posted Sep 15th, 2009 - The FAI World Cup 2009 and then the ESL Championship 2009 received recently the most attention of the NSL News, and it was obviously worth it. Both events featured great competition and scores.

However, other events happened at the same time. The last meet of the Northern Plains Skydiving League took place on the September 4 weekend and while the World Cup was finishing up the last two rounds. NPSL Director Sandy Grillet called his true 4-way community together one more time, and almost everybody came to celebrate the end of the NPSL 2009 season.

The Midwest Skydiving League also concluded the 2009 season last weekend, and the MWSL teams competed together with the European teams at the ESL Championship 2009. Both events applied the same competition draw, and the MWSL teams are looking good with their scores on the overall leaderboard.

It is difficult to compare the AAA Class averages directly, as SDC Rhythm XP and SDC Furies XP completed only the usual six rounds of a meet of the regular season. The first six rounds of the ESL 10-round draw surely included the faster sequences, especially Rounds 1 and 3.

However, both MWSL teams ended up almost exactly where the scores after only six ESL rounds would have placed them anyway. Rhythm would have been in 3rd place, three points behind the Belgium team 4XTT. The Furies are in 7th place - after six or after ten rounds.

Both MWSL teams posted their best averages of the 2009 season, Rhythm at the 5th meet and Furies at the 2nd meet. The Furies' 15.5 average puts the team now in the position of a medal contender in the AAA Advanced Class at this year's USPA Nationals, while Rhythm continues to challenge Mass Defiance's "amateur record average". The NSL News story on 19 August 2009 had provided the last update of this interesting pursuit.

USPA Nationals 2009 - AAA/Advanced Class
Who will break the Mass Defiance "amateur record" of 19.3 average?	SDC Rhythm XP Sebastian Tempest Spaceland Blue Others
	Current Results

In fact, Rhythm has finally arrived at the scoring level that would beat Mass Defiance's 19.3 average of 2007. Last weekend's 19.7 average is already higher after six rounds.

Rhythm now has to do the same in a 10-round competition to set the new unoffical record. The right time is at the USPA Nationals next month, and Rhythm seems to be ready for it.

Last weekend's MWSL scores in the AAA Class were also a reason for the NSL News to go back in time and take a closer look at the history of one of the longest standing teams in the country. SDC Furies XP began the team career with the MWSL 2003 season.

Renee Kostreva, Sarah Lawrence, Nicole Sass, Gosia Cienkosz, with Leo Grinya on camera, attended the very first Furies' meet in June 2003 and finished with a 3.8 average in the Rookie Class.

Next month, the Furies of 2009, with Karyn Rees (Point), Rhonda Wilcox (Inside Center), Anabel Durham (Outside Center), Shannon Sweet (Tail) and Charles Lane (Video) will try to win a AAA Class medal in the Advanced Class...

The Furies lineup of 2004, with three returning members, moved up into the A Class, while another new all-female lineup joined the MWSL 4-way community in the Rookie Class, the Sirens.

Karyn Rees and Shannon Sweet, members of the current Furies lineup, competed already with the Sirens in 2004.

The MWSL 2005 season finally featured the battle between the two all-female lineups of the Furies and the Sirens after the Sirens had moved up into the A Class, as well.

The Furies competed with two original members, Gosia Cienkosz and Sarah Lawrence. Shannon Sweet had left the Sirens for the 2005 season and became a Furies member later. Lisa DeSimone was the 4th member, and Charles Lane filmed the Furies for his first year. He is still on camera for the Furies.

Karyn Rees continued with the Sirens for another year and competed against her future team mate throughout the 2005 season. She had Barbra Carqueville, Susan Evers and Tracy Gardner in her Sirens lineup of 2005. The Furies had the upper hand at each of the three meets where both teams competed.

Both teams had their final showdown of the 2005 season at the USPA Nationals where they had to compete in the AA/Intermediate Class, after the MWSL season in the A Class competition. The Furies won this last competition in 2005 (9.8 - 8.2) over the Sirens, as well.

Both teams must have liked the thrill of the 2005 season, as the 2006 season turned out to be almost an exact copy of it. Both teams came back for the MWSL AA Class competition in 2006. The Furies had the same lineup as in 2005, while the Sirens had some personnel changes.

Karyn Rees and Barbra Carqueville needed two new Sirens and recruited Susan Crowe and JaNette Lefkowitz for the 2006 season. Yes, that's the same JaNette Lefkowitz who is now competing for SDC Rhythm XP. The Furies still kept the upper hand at two exciting meets of the MWSL 2006 season with 1- and 2-point differences, and both teams competed once again at the USPA Nationals for the final 2006 showdown.

Both teams improved their scores and their standings, and the Furies did not only beat the Sirens one more time. They also won the bronze medals in the AA/Intermediate Class at the USPA Nationals 2006.

The Midwest Skydiving League had its worst season in 2007 with bad weather at almost each meet. The Sirens did not come back, Karyn Rees and JaNette Lefkowitz made new plans.

Karyn Rees now joined the Furies, while JaNette Lefkowitz founded CSC Rhythm, together with her husband Steve Lefkowitz. It was that first Rhythm year when Mass Defiance posted the 19.3 average at the USPA Nationals 2007...

It was also time for the Furies to move up into the AAA Class competition. Karyn Rees, Gosia Cienkosz, Sarah Lawrence and Greg Rick competed in the Advanced Class at the USPA Nationals 2007 and finished with an 11.1 average. It was the first time that the Furies did not have an all-female lineup at a meet.

The story of the Furies continues without the Sirens or Rhythm from here on. Karyn Rees, Gosia Cienkosz and Sarah Lawrence brought Shannon Sweet into the 2008 lineup who turned the Furies back into an all-female lineup and re-joined with her former Sirens team mate, Karyn Rees.

The Furies attended two MWSL 2008 meets and finished with an 11.0 average at the USPA Nationals 2008.

Point Karyn Rees and Tail Shannon Sweet began the 2009 season with two new members in the center and a new coach. Rhonda Wilcox (Inside Center) and Anabel Durham (Outside Center) are the new Furies, and Brian Johnson has been coaching the team this year. Charles Lane is still filming the team.

The Furies' performance at the two MWSL meets this year has been very convincing, and the new lineup has reached a new scoring level. Two of the Furies members (Shannon Sweet, Charles Lane) have already two USPA bronze medals in the Intermediate Class under their belts. There is a very realistic chance that all Furies members of the 2009 lineup will win their first gold medals this year. SDC Rhythm XP has already shown that a Midwest Skydiving League team can win medals at the USPA Nationals.

The NSL News will soon follow up with more information and videos of the MWSL September meet.