posted Jul 11th, 2011 - The busiest meet weekend of the 2011 season is coming up, with events at eight different locations. Five of the competitions take place in the USA, while teams in the Netherlands, United Kingdom and France will also post their scores at the same time. The third weekend of the month seems to be the prime choice of meet organizers.

The Midwest Skydiving League had the only meet last weekend. MWSL Director Alan Butt scheduled a faster turnaround from June (25th) to July (9th) since the MWSL teams have a shorter competition season after a late start this year. The turnout was still the same at Chicagoland Skydiving's first meet this year, as six teams matched the number of teams at the season opener.

MWSL Director Alan Butt actually also competed at the meet this time. Skydive Chicago's home team SDC Flying Fish was missing the Tail, and Alan Butt filled the slot on a very short notice.

July 9th, 2011		Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Total	Avg
Rank	AA Class	19,22	6,13	J,20,Q	B,15,9	E,1,2	14,M,C	Total	Avg
1	Angry Birds	8	5	8	4	6	5	36	6.0
2	CSC Refugees	5	6	6	6	5	5	33	5.5
3	SDC Flying Fish	5	2	6	3	7	5	28	4.7
4	Peregrine	5	6	2	4	5	4	26	4.3
Rank	A Class	19,K	6,A	J,Q,D	B,9	E,2	M,C,21	Total	Avg
1	ArchRivals	7	7	6	6	5	7	38	6.3
2	Hasselhocarcrash	3	5	5	6	5	1	25	4.2

It was probably helpful for Flying Fish to have the MWSL Director in the lineup who knows the AA Class dive pool very well. The Fish have stepped up into the AA Class competition this year and attended their first meet of the 2011 season in this category.

Tony Dommer, James Lovaas, Jesse Townsend and Jeff Carpenter started the Fish team career in the MWSL Rookie Class competition of 2009 and attended all four meets. Then they continued in the A Class of 2010, attended three MWSL meets of the regular season and finally competed at the USPA Nationals on home turf.

The same lineup had to step up into the AA Class at the last competition of the year since the Intermediate Class at the USPA Nationals is not identical with the A Class. Flying Fish managed to leave one of the 31 Intermediate Class team behind at their first meet in the AA Class competition, with a 3.2 average after ten rounds.

Flying Fish now picked it back up in the AA Class, but on a significantly higher level. The same lineup, with Alan Butt filling Jeff Carpenter's Tail slot, re-visited eight of the blocks that were drawn at the USPA Nationals 2010 and experienced two new blocks in the team's first competition of the 2011 season. Last weekend's 6-round draw was loaded with a total of ten blocks.

The results of the other MWSL teams who competed at both meets in the AA Class this year show how much slower last weekend's draw was. Neither Angry Birds (7.4 - 6.0) nor Peregrine (6.7 - 4.3) were able to get close to the meet average at the June meet. The Flying Fish placed themselves right between the two other AA Class teams last weekend and deserve the title of the TEAM OF THE WEEKEND. The Midwest Skydiving League now has five teams in the AA Class competition who are all close enough to each other for more great races at each meet.

The ArchRivals continued with the team's progression that the NSL News audience has become accustomed to by now. Last weekend's 6.3 average stands for another new team record averrage.