posted Nov 22nd, 2016 - The Sun Path Products NSL News had honored the 15-year anniversary of the 4-way Women event at the FAI Mondial 2016 with the story on September 9th. The U.S.A. won the first gold medals in this event (Synchronicity) and the Golden Knights with JaNette Lefkowitz the most recent ones 15 years later.

Nine world meets have taken place in this time period (2001 - 2016), and three nations have shared the gold medals equally: U.S.A. (2001 - 2004 - 2016), Great Britain (2003 - 2006 - 2008) and France (2010 - 2012 - 2014). The next world meet will be a tie-breaker.

It is a very interesting and unique coincidence that the 15-year anniversary of 4-way Women fell onto the same World Championship of Formation Skydiving where the two most traditional events, 4-way Open and 8-way Open, celebrated their own 30-year anniversary.

The current competition format, with ten rounds of sequences mixed up by chance between blocks and random formations, was newly introduced at the world meet in Mali Losinj, former Yugoslavia, in 1985. There was no world meet exactly 30 years later, as the 2-year cycle of world meets was changed in 2003/2004.

The FAI World Cup 2015 in Teuge, Netherlands, took place 30 years after the 1985 event. However, this year's FAI Mondial 2016 is the delayed 30-year anniversary of the two formation skydiving events at FAI World Championships of Formation Skydiving.

4-way Open and 8-way Open competition took place 17 times between 1985 and 2016, and only U.S.A. (8) and France (7) have won gold medals - until NMP PCH HayaBusa came along. Belgium is the third country ever in possession of the William H. Ottley Sword for Formation Skydiving Competition - also known as the Excalibur.

NMP PCH HayaBusa is obviously determined to get their names engraved on the sword once again in two years. There are not too many 4-way competitors who can claim the same number of world meet gold medals or even more. Mark Kirkby, former Arizona Airspeed member, has the standing world record with five 4-way gold medals (1995 - 1997 - 2001 - 2008 - 2012).

The U.S.A. has been dominating 8-way competition in the same 30 years. The Coors won in 1985 before the Golden Knights took over in 1987 and brought William H. Ottley's 8-way sword home six consecutive times until 1997. Arizona Airspeed added another set of gold medals in 1999 before Russia won two times (2001 - 2003).

The U.S.A. took back the sword in 2008, but only for two years. Then France took control over the 8-way event and won three consecutive times (2006 - 2008 - 2010). Mathieu Bernier, currently French national coach in Formation Skydiving competition, became the only competitor who ever won 4-way and 8-way gold medals at the same event in Menzelinsk 2010.

The French 8-way streak also ended at the same time in Menzelinsk and after the French FS Sweep in all four events. Brian "BK" Krause had re-built a new 8-way lineup for the Golden Knights, which outscored the French world champions in Dubai 2012.

Now the 8-way situation is the same as in 4-way Women, where the U.S.A. won the first 8-way gold medals in 1985 and the most recent ones this year, which is also the third consecutive 8-way title for the Golden Knights. Former Golden Knights member Chris Talbert told the Sun Path Products NSL News that he sees a new "Golden Decade" coming for the U.S. Army team.

The U.S. delegation won both traditional Formation Skydiving events five times (1985 - 1995 - 1997 - 2004 - 2012) in the same 30 years, France did the same once in 2010. The Golden Knights will most likely continue in 2018 with the running 8-way streak. NMP PCH HayaBusa will be the major obstacle for the next U.S. FS Sweep...