posted Sep 23rd, 2023 - The 4-way Advanced Class teams at the USPA Nationals 2023 had the unique opportunity this year to set a new record average for this category. The teams in the Open and Advanced Class categories are using the same competition draw, even though they have their own and separate leaderboards.

The same Super Sequence that the 4-way Open Class teams performed in the meet opener (O,E,C,Q,H) was also Round 1 for the 15 Advanced Class teams. However, the NSL News update on September 19th mentioned that the combination of a Super Sequence and the first round of a competition creates a challenging situation that can compromise the advantage of a fast round and the opportunity to possibly finish with a team record average. Arizona Airspeed's 4-way world champions were not the only example how a Super Sequence can also create a lot of trouble if it does not go well.

The winner of the 4-way Advanced Class, Spaceland Saboteurs, were on the positive side of the Super Sequence situation, as they finished with the highest score in this category for a single round.

In fact, the Texas team needed only the two rounds with the fastest sequences (1 and 10) to win the USPA gold medals. They won Round 1 by five points over the runner-up, Air Force Artemis, and then again Round 10 by eight points. The Air Force team won the total for the other eight rounds by one point and still ended up 12 points behind Spaceland Saboteurs in 2nd place.

USPA Nationals 2023		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Advanced	O,E,C,Q,H		20,M,J,1		10,12,B		4,18,L		11,17,5		8,9,22		A,19,K,13		G,3,2		21,14,15		D,F,7,N		Total	Avg
1	Spaceland Saboteurs	36	-1	16	-1	13		13		14	-1	13		16		12	-2	12	-1	25		170	17.0
2	Air Force Artemis	31	-3	16	-1	12	-1	13		15		11	-1	17		13	-1	13		17	-1	158	15.8
3	CPI Chicken Bolts	27	-1	16		11	-1	13		15		13		11	-2	14		11		23		154	15.4
4	Air Force Tall Boys	26	-8	16	-2	11	-1	14		13	-1	14		15	-2	11	-1	11		21		152	15.2
5	Powered by MoonJuice	28	-3	16	-1	13		13		13		12	-1	13	-1	10	-2	11	-1	19	-2	148	14.8
6	Air Force 9 Ball	26	-2	10	-2	12	-1	12		14	-1	12	-1	16		12		12	-1	18	-2	144	14.4
7	SDC Rhuthless	24	-3	13		11	-1	11		12	-1	12		12	-2	9	-3	8	-3	18		130	13.0
8	Brick Tarason	22	-3	10	-1	8	-1	8	-1	11		11		11		8		9		15		113	11.3
9	Tequila Brothers	16		11		7	-1	8		10		6		9		9		9		14		99	9.9
10	Tequila Tribe	16	-1	10		9		8		8		10		8		9		5	-1	13	-1	96	9.6
11	Platinum XP	18	-1	10	-1	7	-1	8		5	-5	8	-2	11		8	-1	7		12	-2	94	9.4
12	Accidentally Competent	13	-5	11	-1	6	-2	10		10		9	-1	8	-2	6	-3	6	-2	10	-2	89	8.9
13	Five Finger Jeff Punch	14	-1	10		8		5		7	-1	5		9		8		7		12		85	8.5
14	Cocaine Bears	13	-5	10		8		7	-1	7	-1	7	-1	7	-1	6	-1	5		12	-1	82	8.2
15	Perris Asteria	14	-1	5	-2	8	-1	7	-1	4	-1	5	-1	9		8	-1	3		9		72	7.2

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USPA Nationals 2023: Spaceland Saboteurs - Air Force Artemis - CPI Chicken Bolts - Air Force Tall Boys, video footage courtesy of USPA/InTime

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The 36-pointer in Round 1 was the highest score on the Advanced Class leaderboard, and only the four strongest 4-way Open Class teams (Arizona Airspeed - XPG4 - SDC Rhythm XP - Golden Knights) scored higher for the Super Sequence. It was the same situation for the second fast sequence in Round 10, where only the same four Open Class teams outscored the Spaceland Saboteurs.

