posted Sep 29th, 2023 - The NSL News gave Round 1 in the 4-way AAA Class categories (Open/Advanced) at the USPA Nationals 2023 special attention a day after it happened on September 18th. The update next day provided a look at the Arizona Airspeed performance in this specific round from different angles, while it was still a shocking experience for the team and the audience.

The observations of judges and audience would be almost meaningless without the direct feedback from the team. The NSL News had to wait for the right time until NSL Live Talk with Arizona Airspeed became possible at the end of the week. The last competition rounds in Formation Skydiving, six rounds in 10-way, were completed on Sunday, and that's when all Airspeed members had enough quiet time to talk about Round 1 and more.

The Super Sequence on Monday morning and its outcome for the reigning 4-way world champions was naturally the main topic. The complete worldwide audience was probably wondering what happened. Of course, the video of Round 1 was showing the obvious answers to the main question, while there was much more to it, which only the Airspeed members in action and behind the camera could explain. Airspeed videographer Brendan Haddon did not have much time for any evaluation, while he was filming Round 1. He was in fact very happy that he had successfully covered the exit formation, a Satellite (Random Formation O). He said that this formation is the most challenging one for a 4-way videographer, and he just had to keep the rest of the 35 seconds of working time in frame, which he did.

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NSL Live Talk with Arizona Airspeed, Recorded on 24 September 2023

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Inside center Chris Kuhlmann began answering the main question right away and without any hesitation, as he was heavily involved in causing the damage. He had no problem at all to explain that he had a brainlock and tried to build other formations than what his team mates and the judges expected.

Following the Airspeed experiences in Round 1 was challenging and difficult for the judges, who had to find out which formations and transitions were according to the rules or not. They have only the tool of slower motion and a limited number of viewings for their evaluation and to come up with a score. They cannot use single frames to look at the smallest details.

Airspeed eventually lost eight points in the judging room and additional time for trying to figure out the next correct scoring formation. The confusion happened twice, the second one probably as a result of the first one, before Airspeed eventually found back to their rhythm and finished with nine consecutive scoring formations.

The insights that Chris Kuhlmann provided related to Airspeed's almost flawless performance at the 23rd FAI World Cup of Formation Skydiving, where they lost only one single point for an infringement shortly before the end of the working time. It happened also in the fastest sequence of Round 6 at the competition in Norway.

USPA Nationals 2023		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA/4-way Open	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	43	-8	29		22		23	-1	28		21		26		23		20		33	-2	268	26.8
2	XPG4	46	-2	21		17		17		20		17	-1	23		18		17		29	-1	225	22.5
3	SDC Rhythm XP	48	-4	19		17		16		20		17		22		17	-1	16		25	-1	217	21.7
4	Golden Knights	39	-3	23		18		17	-1	21		17	-1	24		15	-2	14		28		216	21.6
5	Pour Decisions	35	-1	18		15		16		18		16		20		15		14		23	-1	190	19.0
6	RhEvolution XP	27	-4	19		13		15		16		15		16	-1	16		13		23		173	17.3
7	Skydive Midwest NEXT	26	-4	18	-1	12	-2	15		17		14		17		15		13		23		170	17.0
8	Spaceland Apex	22	-5	11	-1	11	-2	14		15		13	-2	19		14		13		22		154	15.4
9	Alti-2 Technologies	24	-1	12	-1	10		13		13		11	-1	14		11		11		18	-1	137	13.7
10	Rhetirement Party	21		12	-2	11		10	-1	8		12		13		12		10		17		126	12.6
11	Rippin Flatties	10	-4	4		3	-3	5		4	-3	4	-1	6		3		5		10	-3	54	5.4

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Arizona Airspeed at the USPA Nationals 2023, video footage courtesy of USPA/InTime

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Chris Kuhlmann explained that his thoughts drifted back to Norway after almost six completed and well-flowing 5-point pages in Round 1 of the USPA Nationals. He thought that the performance in Round 1 went just as well as in Norway, and this thought distracted him enough to end up building the incorrect next scoring formation during the even faster action of the Super Sequence at Paraclete XP. Then it took some time and formations until Airspeed was back in sync and on scoring track.

The damage of a compromised Super Sequence is logically heavier than in a slow sequence, and SDC Rhythm XP and XPG4 both were able to outscore the world champions in Round 1. The challenging combination of a Super Sequence and Round 1 at any competition may have added to the pressure that all teams were facing. The Airspeed members explained that Round 1 is just as challenging to world champions as it is to teams on a lower experience level.

Airspeed pointed out that it was not the first time that the current lineup had to deal with exactly the same situation. The competition draw of the 4-Way FS Skydiving Championships in November 2020 had also created a Super Sequence in Round 1 (J,B,A,D,C) that Airspeed mastered with a 57-pointer. The same current lineup saw the potential for a high 50-number for the sequence at the USPA Nationals, as well. The Super Sequence in 2020 and a second fast sequence in Round 5 (H,Q,P,L,9) had boosted the meet average to a new record level, as the NSL News reported on 22 November 2020. The ten rounds at Paraclete XP offered a new opportunity for even more and possibly even higher. It did not happen this time.

FS 4-way Championship 2020		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	J,B,A,D,C		22,20,16		10,18,3		E,1,O,N		H,Q,P,L,9		8,G,F,12		15,M,11		13,14,21		6,K,17		2,7,4		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	57	-1	20		19		32		49		23		22	-1	20	-1	28		23		293	29.3
2	SDC Rhythm XP	51	-1	20		18		28	-1	45		23		23		20		26		22	-1	276	27.6
3	Bullet	37	-2	13		14		21	-1	26	-1	14		16		14		17		14		186	18.6
4	XPG4	32	-2	13		13	-1	22		25	-4	17		15		14		16		16		183	18.3
5	Jerry and the Jets	25	-2	14		12		20		25		13	-2	14		15		17		15		170	17.0

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Arizona Airspeed at the FS 4-way Championship 2020

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