, which seemed like it may have been an issue, has actually been a relief. Teams are able to be more focused in their preparation. Many are also spending what would otherwise be Facebook time making new friends and catching up with old. The way it's supposed to be.

And that's all I've got. Be excellent to each other.