The two fast sequences were still not enough for this year's 4-way Advanced Class winner to set a new record average for this category. The 17.0 was behind the 17.4 that Savage XP posted at the USPA Nationals 2018, followed by Redline XP's 17.5 a year later.

Air Force Artemis in Round 1 and Ben Liston's CPI Chicken Bolts in Round 10 were the only Advanced Class teams who were somehow close to the pace that former Open Class competitors Lucas King and Amanda Lampton were able to set up for their other two Spaceland Saboteurs. Artemis, Chicken Bolts and Tall Boys eventually competed only for the silver and bronze medals after Round 1, and the New England team won the 3rd place in the last round. The success of the Spaceland Saboteurs came actually not surprising, as the NSL News reported the strength of the team after the Dallas Super Cup 2023 with the update on August 15th. The 16.3 average for the six rounds at Spaceland Dallas included a 25-pointer for a similar sequence as the one for Round 10 at the USPA Nationals.

USPA Nationals 2023			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way AAA Class		O,E,C,Q,H		20,M,J,1		10,12,B		4,18,L		11,17,5		8,9,22		A,19,K,13		G,3,2		21,14,15		D,F,7,N		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	Open	43	-8	29		22		23	-1	28		21		26		23		20		33	-2	268	26.8
2	XPG4	Open	46	-2	21		17		17		20		17	-1	23		18		17		29	-1	225	22.5
3	SDC Rhythm XP	Open	48	-4	19		17		16		20		17		22		17	-1	16		25	-1	217	21.7
4	Golden Knights	Open	39	-3	23		18		17	-1	21		17	-1	24		15	-2	14		28		216	21.6
5	Pour Decisions	Open	35	-1	18		15		16		18		16		20		15		14		23	-1	190	19.0
6	RhEvolution XP	Open	27	-4	19		13		15		16		15		16	-1	16		13		23		173	17.3
7	Spaceland Saboteurs	Adv.	36	-1	16	-1	13		13		14	-1	13		16		12	-2	12	-1	25		170	17.0
7	Skydive Midwest NEXT	Open	26	-4	18	-1	12	-2	15		17		14		17		15		13		23		170	17.0
9	Air Force Artemis	Adv.	31	-3	16	-1	12	-1	13		15		11	-1	17		13	-1	13		17	-1	158	15.8
10	Spaceland Apex	Open	22	-5	11	-1	11	-2	14		15		13	-2	19		14		13		22		154	15.4
10	CPI Chicken Bolts	Adv.	27	-1	16		11	-1	13		15		13		11	-2	14		11		23		154	15.4
12	Air Force Tall Boys	Adv.	26	-8	16	-2	11	-1	14		13	-1	14		15	-2	11	-1	11		21		152	15.2
13	Powered by MoonJuice	Adv.	28	-3	16	-1	13		13		13		12	-1	13	-1	10	-2	11	-1	19	-2	148	14.8
14	Air Force 9 Ball	Adv.	26	-2	10	-2	12	-1	12		14	-1	12	-1	16		12		12	-1	18	-2	144	14.4
15	Alti-2 Technologies	Open	24	-1	12	-1	10		13		13		11	-1	14		11		11		18	-1	137	13.7
16	SDC Rhuthless	Adv.	24	-3	13		11	-1	11		12	-1	12		12	-2	9	-3	8	-3	18		130	13.0
17	Rhetirement Party	Open	21		12	-2	11		10	-1	8		12		13		12		10		17		126	12.6
18	Brick Tarason	Adv.	22	-3	10	-1	8	-1	8	-1	11		11		11		8		9		15		113	11.3
19	Tequila Brothers	Adv.	16		11		7	-1	8		10		6		9		9		9		14		99	9.9
20	Tequila Tribe	Adv.	16	-1	10		9		8		8		10		8		9		5	-1	13	-1	96	9.6
21	Platinum XP	Adv.	18	-1	10	-1	7	-1	8		5	-5	8	-2	11		8	-1	7		12	-2	94	9.4
22	Accidentally Competent	Adv.	13	-5	11	-1	6	-2	10		10		9	-1	8	-2	6	-3	6	-2	10	-2	89	8.9
23	Five Finger Jeff Punch	Adv.	14	-1	10		8		5		7	-1	5		9		8		7		12		85	8.5
24	Cocaine Bears	Adv.	13	-5	10		8		7	-1	7	-1	7	-1	7	-1	6	-1	5		12	-1	82	8.2
25	Perris Asteria	Adv.	14	-1	5	-2	8	-1	7	-1	4	-1	5	-1	9		8	-1	3		9		72	7.2
26	Rippin Flatties	Open	10	-4	4		3	-3	5		4	-3	4	-1	6		3		5		10	-3	54	5.4

