posted Jan 30th, 2004 - While the teams in the U.S.A. are only two weeks away from the first competition of the new year, the European Skydiving League will launch the 2004 season in April. NSL teams can already attend the Valentine's Meet 2004 at Skydive Arizona on February 14-15 that has now been included in the schedule of the Southwest Skydiving League.

The Florida Skydiving League will be next on March 12-14 with the third version of the FSL Shamrock Showdown at Skydive DeLand. SSL and FSL will then hold their second season meet in April before the European Skydiving League will run its first 2004 competition on April 24-25.

This first ESL 2004 event includes competitions in Belgium (Schaffen) and Austria (Wiener Neustadt and Hohenems). The Belgium Skydiving Trophy (BST), Deutsch Sky Liga (DSL) and Dutch Handicap Cup (DHC) formed the European Skydiving League for the first ESL season in 2003. BST organizer Willy Boykens initiated the efforts and was supported by Dr. Rainer "Exi" Hoenle in Germany and Mike Pennock and Frederique van Hilst in the Netherlands.

The German DSL was the first European league with its first and inaugural season in 2001. The Belgian BST followed the successful example a year later, while the Netherlands merged their annual "Tomscat Trophy" event into the ESL efforts in 2003. The European Skydiving League was complete and was called the "Benedux League" in the very beginnings.

The first season of the European Skydiving League was very successful. NSL and ESL worked together closely from the start and communicated topics as dive pools and dates during the preparations for the new season. Several of the ESL meets were then synchronized with NSL meets. The ESL teams were included in the SkyVenture Competition and won free tunnel time once in a while.

Teams from other European countries already joined the ESL meets occasionally in 2003. The NSL Playoffs 2003 and the ESL Championship 2003 were also held on the same weekend and applied the same competition draw. The BST team Hayabusa won the first ESL Championship.

Boykens continued with his efforts to grow the European Skydiving League and got busy once again after the end of the 2003 season. He met with representatives of the Baltic countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Lithuania, and Estonia) in November 2003 to discuss their involvement in the ESL 2004.

Boykens reported of a "very positive and interesting meeting". All countries think ESL is a very good idea and will probably join us. But first they have to consult there federation and judges." The competition leagues in Europe have close ties to their associations and combine many of their efforts.

Results of Boyken's efforts and the ESL events in 2003 is the fact that Austria, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia and Lithuania have now integrated their events into the ESL 2004 schedule.

Some of these new countries have already structured their competitions in the format of a competition league (Austria and Sweden with four events each, Denmark with two events), while others synchronize their national championships with the ESL events (Finland, Norway, Estonia). The whole ESL 2004 season will already be much more colorful compared to the 2003 season.

The ESL Championship is scheduled for September 3-5 and will be hosted once again by the Skydive Center Spa in Belgium. This event will begin a series of major events at the end of the 2004 season. The following weekend is the NSL Playoffs 2004 weekend.

The World Championship of Formation Skydiving will begin another week later, followed by the USPA Nationals 2004 at the end of the month. Boykens and his fellow ESL supporters have now integrated the northern and central part part of Europe in the European Skydiving League. The western and southern parts will be next on the agenda.

The German DSL was the first European league with its first and inaugural season in 2001. The Belgian BST followed the successful example a year later, while the Netherlands merged their annual "Tomscat Trophy" event into the ESL efforts in 2003. The European Skydiving League was complete and was called the "Benedux League" in the very beginnings.

The first season of the European Skydiving League was very successful. NSL and ESL worked together closely from the start and communicated topics as dive pools and dates during the preparations for the new season. Several of the ESL meets were then synchronized with NSL meets. The ESL teams were included in the SkyVenture Competition and won free tunnel time once in a while.

Teams from other European countries already joined the ESL meets occasionally in 2003. The NSL Playoffs 2003 and the ESL Championship 2003 were also held on the same weekend and applied the same competition draw. The BST team Hayabusa won the first ESL Championship.

Boykens continued with his efforts to grow the European Skydiving League and got busy once again after the end of the 2003 season. He met with representatives of the Baltic countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Lithuania, and Estonia) in November 2003 to discuss their involvement in the ESL 2004.

Boykens reported of a "very positive and interesting meeting". All countries think ESL is a very good idea and will probably join us. But first they have to consult there federation and judges." The competition leagues in Europe have close ties to their associations and combine many of their efforts.

Results of Boyken's efforts and the ESL events in 2003 is the fact that Austria, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia and Lithuania have now integrated their events into the ESL 2004 schedule.

Some of these new countries have already structured their competitions in the format of a competition league (Austria and Sweden with four events each, Denmark with two events), while others synchronize their national championships with the ESL events (Finland, Norway, Estonia). The whole ESL 2004 season will already be much more colorful compared to the 2003 season.

The ESL Championship is scheduled for September 3-5 and will be hosted once again by the Skydive Center Spa in Belgium. This event will begin a series of major events at the end of the 2004 season. The following weekend is the NSL Playoffs 2004 weekend.

The World Championship of Formation Skydiving will begin another week later, followed by the USPA Nationals 2004 at the end of the month. Boykens and his fellow ESL supporters have now integrated the northern and central part part of Europe in the European Skydiving League. The western and southern parts will be next on the agenda.