posted Oct 14th, 2019 - The 4-way Open Class re-match between Arizona Airspeed and SDC Rhythm XP had a completely different outcome compared to the USPA Nationals. The second 4-way duel within three weeks never even progressed into a serious competition for the 1st place at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2019.

Airspeed on home turf was a different team and ran away from all other teams, including the new U.S. 4-way champion. The slower competition draw did not allow any of the participating U.S. teams to copy or get close to the meet averages that they had shown at Skydive Paraclete XP in September.

SDC Rhythm XP dropped from the new team record average of 26.2 to the 22.8 in Eloy, and it seemed like they had spent all their energy to win the national championships and qualify as the U.S. 4-way team for the FAI World Meet 2020 in Tanay. Arizona Airspeed finished significantly lower, as well, and still looked like the 4-way champion team they had been until the USPA Nationals 2019.

The two best U.S. teams both laid the foundation for a world cup finish that was unique. The maximum number of four 4-way teams in the U.S. Formation Skydiving delegation combined for a complete 4-way Open Class sweep, as Airspeed Odyssey and Defiance finished in 3rd and 4th place. The best visiting team, Aerodyne Cypres Lille-Bondues, the French national team in 4-way Open, ended up in 5th place.

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FAI Outdoor World Cup 2019			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		13,11,16		P,22,4		O,7,21		9,20,G		18,15,L		K,10,3		6,14,C		1,M,A,17		F,D,Q,8		2,5,E		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	20	-1	22		28		29		21		21	-1	21	-2	29		31	-2	24	-2	246	24.6
2	SDC Rhythm XP	US	19	-1	22		25		21	-2	20	-1	20		23		25		29	-1	24	-2	228	22.8
3	Airspeed Odyssey	US	14	-2	17	-2	22	-2	21	-2	18	-1	16	-3	21		23		26	-3	17	-2	195	19.5
4	Defiance	US	17		17		21	-1	22		16	-2	15	-2	21		20	-2	26		16	-2	191	19.1
5	Aerodyne Cypres Lille-Bondues	FR	15	-1	16		19		21		16	-1	17		18		22		25		21		190	19.0
6	Echochamber	SE	17		14	-3	22		20	-3	17		16	-1	19		20		23	-1	21		189	18.9
7	Chimera	UK	14	-1	16	-1	21		19	-1	17		16	-1	18	-1	22		26	-1	18	-1	187	18.7
8	Pro Team	FI	15	-1	18		20		17	-1	17		15		18		21		26		18	-1	185	18.5
9	Kinetix	AU	14	-1	17		19		19		15	-1	17		18		19		23	-1	16		177	17.7
10	China	CN	12	-1	17		19		17	-1	14	-1	13	-1	16		20		24		15	-1	167	16.7
11	Eros	UK	12	-2	16		20		18		15	-1	13	-2	12	-4	17	-1	22		16	-1	161	16.1
12	eX3MO	IT	13		13	-2	17	-2	13	-4	12	-1	14		13		16	-1	22	-2	14		147	14.7
13	Pajama Pumas	UK	10	-2	12		17		14	-1	13		12		15		16		15	-2	13		137	13.7

Arizona Airspeed - SDC Rhythm XP - Airspeed Odyssey - Defiance - Video Footage Courtesy of FAI/IPC/OmniSkore!HD

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The best previous 4-way Open Class finish of U.S. teams at a world cup was the one at the same location in 2005, when Airspeed Odyssey won and DeLand Fire placed 2nd.

It was a very similar situation in 2005. DeLand Fire had won the USPA Nationals in September, and Airspeed Odyssey came back stronger a month later to win the FAI world cup gold medals on home turf at Skydive Arizona. DeLand Fire placed 2nd at the world cup and then competed for the United States a year later at the FAI World Meet 2006 to win the gold medals in Germany.

Airspeed Odyssey with exactly the same active lineup last week was the third U.S. 4-way Open Class team helping to achieve the unique 4-way sweep, and they won the bronze medals, despite a total of 17 point deductions, most of them due to the video angle after the exit. Defiance completed the U.S. sweep with the 4th place, one single point ahead of the French national 4-way Open Class team.

The internal order of the four U.S. 4-way Open Class teams at the FAI World Cup 2019 was identical with the qualification event in 2018, last year's USPA Nationals. Arizona Airspeed then competed for the U.S. delegation at the FAI World Outdoor Meet 2018 and finished behind NMP PCH HayaBusa in Australia. The outcome next year in Tanay could be exactly the same one for SDC Rhythm XP, as well...

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USPA Nationals 2018		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open	J,19,K,22	P,13,A,E	H,G,Q,B,21	9,2,L	C,14,4	O,16,3	1,15,10	M,20,11	F,D,18,6	5,12,17	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	23	29	34	28	23	24	19	24	26	25	255	25.5
2	SDC Rhythm XP	20	25	33	26	20	18	17	21	23	20	223	22.3
3	Airspeed Odyssey	20	25	28	22	18	20	17	19	20	17	206	20.6
4	Defiance	19	23	25	21	18	21	15	21	21	19	203	20.3
5	Ranch 2nd Generation	17	22	20	22	17	18	15	17	21	19	188	18.8
6	Spaceland Lite	15	19	24	19	16	18	12	17	17	14	171	17.1
7	Phoenix XP	17	17	21	18	13	17	12	16	16	14	161	16.1
8	Perris Force	12	11	21	17	13	13	12	17	14	14	144	14.4
9	Spaceland Dallas 350	17	0	17	17	13	16	13	14	20	16	143	14.3
10	Victorious Secret	11	13	16	12	10	9	9	12	13	10	115	11.5
11	SNE Fly Girls	8	8	10	12	9	11	9	9	8	8	92	9.2
12	Spaceland Heatwave	9	11	11	6	6	9	7	7	9	9	84	8.4

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