posted Apr 21st, 2017 - Mass Defiance, USPA Advanced Class champion of 2005 usually makes the Sun Products NSL News headlines after the USPA Nationals or the indoor competition at SkyVenture New Hampshire.

The New England team was founded in 2004 and competed at all national championships until 2008 before slowing down with training and competition and only coming back at random events for reunions with modified lineups.

The original lineup (Brian Stephens, Ben Liston, John Silva, Jim Rees, with Steve "Scuba" Feldman on camera) posted the highest unofficial U.S. amateur average at the USPA Nationals 2007 (19.3) which stood as the top number until 2012. DNR, with Mass Defiance members Brian Stephens and Ben Liston (James Klinge, Steve Johnson, Pat Walker on camera), then lifted the amateur average to 20.7 at the USPA Nationals 2012.

The original lineup had a comeback at the USPA Nationals 2016 where they finished only one point short of the 19.3 average in 2007, and the successful comeback motivated Mass Defiance enough to make new plans for the 2017 season.

USPA Nationals 2007		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open	11,6,K	12,E,C,A	18,17,F	4,8,P	M,20,D,9	19,16,5	B,3,O,G	13,H,2	7,22,15	N,21,L,J	Total	Avg
1	Airspeed Odyssey	23	26	26	23	32	24	28	23	21	27	253	25.3
2	Fastrax	22	26	26	22	29	21	27	24	20	27	244	24.4
3	Golden Knights Black	20	25	24	23	29	21	25	21	19	23	230	23.0
4	Perris Fury	20	23	19	20	28	19	21	20	17	22	209	20.9
5	Arcteryx	20	22	22	21	24	19	22	19	16	23	208	20.8
6	Aerokart Seloger.com	18	21	16	18	26	19	24	18	17	22	199	19.9
7	Mass Defiance	18	20	18	18	25	16	22	19	15	22	193	19.3
8	FooZa	18	18	20	16	23	16	24	17	16	22	190	19.0
9	Arizona Directe	16	20	18	16	21	15	20	15	16	21	178	17.8
10	Nice Maubeuge Holidays	17	20	16	15	19	17	21	16	15	18	174	17.4
10	Fastrax Blue	18	18	18	16	19	17	20	16	15	17	174	17.4
12	Arizona Ace	16	18	18	15	21	16	21	16	14	17	172	17.2
13	Arizona Divewerkz	16	13	15	15	20	14	17	16	13	19	158	15.8
14	Golden Knights Gold	13	14	14	14	16	13	14	11	12	17	138	13.8
15	Optic Nerve	13	14	12	13	14	12	14	14	11	18	135	13.5
16	Team Twisted	13	0	9	13	18	9	17	12	11	14	116	11.6

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This time, Mass Defiance is the topic for an update that is also a preview of an event that will be a new experience for the U.S. team.

Mass Defiance will travel across the Atlantic Ocean this summer and compete at the FAI World Cup 2017 in Saarlouis, Germany.

Mass Defiance lineups have attended a few other meets besides the USPA Nationals and the indoor competition at SkyVenture New Hampshire in recent years, such as the Shamrock Showdown and Paraclete events.

The U.S. top team has never been a part of the U.S. delegation at an FAI event yet.

Team member Jim Rees is an FAI Judge and has attended world meets and world cups in his official FAI function; however, he has not been in front of the camera and on the screen when FAI judges evaluated competition videos at international events.

