posted Dec 4th, 1998 - The NSL website in its current format has posted scores, videos, news updates and other information of Formation Skydiving training and competition since January 2003. However, the National Skydiving League was already several years old when SKYLEAGUE.COM was re-designed by Craig Buxton and then re-launched.

The updates of the earlier years have not been published, except for a few selected random stories, even though many of the teams and competitors are well-known, and some of them are very actively involved in the sport.

The NSL News archives are still available, and the information will now be published whenever time allows additional updates next to the current events. These historic updates will remain a part of the current news updates for one week before they will be placed where they belong chronologically.

The format was different more than 20 years ago. The National Skydiving League was not a professional full-time operation, and the brief NSL News updates and scores were published in a very simple web-format (Netscape Communicator). The first set of updates covers a time period of seven days. The new feature of digging into the archives comes along with the new NSL Live Talk Podcast that has recently been made available for the mobile audience.

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4 - 6 December 1998

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Did you know that new regional skydiving leagues are growing everywhere?

The Northwest Competition Tour (Art Bori) has already joined the NSL. Kamuran Bayrasli (Sonic Force) is working on building a league in the New England region. Ed Ganley and Don Bick are planning to introduce a league in the Pennsylvania/Ohio area this summer. Other leagues in Tennessee (Chris Welker), South Carolina (Wally West) have been in discussion for a while. The NSL is encouraging and supporting these efforts (Posted on 12/4/98).

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Did you know that Space Center FX is making new plans for 1999?

The 1998 World Cup winner is looking for a fifth team member. Dawn English wants to spend extra time looking after her own businesses after one year of very intense training with the team. She will step back and be the alternate, still training with the team. This means that Joey Jones will be separated from his front piece partner of the last couple of years. Joey-and-Dawn used to be one word in the competitive scenery. FX will run a tryout camp at some time soon (Posted on 12/5/98).

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Did you know that Wendy Hoogsteden of Team ZSpot won a body-building competition this year?

She may go to a big show in New York due to the great impression she left at her successful first show. Due to Wendy's efforts, ZSpot received a sponsorship from "Balance" (nutrition bars). The team had enough Balance bars at the U.S. Nationals for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. ZSpot hopes to continue and extend the relationship with the company (Posted on 12/6/98).

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7 - 8 December 1998

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Did you know that DeLand Genesis is using professional help for their physical education?

The team is working with Freddy Williams, a former US Navy SEAL, who is drilling them three times a week. The workout includes new approaches in different areas towards skydiver's athleticism, not only the classical gym routine. It mainly targets at flexibility, strength and endurance. Freddy is a skydiver himself, and is working at the Relative Workshop with Genesis team members Kyle Collins and David VanGreuningen. Genesis came up with this idea after realizing how important being in good physical shape has become for competitors (Posted on 12/7/98).

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Did you know that Arizona Airspeed8 is actually just continuing U.S. history in 8-way competition by beating the Golden Knights this year at the U.S. Nationals?

Whenever a serious and committed civilian 8-way team challenged the army team, the civilians would win. In the late 70s, "Mirror Image" was always ahead of the army and represented the U.S.A. at the world meets. This legendary 8-way team (Jerry Bird, B.J. Worth) was followed by the "Visions", then the "Coors" team in the early 80s. As the last serious civilian 8-way contender, the Coors retired 1985 after winning the world meet in Yugoslavia. That's when the Golden Knights took over the regime in 8-way.

Since then, there has never been a serious civilian 8-way team until Airspeed decided in 1996 to take on the army team. It took Airspeed two years to let history repeat itself: the civilian challenger finally beat the Knights again. How long will the civilian era last this time? By the way, ever since there has been an 8-way event at the world meet, the U.S.A. took the first place. In other words, no other nation has ever won the world championship in 8-way. Big job for Airspeed next year (Posted on 12/8/98).

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9 - 10 December 1998

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Did you know that the DeLand Norgies - bronze medal winner at this year's World Cup - will compete at a couple of FSL meets in 1999?

The team just finished their first three-week training camp of the new season at Skydive DeLand. During this camp, the Norgies had a little fun/competition between their friends and supporters Bob Hallett, Irv Cullahan, Sally Winner and Edward "Bushman" Anderson.

Each of them made the same jump in the front slot with three of the Norgies. The sequence was round seven of the U.S. Nationals 1998: E-7-B-P. Sally won with 22 points in time, Irv (who coached all Norgies when they were still competing in 8-way) placed second with 21, Bob Hallett third with 20, Bushman scored an 18. Close finish! They said that the pressure was high, and that they had the best skydives of their lives (Posted on 12/9/98).

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Did you know that Ed Ganley and Don Bick are opening a new skydiving center southwest of Pittsburgh?They already own the 1-800-SKYDIVE number in the Pittsburgh area. Ed and Don competed with "Solidair" in 4-way at two U.S. Nationals, also with "Intercept" in 8-way (the first-place intermediate team 1996 at the Ranch). Because their heart is still in competing, they will make an effort to actively support the team business in the area and hopefully install a new league as soon as possible. The new drop zone will open at the start of the summer season in the north (Posted on 12/10/98).