posted Jan 4th, 2021 - The recent Indoor Cloud League update, with scores, videos and information coming from the ICL Midwest team, was also touching another interesting topic, which is not directly related to the Indoor Cloud League at all.

There have been international world-class competitors participating at the Indoor Cloud League events for many years, and they usually contribute their skills and experiences as player-coaches for the newcomers in the sport. Paraclete XP's Indoor Cloud League team often have world and national champions in their lineups, like Kirk Verner, Brian Krause, Andrew Starr, Jennifer and Matt Davidson.

This time, it was Airspeed XP8 videographer Elliot Byrd, FAI World Cup bronze medalist of 2019, who connected the Indoor Cloud League update with the world's top level in Formation Skydiving competition. It was not Paraclete XP's Indoor Cloud League team catching the NSL News attention, as the update came from the ICL Midwest event in December last year. However, both ICL teams are interrelated in many ways, and Elliot Byrd is one of the best examples, as yesterday's update pointed out.

It was the U.S. Formation Skydiving delegation in 4-way Open, 4-way Women and 8-way Open for the next world meet that came into the picture with the Indoor Cloud League update. The NSL News pointed out that Elliot Byrd is one of only four competitors who were in the U.S. delegation in Australia 2018, and who will again represent the United States at the next FAI world meet.

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FAI Outdoor World Meet 2018			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open Top 10		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
3	Aerodyne Realfly	FR	29	-1	19		24	-2	23		24		52	-3	20	-3	17	-3	24		19		251	25.1
4	Qatar Tigers	QA	24	-2	14	-1	24	-1	21		22		53	-4	21	-1	18		20		17		234	23.4
5	Echochamber	SE	25	-1	16		21	-1	17	-2	20	-1	48	-4	14	-3	18		21	-1	15	-1	215	21.5
6	Amnesya	IT	24	-2	14		20	-1	18		18	-1	48	-5	18		14	-2	21	-1	15		210	21.0
7	Satori XL	UK	21		14	-1	21		19		19		37	-3	19		17		18	-1	16	-1	201	20.1
7	Airheads	CH	22	-3	14	-2	19	-2	17	-1	18		44		16		16	-2	18	-1	17		201	20.1
9	Evolution	CA	21	-1	13	-2	22		18	-1	15	-3	43	-2	15	-5	15	-2	19		15		196	19.6
10	Airbus FSZ Saar	DE	21	-1	14	-1	17	-5	17		16	-1	45	-1	15	-3	14	-1	18	-1	15		192	19.2

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NMP PCH HayaBusa - Arizona Airspeed - France at the FAI Outdoor World Meet 2018

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It is even more unusual, and probably unique, that only one of the four U.S. competitors return to the next FAI world meet to compete in the same event. Elliot Byrd, Niklas Hemlin and Mikhail Markine all competed in 4-way in 2018, and they will be on the 8-way leaderboard this time, together with their new 8-way team mate Matt Davidson who won gold with the Golden Knights in Australia.

There is only one single U.S. competitor who will be back to battle for FAI medal positions in the same Formation Skydiving event. In other words, the U.S. delegation has a complete turnover in all Formation Skydiving events.

The NSL News pointed out that Elliot Byrd was filming 4-way Women team Phoenix XP in Australia. The United States will be represented by Aviatrixx at the next world meet, and the team was founded after the previous event in Australia.

Arizona Airspeed's Niklas Hemlin and Mikhail Markine won the silver medals in 4-way Open at the end of a 2-point battle with NMP PCH HayaBusa in Australia 2018, together with Thiago Gomes and Ari Perelman, and with David French on camera. Niklas Hemlin and Mikhail Markine will be back in the U.S. delegation, however, they are competing in 8-way this time.

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FAI Outdoor World Meet 2018			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	8-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	Golden Knights	US	24		21		18		24		19	-2	29		21		18	-1	17		33		224	22.4
2	Tanay	RU	21	-1	21		17		22	-1	20		28		16	-1	18		18		28	-1	209	20.9
3	Qatar Falcons	QA	19		16		15		18	-1	14	-1	21		16		14	-1	14		23	-1	170	17.0
4	MicroClim8	UK	17		15		12		14	-1	15		21		15		12	-2	13		18	-1	152	15.2
5	JYR8	AU	14	-1	14		13		17		11	-1	20		14		14		12		21		150	15.0
6	Airbus	DE	13		15		9	-2	15		11		16		12		12		10		16	-2	129	12.9
7	Brazil	BR	11		10		9		12		9		12		9		10		9		16		107	10.7

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Golden Knights - Russia Tanay - Qatar Falcons at the FAI Outdoor World Meet 2018

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SDC Rhythm XP won the USPA qualification for the next world meet, and none of the team members have yet competed at a world championship. Alternate JaNette Lefkowitz competed with the Golden Knights in 4-way Women at the world meet in 2016, and she was in the lineup who won the qualification at the USPA Nationals 2019. She stepped back, and Christy Frikken will attend her first world meet in 4-way Open instead.

The single U.S. competitor who is going back to compete in the same event is Matt Davidson, and he is on a special mission in many ways. He had won his 4th consecutive FAI gold medal with the Golden Knights in Australia 2018 and has a realistic chance to add another one to his own collection.

Golden Knights team captain Andrew Starr would have been on the reversed agenda compared to Niklas Hemlin and Mikhail Markine. He committed to fill the inside center slot for SDC Rhythm XP until August 2020, the original date for the FAI Mondial Tanay, and he would have switched from 8-way to 4-way. He had to resign from Rhythm's 4-way plans when the world meet was canceled and rescheduled.

None of the other international top contenders are in a similar situation. NMP PCH HayaBusa come back to the next world meet with one new team member, and two of the French 4-way team members are back in the lineup. The lineup of the Qatar Tigers is unchanged. Three of the French 4-way Women world champions have continued, and NFTO had only one personnel change. Russia is back with the same Tanay 8-way lineup. France did not have an 8-way team in Australia, and the new lineup is the same as in 2019.

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FAI Outdoor World Meet 2018			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women		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	Aerodyne Weembi Girls	FR	29	-1	20		24		22		25		56	-1	23		18	-2	22		18	-1	257	25.7
2	NFTO	UK	20	-3	15		22	-1	19		18		38	-2	18		17		19		16		202	20.2
3	Team X	SE	17	-3	10	-3	18		16		14		36	-3	15	-3	13		18		12	-1	169	16.9
4	Phoenix XP	US	17	-2	12		17		14		15	-1	37		16	-1	12	-2	14	-2	13		167	16.7
4	Boomerang Betty	AU	19	-1	11	-1	18		14		15		32	-2	15		13		17		13		167	16.7
6	Fuzion Voltige	CA	17	-1	9	-2	18		14		15	-1	34	-2	14	-2	13	-2	14	-2	13		161	16.1
7	Skynamite	DE	19		12		16	-1	14		14	-1	27	-1	13	-3	12	-1	15		12	-1	154	15.4

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France - NFTO - Phoenix XP at the FAI Outdoor World Meet 2018

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