posted Jan 31st, 2011 - Two indoor competitions are coming up soon. The NSL News has prepared the on-line audience with several previews for the Paraclete XP Indoor Skydiving Championships 2011 next week.

It is also about time to take a closer look at the World Challenge 2011, which was the first serious indoor competition and takes place the 6th time this April. The World Challenge at Bodyflight Bedford has become one of the main stops for many teams at the beginning of each competition season.

Well over 30 teams have already registered for this year's event, and the official list of registered teams does not yet include several teams that will make the trip to Bedford, as well, such as Arizona Airspeed and NMP-PCH Hayabusa.

Many of the currently registered teams are repeat offenders who return to the same spot year after year. However, there are always a few new teams in the lineup who are curious after hearing a lot of great news from Bedford.

The AAA Class has a new top team that visits Bodyflight Bedford for the first time. The Thunder lineup is not new to the NSL News audience. The team was introduced in November last year and consists of Paul Hofstee, Sven Ibens, Jacco van Eerden and Wesley Claessens. The Thunder members have committed to a 2-year plan and pick up the competition agenda at the World Challenge 2011.

Sven Ibens is a former Hayabusa member and also works in IPC's Competition Committee for Formation Skydiving. It is great to have active top competitors providing their experiences and knowledge directly to the officials of the sport.

Perris Jimani, 4-time NSL champion in the AA Class, is also traveling to the United Kingdom for the first time. Jim Earman is bringing Perris Fury's Chris Farina, Andrea Cuthoys and Andre Van Heerden from California across the Atlantic.

Paul Mayer, Bodyflight Bedford owner and creator of the World Challenge, is finally introducing the A Class competition, as well. British teams have now the opportunity to compete in any of the four different categories in the windtunnel, as well. They have been a part of UK's competition structure for years. Visiting teams from other countries have the same options for signing up in the prefered competition class.

As usual, the AAA Class is the most popular category so far. However, the first teams are registered in the other three competition classes, and the field will surely grow between now and April.

One of the missing AAA Class factors at the moment is the mysterious XL lineup. The silver medalists at the World Challenge 2010, after a dramatic 1-point race with the French national team and 4-way world champions of Aerodyne Cypres Maubeuge, have not signed up yet.

There seems to be a pretty good chance that XL might come back with a strong lineup. Thomas Hughes would not be an XL member this year since he is competing with the new Airspeed lineup. However, the NSL News has no information of any serious commitments for Pete Allum, Steve Hamilton and Brian Johnson, who won the £3,000 for the 2nd place last year.

Satori is not on the list of registered teams so far, which offers the possibility that former XL member John McIver could be available. This lineup would be identical with XL at the World Challenge 2007. The NSL audience is encouraged to speculate about the XL lineup for the World Challenge 2011...