posted Nov 8th, 2023 - The recent Indoor Cloud League update from iFLY Colorado Springs included a lot of connections between the indoor event and the USPA Nationals 2023. The NSL News pointed out that five of the Top 6 teams on the Advanced Class leaderboard had competitors in their lineups who would post Indoor Cloud League scores for iFLY Colorado Springs a month later.

CPI Chicken Bolts were the only exception, while they did their best to keep the Air Force teams from winning a second set of medals in this AAA Class category. AF Artemis eventually had a 4-point lead over the New England team after Round 10, where 4-way and 8-way veteran Ben Liston guided the lineup to the medal position, two points ahead of the next Air Force team, the Tall Boys.

The leaderboard is featuring the battle between CPI Chicken Bolts and AF Tall Boys. The exchange of highscores round by round does not really show though that the Air Force team lost the duel with CPI Chicken Bolts and the chances for an even better finishing position in one single round.

AF Tall Boys opened the competition with the same false start that Arizona Airspeed had in Round 1, with the fastest sequence of the ten rounds. In fact, the 8-point damage was identical with Airspeed's, even though the red penalty markings were more spread out across the scoresheet.

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: CPI Chicken Bolts - Air Force Tall Boys, Video Footage Courtesy of USPA/InTime

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Ben Liston could take full advantage of the false Tall Boys start and won the meet opener by a point, instead of being far behind after Round 1. Then the CPI Chicken Bolts finished with three strong rounds, and Ben Liston could collect his next USPA medal.

His former team mate, Mass Defiance videographer Steve "Scuba" Feldman, is a very close friend and knows Ben Liston's competitive desire for top positions on any leaderboards.

He interviewed Ben Liston at a time when his former 8-way team Prison 9 won FAI bronze medals at the 23rd FAI World Cup of Formation Skydiving in Norway, followed by another 3rd place in 8-way at the USPA Nationals. Ben Liston was a Prison 9 member until the USPA Nationals 2021. Arizona Airspeed then invited him into their 8-way lineup a year later for the USPA Nationals, where he won an 8-way silver medal in the active lineup. Airspeed did not have a slot for him this year, and he ended up behind Prison 9 with the 8-way pickup team FIGJAM.

Steve "Scuba" Feldman did not only remind him of the 8-way situation in his interview with Ben Liston. He also simulated the original NSL Live Talk style and accent like a professional impersonator. Ben Liston is currently preparing the next SkyVenture New Hampshire Indoor Fest, which is scheduled for January 20th.

USPA Nationals 2022			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Open		12,4,E		20,13,L		1,H,A,D		17,18,16		J,M,2,9		14,N,5		Q,C,3,7		22,19,15		O,K,G,21		F,10,11		Total	Avg
1	Paraclete XP8	US	24	-1	21		28		22		20		21		24		22		19	-1	21		222	22.2
G	Qatar Falcons	QA	21		13	-2	24		15	-1	13	-3	16		18		18		17	-1	17		172	17.2
2	Airspeed 8	US	17	-2	13	-4	19		15		15		16		18		18		17		15	-1	163	16.3
3	Prison 9	US	11	-2	13		17		12	-1	13		12		10	-3	12	-1	12		11	-1	123	12.3
4	Bra Nok XP	US	12	-1	11		12		12	-1	7	-4	11		9	-2	12		11		11		108	10.8
5	Disturbance 8	US	10	-1	7	-2	10		11		9	-1	6	-3	11		12		8	-1	9		93	9.3
6	Monster XP	US	7		5	-1	6	-2	8		2	-1	7		8		3	-3	6		7		59	5.9

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USPA Nationals 2022: Airspeed 8 - Prison 9, Video Footage Courtesy of USPA/InTime

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