Spaceland Saboteurs and Chicken Bolts both were familiar with the AAA Class dive pool, while the two Air Force teams in medal contention had both competed in the AA/Intermediate Class of 2022. Tall Boys had finished in 4th place last year, Artemis in 12th place. Now they reversed their internal Air Force rankings, and Artemis won USPA silver medals in the AAA/Advanced Class.

The 9 Ball seniors of the Air Force delegation, with experienced 4-way competitor Jarrod Aranda in the lineup, had to allow the Air Force cadets to outscore them on the USPA Advanced Class leaderboard, where they have posted their own scores in the last three years.

The 14.4 is a new record average for 9 Ball, too, and it won the 6th place of the 15 Advanced Class teams.

The combined AAA Class leaderboard of the 4-way Open and the 4-way Advanced Class teams is mainly in logical order. Only two 4-way Open Class teams ended up behind several of the Advanced Class teams. 4-way Open Class team Rippon Flatties had their own reason why they ended up on the very bottom of even the combined leaderboard. Carl Kallgren, Jason Mcclure and Brandon Kashani, USPA Intermediate and Advanced Class champions of earlier national championships, experimented with a special design of jumpsuits that was used several decades back in time...

USPA Nationals 2022		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Intermediate	H,13,19		1,L,K		O,N,22		14,Q,7		C,B,A,2		8,20		J,G,9		11,E,F		18,M,P		15,6		Total	Avg
1	SDC Rhebellion XP	10	-4	13		12	-1	12	-1	16		10		17		15		14		9		128	12.8
2	Cinnamon Roll Fight Club	10	-3	12	-1	12	-1	9	-1	12	-3	9	-1	13	-2	9	-8	15	-1	10	-1	111	11.1
3	Toxic	10	-3	10	-1	11	-1	7	-3	14	-1	10	-1	12	-4	12	-1	14		8	-1	108	10.8
4	Air Force Tall Boys	10	-1	11		11		7	-1	10	-1	7	-1	10	-1	12		11	-1	9		98	9.8
5	49 1/2 Fingers	9		10		10		7		9	-2	6		10		11	-2	11		7		90	9.0
6	Archridge FAM	9		9		10		8		12	-1	7		10		6	-1	9		7		87	8.7
7	Fouriners	9	-1	9	-1	11		7	-1	5	-2	7	-1	8	-4	11	-1	10		7	-1	84	8.4
8	Joanne and the Creepers	8	-1	9		9		7		10		7	-1	11		6	-7	9		7		83	8.3
8	Anion Flux XP	7	-2	9	-1	9	-1	8		9		7	-1	8	-2	9	-1	9		8		83	8.3
10	Air Raid XP	6	-3	9		11		9		9	-1	4		8	-1	9		12		5	-1	82	8.2
11	CSC Constellation	10	-1	6	-2	8		7	-1	9	-2	6	-1	9	-2	10		9		7		81	8.1
12	Air Force Artemis	8	-2	8		6	-1	6	-1	10	-1	5		10		9		9		6	-1	77	7.7
13	Pick me up before you go go	5	-2	6	-3	7		6		10		7		8	-1	9		8	-1	6		72	7.2
14	DeLand Pound Cakes	8		7		7		6		8	-1	5		8		9		5		6		69	6.9
15	Air Force PoisEN	5	-3	6	-1	7		6		8		5		2	-1	8		7		6		60	6.0
16	Frequent Fallers	3	-1	5		2	-2	3		6		5		4	-1	3	-2	5		4		40	4.0