posted Sep 13th, 2023 - The NSL News reported live from the 4-way competition of the German Outdoor Nationals 2023 when the teams had completed Round 5. The NSL Live Talk conversation with Airbus Illertissen Oceanside on August 31st took place while rain was pounding the facilities at the Fallschirmsportzentrum Saar.

The German national team in 4-way Open was obviously unimpressed by the weather in Saarlouis, as they had just experienced very similar conditions at the 23rd FAI World Cup of Formation Skydiving in Norway. They finished an average point higher after the eight completed rounds at FSZ Saar, which is the highest result in the competition history of the current lineup.

There was neither opposition for the German 4-way Open Class champions nor for the national team in 4-way Women, Meltemi Oceanside, who finished right behind Airbus in 2nd place. Meltemi even had to use their alternate, former AtomiX member Claire Rebhahn, in a few rounds and did not flinch.

Both German national 4-way teams came back from Norway with sets of FAI medals, which seems to become a more frequent accomplishment for German teams in horizontal Formation Skydiving competition. No team from Germany had won any world championship medals since 1985 and until the Airbus 8-way team placed 3rd at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2022.

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Airbus Illertissen Oceanside - Meltemi Oceanside at the German Outdoor Nationals 2023

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The Chicas won a set of bronze medals at the outdoor world cup in Stupino 2007 and silver two years later in Prostejov 2009. That's where a different EADS/Airbus lineup, with three Operation Adler members and Airbus captain Thomas Spielvogel won silver medals, too. Paratec-Saar added world cup bronze medals to the German collection on home turf at the Fallschirmsportzentrum Saar in 2011.

The mentioned outdoor world cups took place without any U.S. teams in Europe, and the medals in 2011 were the last ones for Germany, before Piteraq brought an end to the dry period with the 3rd place at the FAI Indoor World Cup in Charleroi 2022, once again without U.S. or Russian participation in 4-way Women.

The Airbus 8-way lineup then won the first world championship medals for Germany half a year later in Eloy. This also became possible only after the Russian teams were banned from participation at FAI events.

The success at world cups came back for Germany with the new FAI medals at the 23rd FAI World Cup of Formation Skydiving in Norway, world cup bronze and European silver for Meltemi in 4-way Women, bronze for Airbus on the European leaderboard of 4-way Open. This time, the U.S. delegation was complete in all events, while teams from Russia were still missing.

German Outdoor Nationals 2023		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA/4-way Open	H,11,1		B,G,D,J,5		P,8,Q,A		15,3,17		16,12,20		9,22,N		13,19,7		14,L,K,O		Total	Avg
1	Airbus Illertissen Oceanside	19		26		22		15		15		17		19		21		154	19.3
2	Meltemi Oceanside	15		20		15	-2	12		12		14		15		16		119	14.9
3	Dark NeVa	14		19		16		9		11		11	-1	13		12		105	13.1
4	Teiwaz Circus	12	-1	17		15		11		11	-1	12	-1	12		13		103	12.9
5	SüdWest	10	-2	16		16		10		8		13		10	-1	12		95	11.9
6	Phoenix	12		10	-2	12		5	-2	8	-1	9		8	-1	8	-1	72	9.0

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Dark NeVa Saar - Teiwaz Circus at the German Outdoor Nationals 2023

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The two German national teams and freshly rewarded world cup medal winners were without opposition on the top of the AAA Class leaderboard, even though Meltemi's team videographer tried to put some pressure on his own team. Pablo Fahrenschon was filming the German 4-way Women team to the medal positions at Skydive Voss and at the German outdoor championship, then joined another team for the outside center slot in front of the camera.

He was in the Paranodon Futura lineup who won the bronze medals in AAA/4-way Open at last year's national outdoor championship and joined Teiwaz Circus for this year's event. Teiwaz were not able to put serious pressure on Pablo Fahrenschon's second team in 2nd place, while they challenged at least the bronze medal winners of Dark NeVa throughout the eight completed rounds. Czech HF Flying Circus member Martina Vavackova and Pablo Fahrenschon became new members of the unlimited Teiwaz lineup, and the latest lineup ended up two points behind Dark NeVa after their only training jump on the day before Round 1.

The Dark NeVa lineup included DFV President Henning Stumpp who keeps himself current in 4-way and 8-way. He was in the EADS/Airbus 8-way lineup of 2009 who won the silver medals at the outdoor world cup, together with Operation Adler's Markus Bastuck, Göran Meyer, Jörn Thiele, and Airbus captain Thomas Spielvogel. He had also shared 4-way team times in the past with Uli Sehrbrock, who was opposing him with Teiwaz Circus. Operation Adler or Airbus 8-way and Meltemi are now looking at the outdoor world championship next year in Israel, where FAI medal positions could be in reach again.