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The Russian team Black Cat was mentioned in the NSL News for the first time in August 2005. Three of the current team members (Vasili Korotkov, Alexei Minaev, Yevgeni Stashenko) had won the bronze medals at the World Championship of Formation Skydiving 2004 in Croatia, with Michail Kuznetsov in the lineup. Vadim Niyazov was filming the Sky Panthers in 2004, and he is still with Black Cat now.
Michail Kuznetsov then re-built the Sky Panthers and kept the team name, while Vasili Korotkov, Alexei Minaev, Yevgeni Stashenko and Vadim Niyazov continued with Black Cat. Sky Panthers and Black Cat have been battling for the top position in Russia ever since. Vasili Korotkov, Alexei Minaev, Yevgeni Stashenko and Vadim Niyazov now competed at the Valentine's Meet with a new team member, Valery Pripilyak.
It was a tough competition at the Russian Nationals 2010 where the Sky Panthers had to work very hard to stay on top after ten rounds. Black Cat recruited once again the team's best lineup with Alexander Golovkin for the same Russian showdown.
However, Black Cat lost the meet with low scores in Rounds 8 and 10. The Sky Panthers moved on and eventually won the bronze medals at the World Championship of Formation Skydiving 2010 in Menzelinsk.
Russian Nationals 2010 | Round1 | Round2 | Round3 | Round4 | Round5 | Round6 | Round7 | Round8 | Round9 | Round10 | Total | Avg | |
Rank | AAAClass | 7,4,M | 9,A,1 | 22,D,O,20 | 19,17,3 | 11,Q,K,C | 21,L,15 | H,E,N,14 | B,P,F,J,G | 12,8,5 | 10,6,16 | Total | Avg |
1 | Sky Panthers | 26 | 26 | 23 | 22 | 27 | 22 | 23 | 45 | 19 | 21 | 254 | 25.4 |
2 | Black Cat | 24 | 29 | 24 | 21 | 27 | 19 | 27 | 39 | 19 | 14 | 243 | 24.3 |
Vasili Korotkov, Alexei Minaev and Yevgeni Stashenko have spent some time with him in the wind tunnel, and Black Cat had a 3-week training camp last November in Spain. The Valentine's Meet 2011 was Valery Pripilyak's first serious test in the 4-way competition world, and the 15.8 average is a great start.
Insiders of the Russian 4-way community expected the new Black Cat lineup to post an average between 14.0 and 15.0 in Eloy. It is still a long way to the very top for Black Cat with Valery Pripilyak. However, the Black Cat 4-way veterans have done it before with new members. And there is always the possibility that Alexander Golovkin might be called back in for a meet...