posted Jan 3rd, 2022 - The 8-way categories at the USPA National Championships are set up the same way as the 4-way categories, with different leaderboards and medals for Open, Advanced and Intermediate Class teams. Open and Advanced Class have the same dive pool and sequences, while the Intermediate Class teams have their own rules with a different competition draw.

The 4-way teams, with a much larger participation, 65 teams in 2021 compared to the 19 teams in 8-way, now have an additional category with six rounds in the 4-way Beginner competition.

The USPA rules for Advanced and Intermediate Class competition include the restriction for winning teams in 4-way and in 8-way of coming back with more than one quarter of team members "who have won a gold medal in that class at the five previous USPA National Skydiving Championships".

This qualification rule is relevant in 4-way competition where teams often return with the same or very similar lineups the next year. It is unusual in 8-way Advanced or Intermediate Class competition that teams continue with the lineups that they put together just for the event each year.

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USPA Nationals 2021		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Advanced	2,10,K	M,8,21	5,17,9	N,O,1,F	E,C,B,11	O,12,G,6	7,A,4	3,15,H	22,18,13	14,L,16	Total	Avg
1	Erratic8 XP	6	9	9	13	11	10	10	6	11	12	97	9.7
2	Misf8tes	3	6	6	6	5	7	7	7	8	6	61	6.1
3	Avi8trixx	4	5	7	7	5	5	6	8	6	5	58	5.8
4	Rh+	4	7	4	6	6	6	6	5	6	6	56	5.6
5	Huzzah!	3	3	4	7	2	4	5	7	7	6	48	4.8

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Erratic8 XP at the USPA Nationals 2021

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The situation in 8-way Advanced and Intermediate at the USPA Nationals 2021 was not different compared to the previous annual events, with one exception. The winner of the Advanced Class competition in 2021, Erratic8 XP, was back with the same team name and a very similar lineup after placing 2nd at the USPA Nationals 2019.

Erratic8 had finished only four points behind the winner, Partially Disturbed, two years ago, and the team would not have been eligible for 8-way Advanced Class competition in 2021 had they won in 2019. There would have been too many team members with USPA gold medals joining the Erratic8 lineup again in Eloy 2021.

James Hall, Brandon Kashani, Chris Normandeau, Ryan Weeks and Zachary Winoker were back with Erratic8 and lifted their 8-way average to 9.7 after the 7.9 two years ago. The same lineup would have had to compete in the Open Class of 2021, as five returning team members are far beyond the USPA restriction for the composition of Advanced Class 8-way teams, which would be two, not counting alternate and videographer.

The five returning Erratic8 members added three top competitors (Brenn Richards, Shannon Catalano, Keith Conner) to the new lineup and created an even stronger team for the USPA Nationals 2021.

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USPA Nationals 2019		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Advanced	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	Partially Disturbed	10	10	11	9	7	4	7	7	9	9	83	8.3
2	Erratic 8	5	8	7	9	10	8	9	7	9	7	79	7.9
3	Perris Section 8	9	7	8	7	9	10	6	8	6	6	76	7.6
4	Blocksmiths XP	2	6	4	4	6	5	5	7	8	6	53	5.3

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Erratic8 XP at the USPA Nationals 2019

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Brenn Richards, original member of Ranch 2nd Generation has now been training and competing with the U.S. national team in 4-way Women, XPG4. Shannon Catalano was a serious candidate for the last open XPG4 slot and won the 4-way Advanced Class gold medals of 2021 with Lightspeed XP. Last and not least, Keith Connor is one of the new SDC Rhythm XP members, as the NSL News reported on 4 December 2021.

It was no surprise that there was not much of a competition for Erratic8 XP on the Advanced Class leaderboard. The difference between 1st and 2nd place increased from four points in 2019 to 36 points in 2021.

However, a closer look at the 8-way Open Class leaderboard is showing that a strong lineup without much 8-way training can still not get anywhere close to the 8-way medal rankings. Even trained 8-way teams as Prison 9 are posting meet averages out of the reach for Advanced Class teams and still end up far away from the medal rankings in the Open Class.

Erratic8 XP were able to outscore two of the 8-way teams at the bottom of the Open Class leaderboard, while Le Jacques Huit and Forced Open could have featured their 1-point battle rather for silver medals on the 8-way Advanced Class leaderboard, trying to get close to Erratic8 XP. The 2021 Advanced Class champions will now have to join the Open Class teams - if they return with more than two of the 2021 members...

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USPA Nationals 2021			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Open/Advanced Combined		2,10,K	M,8,21	5,17,9	N,O,1,F	E,C,B,11	O,12,G,6	7,A,4	3,15,H	22,18,13	14,L,16	Total	Avg
1	Airspeed XP8	US	13	17	17	25	21	18	22	27	18	22	200	20.0
2	Golden Knights	US	13	17	15	24	19	17	16	23	19	19	182	18.2
3	Qatar Falcons	QA	16	16	15	21	14	16	19	20	16	20	173	17.3
4	The Expendables	US	15	13	13	19	17	15	19	20	17	17	165	16.5
5	Prison 9	US	12	11	11	15	13	11	14	16	11	13	127	12.7
6	Erratic8 XP	US	6	9	9	13	11	10	10	6	11	12	97	9.7
7	Le Jacques Huit	US	6	9	9	12	9	9	9	10	6	9	88	8.8
8	Forced Open	US	7	9	7	11	9	9	9	8	10	8	87	8.7

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