posted Jan 11th, 2022 - USPA's 4-way Beginner category, which is identical with the A Class, was a part of the U.S. national championships for the first time last year, and the NSL News covered the event comprehensively with several updates.

The teams in 1st and 3rd place were lineups of the military Air Force Academy in Colorado, as the NSL News reported on 22 November 2021. Chances are very little that any of the team members will be back for more 4-way training and competition in the near future after their time with the U.S. Air Force.

It's a different story with the team that finished in 2nd place at the USPA Nationals 2021, Anion Flux XP, as the same update pointed out in November. The Florida team from Skydive Sebastian was highly motivated to continue after the success at their first live competition in Eloy, and they began to make new plans for the 2022 season.

The second chapter of the Anion Flux XP story required recruiting a new team member to replace outside center Logan Taylor. The November update included the introduction of new team member Felipe Della Giustina, who is just as new to 4-way training and competition as his team mates were at the beginning of the 2021 season. The new Anion Flux XP lineup spent one day together in November to get familiar with each other on the ground and in freefall, and then took the break that they needed after the end of the 2021 season.

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USPA Nationals 2021		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Beginner	G,9		D,A,Q		19,H		6,K		B,2		J,O,P		7,M		Total	Avg
1	Air Force Zorro	11		12		6	-2	7		9		13		-		58	9.7
2	Anion Flux XP	8		10		10		7		7		12		-		54	9.0
3	Air Force Night Fury	10		10	-1	7	-3	6	-2	8		10		13		51	8.5
4	CSC Constellation	6	-2	11		7		7		9		11		9		51	8.5
5	D.a.Danielson	7	-1	7		4	-1	7		6		10		-		41	6.8
6	Perris Chutists	8		11	-1	2	-2	8		8		-		-		37	7.4
7	Altitude Junkies	5	-1	6	-1	5	-1	6	-1	5		7		-		34	5.7
8	Toxic LED	3	-3	6	-1	4	-4	7		5		6		-		31	5.2
9	Unicorn Riders 2.0	4	-2	5		6		3	-1	5		2		-		25	4.2
10	Gold Diggers	4		1	-2	2	-1	3	-2	3		6		-		19	3.2

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The work on the plans for the 2022 season still continued during the break. The schedule was eventually completed, and the team members had to begin with their homework before they would meet for team training for the first time.

Anion Flux XP would still be eligible for USPA's 4-way Beginner Class category, as they did not win the gold medals in Eloy, and they would probably be the top contender for the USPA Nationals 2022. However, the team decided to move up to the 4-way Intermediate Class competition and the AA Class dive pool and rules this year.

The four returning team members, including videographer Dean Nordstedt, were eager to learn the next set of eight different blocks and challenge themselves with the longer sequences. New team member Felipe Della Giustina agreed to the team plans, even though it was twice as much new information and a larger load of homework for him.

There were additional challenges, as last year's inside center Austin Shelton had to switch and open the slot for Felipe Della Giustina. He would replace Logan Taylor as the team's outside center and become front piece partner of Katie Lazarus, who continues in her point slot, as Paul Civitella does in the tail slot.

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NSL Talk with Anion Flux XP - AA Class Indoor Training

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Katie Lazarus and Paul Civitella had to study the eight new blocks and get themselves ready for the longer sequences, while Austin Shelton was in the same situation as new team member Felipe Della Giustina. Both had to get familiar with all 16 blocks of the AA/Intermediate Class dive pool in their new slots.

The few jumps at the first meeting in November last year did not include any of the new techniques and were as easy as possible. Show time came at the first indoor training camp last weekend at Paraclete XP. Anion Flux XP had booked two hours of flying time for the first confrontation with the new category.

The training camp began with skills training for the complete team and another 30 minutes to run quickly through the A Class dive pool that was still new to Felipe Della Giustina, as well as for Austin Shelton in his new slot.

The new AA Class territory was on the agenda for the second half of the training camp. Anion Flux XP had their first hour of training the eight new block techniques on the second day, which added the physical challenge after an intensive first training day. However, the excitement of being back together in action and the new part of the dive pool helped them through the day. Only two blocks (14,15) still have to be explored at a later time. Anion Flux XP first go back to jumping from planes at Skydive Sebastian a week after the indoor training...