USPA Nationals 2012		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open	3,B,K,H	F,7,22	O,4,D,13	A,M,11,8	N,P,G,19	L,20,1	5,16,J	6,21,12	18,17,10	E,C,Q,15	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	30	28	24	23	34	22	28	19	20	37	265	26.5
2	SDC Rhythm XP	30	24	23	24	25	21	25	17	19	30	238	23.8
3	Evolution	24	20	22	21	22	19	26	16	18	33	221	22.1
4	Golden Knights	23	22	20	22	24	17	21	16	17	26	208	20.8
5	DNR	26	22	19	22	22	17	23	15	17	24	207	20.7
6	Paraclete XP4	22	19	17	20	23	17	19	15	15	23	190	19.0
7	Carolina Turbo XP	22	18	16	19	21	15	20	15	14	19	179	17.9
7	AZ Plosion	21	17	17	19	21	17	17	15	13	22	179	17.9
9	SDC Furies XP	21	19	17	18	19	15	20	14	12	17	172	17.2
10	Perris Wicked	18	15	14	16	20	11	16	12	9	17	148	14.8
11	Spaceland Lite	16	16	14	15	15	9	15	10	12	17	139	13.9
12	Fastrax J3	1	17	14	15	19	15	17	13	12	12	135	13.5
13	Crimson Fox	11	11	12	11	13	8	9	8	8	13	104	10.4

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It will not be the original lineup making the overseas trip to Germany in August. James Klinge replaces John Silva in the outside center slot, and Pat Walker will be filming Mass Defiance in Saarlouis.

James "Bu" Klinge and Pat Walker are not new to the team and have been on the Mass Defiance roster after a few meets with the team and the DNR 20.7 record experience with Brian Stephens and Ben Liston. The 2017 lineup is eager to wipe out the 20.7 and put the Mass Defiance team name back behind the unofficial U.S. amateur record number.

The FAI World Cup in Germany will not be the only opportunity to go after the standing record average. Mass Defiance has plans until the USPA Nationals 2017, even though the lineup will change after the trip to Europe.

Jim Rees has to step back and put the judges’ hat back on. He is assigned as the Chief Judge for the national championships and may have to watch his own team chasing the 20.7 average in Perris. Mass Defiance is prepared for the situation with an adequate substitute. Nick Grillet will take the tail slot in September.

USPA Nationals 2016		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open	20,D,E,22	M,9,5	12,8,7	H,L,16,15	F,A,N,J,17	G,6,3	K,B,Q,P,C	18,10,11	13,21,4	14,1,19	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	22	37	21	24	39	21	47	16	18	20	265	26.5
2	SDC Rhythm XP	23	35	19	19	28	19	45	14	17	19	238	23.8
3	Golden Knights	20	24	18	24	33	19	38	14	15	18	223	22.3
4	AARsPeed	19	28	17	13	28	17	33	15	15	17	202	20.2
5	Mass Defiance	17	23	17	16	28	17	33	12	14	15	192	19.2
6	Arizona Alpha	18	27	15	19	26	16	29	12	14	14	190	19.0
7	Perris Kiss	15	19	13	15	22	15	30	11	13	13	166	16.6
8	Alliance	14	21	13	11	21	15	25	12	12	13	157	15.7
9	Spaceland Lite	13	19	10	11	22	14	28	11	10	12	150	15.0
10	Dallas 350	14	20	13	17	19	8	26	9	11	11	148	14.8
11	Arizona ZULU	11	18	11	10	18	11	26	8	11	11	135	13.5
12	Bravo Zulu	13	15	9	9	16	12	18	5	7	8	112	11.2

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Mass Defiance has been training once a week at SkyVenture New Hampshire and will soon begin with outdoor training at Skydive New England. The first training camp is scheduled for the April 29/30 weekend.

The highly experienced team members will use indoor and outdoor training to update the continuity plan and techniques. There is a wealth of knowledge and experiences in the team's portfolio, which needs to be sorted and put together for a new plan.

Mass Defiance has a successful history in creating a continuity plan that is very team specific. Updated techniques, training and experience combine for a very promising Mass Defiance season, and the 20.7 average seems to be a realistic goal, either with Jim Rees in August or Nick Grillet in September.

The Sun Path Products NSL News will most likely provide live coverage of the event, and Mass Defiance is not the only U.S. team with plans for the FAI World Cup. SDC Rhythm XP is making the same trip to collect additional high-profile meet experiences before the U.S. outdoor showdown with Arizona Airspeed at the USPA Nationals 2017.