posted Jun 2nd, 2020 - Mark Kirkby's input for the NSL News question why teams and competitors should attend as many meets as possible was only a part of a longer conversation that was recorded during the USPA Nationals 2019.

The NSL News now follows up with the complete NSL Live Talk video. Original Arizona Airspeed member Mark Kirkby is one of the most successful Formation Skydiving competitors in the history of the sport, and he explains what has brought him to this point.

He had just lost his world record average to NMP PCH HayaBusa when the interview was recorded at Skydive Paraclete XP in September last year. The Airspeed lineup of 2012 (Mark Kirkby, Josh Hall, Thomas Hughes, Niklas Hemlin, with Bill Schmitz on camera) had posted the 27.9 average at the world meet in Dubai, after a 1-point battle with the Belgians over all ten rounds.

NMP PCH HayaBusa won the next world meet two years later in Protejov, and then again in Ottawa 2016 and Australia 2018, where the Belgians tied the 27.9 record average. Then it took almost another year before HayaBusa finally posted the 28.9 average at the USPA Nationals 2019. Mark Kirkby's 27.9 average was seven years old by then, and he was surprised that it stood as long as it did.

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FAI World Meet 2012			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		5,12,E		6,D,B,K		O,8,7		N,13,18		10,21,M		19,H,11		C,G,1,A		20,9,15		16,F,P,Q		2,J,4		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	27		34		27	-1	22		23		23	-2	32		25		40		26		279	27.9
2	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	25	-1	34	-2	27	-1	21	-1	23		24	-1	32	-1	27		40		25	-1	278	27.8
FAI World Meet 2018			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		21,L,B,G		22,18,17		19,7,O		J,16,12		10,A,D,15		Q,M,F,C,N		H,20,P,13		6,14,11		E,2,5		4,1,3		Total	Avg
1	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	32		21		27	-2	24		22	-3	62	-2	22	-2	20	-1	27	-1	22		279	27.9
2	Arizona Airspeed	US	26	-5	21		27	-1	24		24	-1	60	-1	26		22		27		20		277	27.7

Arizona Airspeed in Dubai 2012 - NMP PCH HayaBusa in Australia 2018

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The battle between HayaBusa and Airspeed in Australia 2018 was almost a perfect copy and as tight as the competition in Dubai 2012. This time, Airspeed ended up in 2nd place, two points behind HayaBusa, after a 1-point victory in 2012. The winning average of 27.9 was exactly the same at both events, even though the teams had different lineups.

Only Niklas Hemlin was back for Arizona Airspeed in Australia 2018, and Jeroen Nollet had replaced Roy Janssen for NMP PCH HayaBusa.

Mark Kirkby as an opponent connects directly with the HayaBusa history that recently had a twist, as the NSL News reported yesterday. His input for the group of U.S. Formation Skydiving legends created another link to recent NSL News updates. Two of his original Airspeed team mates, Kirk Verner and Dan BC, both shared their thoughts on the same topic with the NSL News audience, as well.

Dan BC and Mark Kirkby also re-connected in freefall at last year's national championships. They were both in the Airspeed 8-way lineup and won their next USPA medals, this time in 3rd place behind their original team mate Kirk Verner with XP8 and the Golden Knights.

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USPA Nationals 2019			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Open		13,16,20		C,B,M,D,1		N,Q,17,D		5,L,E,21		P,15,12		14,4,22		10,O,9		F,19,8		11,7,18		2,6,A		Total	Avg
1	Tanay 8	RU	20		23		23		19		26		21		17		16	-1	17	-1	19		201	20.1
2	XP8	US	19	-1	24		22		19		24		20		17		16	-1	17	-1	19		197	19.7
3	Golden Knights	US	18	-1	23		17	-5	18	-1	24		19	-1	16		17		18	-1	19		189	18.9
4	Arizona Airspeed	US	16	-2	21		21		17		18	-2	19	-1	16		15		15	-2	16		174	17.4
5	Amphibious Attack Tigers	US	9		13		12		12		13		9	-1	10		11		8	-2	10		107	10.7
6	SDC Rhythm 9 XP	US	12		10	-2	9	-3	10	-1	11		12		10		9		11		10		104	10.4
7	Monster Mix	US	7	-4	10		9		9		9	-1	10	-1	9		9		8		9		89	8.9
8	Perris Riot!	US	9		7	-2	8		8		8	-1	9		9		9		9		7	-1	83	8.3
9	Fusion XP	US	7		8	-1	8	-1	9	-1	9		10		6	-1	7		7	-2	9		80	8.0
10	Lite 8	US	7		4	-2	6		6		4	-1	6	-1	6		4		5		7		55	5.5

