posted Apr 25th, 2010 - The NSL News has covered Norway's new national 4-way team in the female category, Polaris, since it was put together at the end of the 2009 season. The story on 20 January 2010 introduced the lineup in detail. The NSL News followed up on 14 April 2010 after the team's attendance at the World Challenge 2010 and before the April meet of the Florida Skydiving League.

The Norwegian teams have always received attention for many reasons. It is still impressive how the scarcely populated Scandinavian country produces very competitive and sometimes world class lineups year after year. In addition, the teams and their friendly members are also very popular within the skydiving community.

Polaris held a training camp in DeLand after the visit at Bodyflight Bedford and traveled to Skydive Sebastian to attend an outdoor competition, as well. The team members and coach Steve Hamilton, XL and Sinapsi member, agreed that they had a successful training camp and competition in Sebastian.

Polaris at the April meet of the Florida Skydiving League

The Road to Russia

The NSL News met with the team at the end of the last day of the training camp for a 2010 review. The World Challenge 2010, training camp and outdoor competition in Sebastian provided more than enough content for the NSL Talk.

In addition, there was also the travel situation between America and Europe, as the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull was still active during the last Polaris training days in DeLand. The youngest team member, Tail Sissel Maria Finnseth, is a professional pilot of commercial airliners and provided a few insights.

Polaris was not in the same situation as the Irish team FastAir. The military team asked for budget confirmation from their headquarters and just added a few days to the training camp. Polaris is a self financed team and does not have the resources to add more training at this point in time.

NSL Talk with Polaris from Norway

The interview went also back in skydiving history to the time of the DeLand Norgies and the Norgie Girls. Center Inside Trude Sviggum was a member of the most successful Norwegian female lineup that won silver medals at the World Meet 2003 in France.

She made it very clear that the main Polaris goal is to improve this national record. The Norgie Girls had finished with a 16.2 average in 2nd place in 2003, only three points behind the gold medal position that the UK team V-Max won that year.

One of Trude Sviggum's team mates at the World Meet 2003 was Ditta Valsdottir who then continued with Norway's Open Class team Arcteryx and competed on world class top level for several years.

Norgie Girls and VMax at the FSL April Meet in 2003

The NSL News found the interesting video footage above in the archives. It features the Norgie Girls and V-Max at the April meet of the Florida Skydiving League in 2003. V-Max coach Solly Williams was filling a slot for the world champions to be, five months later.

V-Max won the meet in DeLand with a 16.8 average after five rounds, two points ahead of the Norgie Girls. The outcome of the World Meet 2003 would be almost exactly the same. US team Synchronicity finished in 3rd place with a 15.3 average.

The video also features the most famous Norwegian rain dance. The meet weather was not perfect in April 2003 in DeLand. The Norgie Girls did their share trying to bring a change. The meet could still not be completed. Here is what the NSL New reported after the meet:

"DeLand Majik tail Solly Williams had to fill a slot for V-Max, the British women's national 4-way team. V-Max had arrived late the night before the meet and still decided to use the FSL competition as a warm-up day for the training camp in DeLand. It was a great opportunity to also take a closer look at the Norgies Girls who competed at the same time. Both teams will most likely give each other and the U.S. team Synchronicity a tough race for the gold medal at this year's World Championship of Formation Skydiving. V-Max placed fourth in 2001, while the Norgies Girls won the silver medal in Spain.

Solly Williams has been coaching V-Max, Shannon Pilcher is working with the Norgies Girls. V-Max with Williams filling the center inside position finished with a 16.8 meet average after a short night and no training jumps before the meet. The Norgies Girls struggled with the exits from the Pilatus Porter at the beginning of the meet and showed their real potential only in the last two rounds finishing the meet with a 16.4 average."