posted Aug 13th, 2018 - Italy has a new 4-way champion. Amnesya won the national championships last weekend after a new 10-round battle with eX3MO and will compete for Italy for the first time at a world championship.

It is the second time this year that a new team takes the reigns after HF Flying Circus became the new 4-way champion in the Czech Republic.

Both teams have been working on their ultimate goal for several years, and Amnesya was already very close at last year's championship. It was a 1-point lead that eX3MO carried over the finish line at the Italian Nationals 2017. The Italian 4-way champions since 2011 still fought back forcefully with the 2017/2018 lineup and scared Amnesya with a 2-point lead after Round 4.

The new champions eventually took control in Round 5 and did not give away another round until the meet was over, even though eX3MO was still very close in each of the remaining five rounds. However, Amnesya finally won by four points and will represent Italy at the FAI World Meet 2018 in October.

Italian Nationals 2018		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	17,N,11		F,E,22,H		L,15,Q,K		6,18,10		12,B,4		1,P,8		2,20,7		14,C,16		9,13,5		J,21,3		Total	Avg
1	Amnesya	19		18		27		15		16		19		17		17		19		19		186	18.6
2	eX3MO	19		23		23		16		13		18		16		16		19		19		182	18.2
3	6.1.0.	16		19		18		14		13		15	-1	14	-1	15		15		14		153	15.3

It was a dramatic year for the Italian teams and the two top contenders. The NSL News had reported on 12 January 2018 that Italy's participation at this year's World Championship of Formation Skydiving was in jeopardy due to problems with Italy's skydiving federation and Aeroclub.

Italy has not missed a world meet in 4-way since 1985, and teams and officials were trying to find a solution. The Italian Aeroclub finally scheduled a national championship event for the August 10 - 12 weekend in Ravenna, and the final outdoor showdown between HF eX3MO and Amnesya eventually took place last weekend.

Two teams, Sinapsi PD and eX3MO, have been dominating 4-way competition in Italy in the past two decades. Sinapsi PD even won bronze medals at the FAI World Meet 2006 in Germany. The Spin Team, with Marco Arrigo in the lineup, competed for Italy in 2008 before Sinapsi was back on the top in 2009 and 2010. eX3MO took over in 2011 and has been the strongest Italian 4-way team ever since.

Italian Nationals 2017		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	B,D,15,P	N,Q,F,8	L,C,H,6	18,J,A,19	E,1,M,11	G,2,3	22,7,10	20,K,16	12,O,9	4,5,21	Total	Avg
1	Ex3mo	19	25	26	19	22	17	16	17	20	17	198	19.8
2	Amnesya	25	25	24	18	20	18	15	16	21	15	197	19.7
3	610	23	24	24	18	20	16	12	16	19	14	186	18.6
4	Stand By	15	18	16	11	14	12	11	10	12	11	130	13.0
5	Assouei	13	14	11	11	12	10	9	9	7	7	103	10.3

Amnesya decided to change the situation in 2015 and entered the AAA Class 4-way world in 2016. Chiara Brunetti, Giuseppe Cossu, Antonio Delogu and Antonio Nardelli started with a 4th place at the national championships in 2016.

Chiara Brunetti, Giuseppe Cossu and Antonio Delogu continued with Michele Silvi in 2017 and posted the team's highest outdoor average (19.7) at last year's national championship, one single point behind eX3MO.

Mario Fatturoso then replaced Antonio Delogu at the end of the 2017 season, and the new lineup (Chiara Brunetti, Giuseppe Cossu, Mario Fatturoso, Michele Silvi) made the first step towards the ultimate top spot in Italy with the national 4-way indoor title in May this year, where eX3MO placed 2nd.

Amnesya now unified the national indoor and outdoor 4-way reigns with last weekend's victory in Ravenna and will also compete for Italy at the outdoor world championship. Amnesya had represented their country at the FAI Indoor World Meet 2017 in Canada, as well.

Italian Nationals 2018		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AA Class	M,B,L,E		H,A,D,2		G,21,7		13,N,19		J,14,6		15,Q,P		22,1		20,4		F,11,C		18,9		Total	Avg
1	Amnesya Academy	22		13		8	-1	9		12		13		8		-		-		-		85	12.1
Rank	A Class	21,G		M,L,20		O,4		D,F,H		Q,15		9,K		2,8		6,A		14,B		7,N		Total	Avg
1	Gamblers	13		14		13		25		11		13		10		14		10		14		137	13.7
2	Panik	15		14		10	-1	24		8	-1	16		11		13		9	-1	8	-1	128	12.8
3	Rao	12		10	-1	11		18		9	-1	8	-4	8	-1	12		10		12		110	11.0
Rank	Rookie	N,L,K		Q,F,P		J,O,B		C,D,M		G,E,A		H,L,J		K,P,F		N,O,C		H,M,G				Total	Avg
1	Shake	10		14		16		8	-1	10		8	-1	9	-1	13		-		-		88	11.0