Arizona Airspeed 8 at the USPA Nationals 2019 and at the FAI World Cup - Video Footage Courtesy of FAI/IPC/OmniSkore!HD

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Mark Kirkby and Dan BC won 8-way gold medals together at the FAI World Meet 1999, two points ahead of the Russian 8-way team. Three Russian team members of the current Tanay 8-way lineup were also their opponents in 1999.

It was exactly the same Airspeed lineup of the USPA Nationals 2019 that was back a month later for the 8-way competition at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2019, and they also finished with exactly the same 17.4 average at Skydive Arizona. The same three Russian 8-way competitors of 1999 (Vladimir Pavlenko, Vasily Korotkov, Alexey Minaev) won this time, first at the USPA Nationals in September and then again at the FAI World Cup in Eloy. Even Kirk Verner's XP8 lineup could not change the outcome and finished in 3rd place behind the 1-point 8-way battle with Russia at the FAI World Meet 2001France, after the 2nd place behind Russia in Raeford.

Mark Kirkby, Dan BC and Kirk Verner together had also lost. That was the world meet where current Tanay member Evgeny Stashchenko also joined the Russian 8-way team. Mark Kirkby and Kirk Verner then lost an even tighter battle with the Russians after an extra round and tie-breaking procedure in Gap 2003 before Kirk Verner brought the 8-way sword back to the United States in 2004.

Mark Kirkby continued in 4-way until he won again with Airspeed in 2012. He competed as a player-coach with Arizona Alpha in Reford last year and is now turning Alpha into an all-female lineup, as the NSL News reported on February 22nd.

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USPA Nationals 2019		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Advanced	7,C,H,P	J,21,20	O,3,11	B,2,K,E	8,Q,10	15,D,F,12	N,L,M,14	6,1,9	A,18,13	G,4,5	Total	Avg
1	Redline XP	19	17	16	21	14	16	21	17	17	17	175	17.5
2	Elsinore Elevate	23	14	14	22	15	17	19	14	14	16	168	16.8
3	SNE CenterCell XP	23	14	14	18	14	11	18	15	14	15	156	15.6
4	Air Force Shadow	20	15	13	21	10	13	18	15	15	13	153	15.3
5	Vega XP	21	14	14	21	14	13	15	16	11	12	151	15.1
6	AZ Crime	19	13	14	17	11	12	18	15	13	11	143	14.3
6	Air Force Boomers	20	14	12	15	13	10	16	15	14	14	143	14.3
8	Arizona Alpha	21	14	14	17	14	11	14	14	9	14	142	14.2
9	SDC Rhevolution XP	17	14	12	16	12	13	14	14	13	13	138	13.8
10	Space Force BTR	18	14	13	18	11	11	18	14	10	10	137	13.7
11	SNE Fly Girls	18	12	13	14	11	13	14	13	12	8	128	12.8
12	Chill: Bu	18	13	11	17	9	11	14	13	11	10	127	12.7
13	Perris Goldilocks and 4 Bears	16	11	10	15	10	10	12	10	12	10	116	11.6
14	TSC Cadence	14	9	12	14	10	11	12	12	12	9	115	11.5
15	Fast Break	15	10	10	12	10	12	14	8	10	11	112	11.2
16	Paragon	13	7	11	12	9	8	12	10	7	9	98	9.8
17	AZ Shift	9	9	9	13	9	9	10	11	8	8	95	9.5
18	Perris Section 4	15	8	9	11	8	6	10	10	9	8	94	9.4

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