posted Dec 5th, 2020 - The two recent outdoor events, first the NSL Cloud Mondial, followed shortly after by the 4-Way FS Skydiving Championships in Eloy had two competition draws that could not be much more different.

The participating teams of the NSL Cloud Mondial were facing eleven very slow and technically challenging sequences. The highest score was the 40-pointer that NMP PCH HayaBusa posted for a complete slot-switcher (5,C,J,H) in Round 2. The Belgian 4-way world champions were the only team in the field who were able to avoid a score below 20 points. They still finished with their lowest meet average for a 10-round meet since September 2015.

Eight of the eleven sequences started with a block for the exit maneuver, and all six slot-switching blocks were drawn for six different rounds.

The complete dive pool, with all 22 blocks and 16 random formations, was exhausted in the eleven rounds, and it created a competition draw with almost all possible variations. It was only a real Super Sequence with five random formations that was not a part of the first one of the two outdoor meets.

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NSL Cloud Mondial 2020	1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		11		Total	Avg
AAA Class	22,21,M		5,C,J,H		7,3,6		10,E,9		18,L,B,F		D,20,15		17,P,A,1		8,Q,12		N,13,K,11		G,14,O,2		4,19,16		Total	Avg
Arizona Airspeed	20	-1	36		23		23	-1	33		23		28	-1	21		24		23		19		273	24.8
4-way FS Championships 2020	1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		11		Total	Avg
AAA Class	J,B,A,D,C		22,20,16		10,18,3		E,1,O,N		H,Q,P,L,9		8,G,F,12		15,M,11		13,14,21		6,K,17		2,7,4		-		Total	Avg
Arizona Airspeed	57	-1	20		19		32		49		23		22	-1	20	-1	28		23		-		293	29.3
Combined Average																								27.1

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Arizona Airspeed at the NSL Cloud Mondial and the 4-way FS Championships 2020

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Arizona Airspeed's 27.1 average in relation to the scoring history

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The competition draw of the 4-Way FS Skydiving Championships in Eloy, which was a real live event just a few weeks later, was extremely different. It included a real Super Sequence in Round 1, where Arizona Airspeed scored 57 points.

A Super Sequence does not happen to be drawn for a AAA Class competition very often at all. The NSL News mentioned on November 30th that a AA Class competition draw creates Super Sequences regularly.

There are fast AAA Class sequences with three or four random formations and a block, while a real Super Sequence is still a rarity.

The Super Sequence in Round 1 was not the end of the faster part of the competition draw in Eloy. Four more random formations (H,Q,P,L) were drawn together with the fastest block in the 4-way dive pool (Block 9) and the AAA Class teams had a second opportunity to boost their meet averages in Round 5.

Two blocks were not drawn in Eloy, Block 5 with the slot-switcher for both pieces, and Block 19. Two slot-switching blocks (3 and 10) were drawn for the same sequence in Round 3 and neutralized each other.

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NSL Cloud Mondial 2020	1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		11		Total	Avg
AAA Class	22,21,M		5,C,J,H		7,3,6		10,E,9		18,L,B,F		D,20,15		17,P,A,1		8,Q,12		N,13,K,11		G,14,O,2		4,19,16		Total	Avg
SDC Rhythm XP	20	-1	36		21		24		31		21	-1	26		19		23		23		19		263	23.9
4-way FS Championships 2020	1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		11		Total	Avg
AAA Class	J,B,A,D,C		22,20,16		10,18,3		E,1,O,N		H,Q,P,L,9		8,G,F,12		15,M,11		13,14,21		6,K,17		2,7,4		-		Total	Avg
SDC Rhythm XP	51	-1	20		18		28	-1	45		23		23		20		26		22	-1	-		276	27.6
Combined Average																								25.8

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SDC Rhythm XP at the NSL Cloud Mondial and the 4-way FS Championships 2020

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SDC Rhythm XP's 25.8 average in relation to the scoring history

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Both events had similar purposes, even though they applied different formats. Goal was to offer teams an opportunity to get competition practice in a year where most indoor and outdoor events had to be canceled due to the corona virus crisis.

The results and experiences of competition would also provide orientation for the participating teams on their ways to national and international championships in the future. Only one of the two events alone could easily create a questionable impression of a team's current performance level, due to the very different competition draws.

The NSL News took a closer look at the combination of draws and scores of the same two events, with a special focus on the two best U.S. teams who participated in both events. The totals and averages of the two events together in the short time-frame probably add up to a quite realistic average number that reflects the current performance level better than the scores at one or the other event.

Arizona Airspeed's 27.1 average with the new lineup is not far from the 27.7 that won the silver medals at the FAI Outdoor World Meet 2018. SDC Rhythm XP's new lineup is only little behind the 26.2 average that won the qualification as the U.S. national team in 4-way Open at the USPA Nationals.