posted Jul 2nd, 2011 - The season opener of the Carolina Skydiving League is coming up soon, and the league has new leadership this year.

Two very experienced competitors and coaches have joined forces to guide the teams and competitors in the Carolinas through the 2011 season. Paraclete XP 4 member Andy Honigbaum and former Angry Bee Jan Lane will hold three meets of the regular season, and two of them are posted on the CASL home page (July 16th, August 20th). A third meet will be scheduled for September 3rd or 10th.

Andy Honigbaum reported that there will be great coaching at all those events. His XP4 team mates John A'Annunzio and John Eagle will help him and Jan Lane at the July meet. The Golden Knights will be available in full force for coaching and judging at the August meet. He said that he wants to work hard to attract teams from the Carolinas and also from other regions to the CASL meets.

The new leadership in the Carolinas, with Andy Honigbaum in the group of supporters, stands for the first time that a US top competitor makes the effort to take leadership in one of the NSL leagues. Many top teams and competitors have been helping the local and regional organizers and teams in the past, with Dan BC and John Hamilton for the Southern California Skydiving League on the top of this list.

It is still the first time in the USA that an active top competitor uses spare time to run a 4-way league. Andy Honigbaum is the Center Outside for Paraclete XP4. His team finished in 4th place at the USPA Nationals 2010 (21.2) and will try to get to one of the medal positions at the USPA Nationals 2011.

XP4 will also compete for the USA at the World Cup 2011. Andy Honigbaum and the Golden Knights will just have returned from Germany when they help the CASL teams and competiors at the August meet.

Andy Honigbaum is a former Arizona Airspeed member who went to Eloy in 2004 and won his first 8-way gold medal at the World Meet in Croatia the same year. Kirk Verner was his team mate in Arizona. They also became Airspeed team mates in 4-way in 2005. Both eventually moved to North Carolina and started their Paraclete XP career.

Jan Lane is a long-time 4-way competitor and coach who guided VTSD/Carolina Turbo XP to the Intermediate Class gold medals at the USPA Nationals 2009, then to gold medals in the Advanced Class last year.

The CASL teams can look forward to a very exciting 2011 season. Andy Honigbaum and Jan Lane are eager to offer something special to all participating teams, as Andy Honigbaum explained: "Our goal this year is to run some good smooth meets and to use all of the coaching available to draw in more teams from around the Carolinas and other leagues. We really want other teams to come compete and take advantage of all of the coaching. I will also have a camera pool for those teams that need one."

He added that there will be other benefits, such as prize money: "We are going to offer money for the team that competes the most and does the best to help them go to the USPA Nationals or the NSL Championship. We are really looking forward to doing this, it's something very new to me, but am happy to take it on."

The first new lineups have been formed for the exciting 2011 season. Kirk Verner reported earlier this year that TSC Ultra XP consists of Christine Bruchac (Point), Chris Ballard (Outside Center), Jonathan Woolly Charlton (Inside Center) and Louis French (Tail), with Ryan McDaniel on camera.

He said that the new team has a very aggressive training plan with 20 hours of tunnel time and 150 - 200 jumps: "They are very motivated and already have a good intimacy with the dive pool." The CASL 2011 season opener is coming up soon.