posted Dec 1st, 2011 - The competition draw of the 3rd Dubai Championship 2011 has been posted, thanks again to the quick and reliable news service by Qatar Falcons and Paratec-Saar member Max Thiele. In fact, the 4way teams have even completed Round 1, and the judging is in progress.

He said that Perris Fury completed 29 points in working time and lost one point for a 28-pointer as the official score. The complete scores for Round 1 will be posted very soon.

Round 1 has probably the fastest sequence of the 8-round competition draw and will separate the top teams from the rest of the field right from the start. It will be interesting to see how the top contenders deal with this situation. A bad round can cause enough damage to be out of the medals right away, while a great round can create a siginificant difference.

3rd Dubai Championship 2011		Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Round 7	Round 8	Total	Avg
Rank	4way Draw	L,C,P,20	K,M,6,15	G,19,H,11	2,10,E	13,9,5	O,7,3	B,21,16	4,1,22	Total	Avg

The top teams are in different situations. Aerodyne Aerokart and NMP-PCH Hayabusa cannot afford a bad round at the beginning. Most likely, they will not take any chances and try to produce a good number on the scoreboard without risking too much.

The challengers from the USA, Perris Fury and SDC Rhythm XP, don't really have anything to lose. They have to go full speed if they want to keep up with the national teams from France and Belgium. A successful round in full speed could give the US teams a chance to finish very close to the very top of the leaderboard.

On the other hand, both US teams might only be eager enough just to keep their eyes on the bronze medals and the $20,000 for the 3rd place. This approach would put them in the same strategic position as France and Belgium for Round 1 and for the rest of the competition. Aerodyne Aerokart and NMP-PCH Hayabusa would then not be challenged by the US teams. The scores of Round 1 will tell a lot.

The last round of the competition will then bring the toughest tester and most likely the lowest scores of the 8-round meet. The draw includes two 3-block sequences in Round 5 (13,9,5) and Round 8 (4,1,22) where the NSL News story of the slowest sequences in the dive pool will be resumed.

The three blocks in Round 5 will not be the sequence to keep the top teams below 20 points, even though Block 13 (Offset - Spinner) at the very beginning and out the door is a tough start. The sequence of Round 8 will show if anybody can keep it above 20, 21 or 22 points and finish another meet with only 20 or higher.

The French team may have an advantage at the last round of the meet, as the sequence includes Block 22 (T - Chinese T), which brings back memories of the incredible Round 10 at the World Meet 2010. Craig Girard said after the meet that the French Round 10 was the best 4way jump he had ever seen, and it had a lot to do with the execution of Block 22.