posted Dec 26th, 2010 - The NSL News is prepared for the next upcoming competition. The Dubai Championship 2011 is the first meet of the new year, and it begins with the first competition jumps on 7 January.

The NSL News reported the event in January this year, as well. Once again, correspondents on competition site will provide information for the NSL News, as it will not be a live coverage from Dubai.

The competition format is almost identical. The meet is limited to eight rounds in 4-way over the course of ten days. Individual Accuracy and Canopy Piloting competitions will take place at the same time. A total of $90,000 is on stake for the 4-way teams. The first $45,000 are for the Open Class teams, the other half for the female 4-way lineups.

The host in Dubai has allowed four teams to sign up for each nation, in accordance with the rules of the International Parachuting Commission (IPC). However, only one of each nation's four teams will be able to win the prize money, the officially sanctioned national team.

26 teams have been registered so far. 14 of the 20 teams in the Open Class will compete for their share of $45,000 ($20,000 - $15,000 - $10,000) while all six female lineups are eligible to win the other $45,000.

Arizona Airspeed, NMP-PCH Hayabusa and Aerodyne Cypres Maubeuge took the first three places in a 14-team field in January 2010. Aerokart Deep Blue, Chicas and Empuria Gatas won the money in the 4-team field of the female category.

Dubai Championship 2010		Round1	Round2	Round3	Round4	Round5	Round6	Round7	Round8	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women	20,D,14	4,C,9	L,16,12	10,5,J	3,O,22	G,19,Q,7	H,21,1	13,P,N,K	Total	Avg
1	Aerokart Deep Blue Maubeuge	16	20	14	19	16	21	19	17	142	17.8
2	Germany Chicas	13	16	11	13	13	16	14	13	109	13.6
3	Spain Empuria Gatas	6	13	10	11	11	11	10	12	84	10.5
4	Morocco	4	5	0	5	4	7	3	4	32	4.0

Of all winning teams in 4-way, only the Chicas will not be back in January 2011. Canada, Denmark, France, Russia, Spain and the USA each have registered one team for the female 4-way competition. The NSL News will provide more details of the lineups as soon as possible.

Fact is that France is coming back for the last time with the reigning world champion team that broke all female records in 2010 and won the gold medals at the World Championship of Formation Skydiving 2010. It's the farewell event for this lineup, as French national coach Jeremie Rollett introduced the new French national team with the story on 24 November 2010.

Deep Blue had a walk in the park in Dubai this January and won with a 17.8 average after eight rounds. Sophie Deremaux, Bérangère Duplouy, Françoise Simons-Hamouchi, Amélie Tirman (Christophe Chekroun on camera) then won the gold medals in Menzelinsk with a 23.6 average.

There is hardly a doubt that Deep Blue will win again in Dubai. However, it will surely not be so easy this time. Perris Fury's Christy Frikken explained during a live NSL Talk at the NSL Championship 2010 that the USA will send a strong lineup to Dubai.

Christy Frikken was a player coach for Perris Jimani at the NSL Championship in November and took the time for the NSL News during a weather hold, together with all Jimani members. She talked about the new Perris Fury lineup with Todd Hawkins and Jimani's visit in DeLand to win the 4th NSL Championship title.

The same NSL Talk session also included the Dubai topic that Christy Frikken brought up during the conversation. This part of the NSL Talk was not recorded, and the NSL News now catches up with this information, as the Dubai Championship 2011 is coming closer.

The US lineup for Dubai is actually a very strong lineup, and the French world champions may have to work harder than they plan for on their last vacation together. In fact, they know three of the US competitors from the recent encounter in Russia. Becky Brocato (Tail), Annaliese Peterson (Point) and Brianne Thompson (Center Inside) competed for Spaceland Blue in Menzelinsk and won the bronze medals.

Christy Frikken replaces Erin Murphy in the Center Outside slot, which is obviously a perfect fit. It is also not the first time that Christy Frikken will do her best to lift a team to a new performance level.

The French world champions will surely remember what Christy Frikken did with and for the US team of 2008 when she filled the Point slot for Kelley Frederickson who died at the beginning of the world meet season. The US team beat Deep Blue's lineup of the past four years in Maubeuge and ended up only one single point behind Bodyflight Storm.

World Meet 2008		Round1	Round2	Round3	Round4	Round5	Round6	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women	B,17,7	H,N,13,A	10,J,C,6	18,12,2	E,3,9	19,O,4	Total	Avg
1	UK Bodyflight Storm	24	26	17	15	21	17	120	20.0
2	USA Fastrax Blue	24	23	19	13	21	19	119	19.8
3	France Aerokart Deep Blue	23	23	19	14	20	16	115	19.2

It is difficult to imagine that any female lineup could be able to beat the same Aerokart Deep Blue lineup that won the World Meet in Menzelinsk this year.

However, Fastrax Blue of 2008 started the season at about a 16-average level and finished at the 20-point level with Christy Frikken.

Spaceland Blue posted an 18.8 average in Menzelinsk with the original lineup. Who knows how far Christy Frikken can push it in January? She is now in her original Center Outside slot and can push the pace more efficiently compared to when she was in the Point position in 2008.

At the same time, Becky Brocato, Annaliese Peterson and Brianne Thompson are probably most eager to show how far they can go with a world class leader. There will be a lot of extra US energy available, while the Deep Blue members are on a "skydiving vacation".

On the other hand, there is still the 23.6 average on the leaderboard and in the history books that this Deep Blue lineup posted in Menzelinsk.

Even without training and on a skydiving vacation this lineup will probably not be too far off the same pace. The French fun lovers may even be in their perfect environment for another peak performance. No matter what - the female 4-way competition will be more interesting than in January 2010.

Dubai 4-way Women
Who will win the $20,000 in the female category?	France USA Others
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