posted May 25th, 2004 - Despite the best efforts of Mother Nature, the Midwest Skydiving League completed the first meet of the season. Tornadoes, thunderstorms and high winds rocked the Chicago area for the last month...including a tornado in nearby Hinckley less than twelve hours before the start of the meet! The forecast for the weekend was more of the same, but teams from Skydive Chicago, Chicagoland Skydiving and Sky Knights made the drive to Skydive Chicago with hopes of a miracle.

May 22nd, 2004		Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	P-15-13	C-1-16	L-14-18	7-B-9	17-Q-J-11	N-12-19	Total	Avg
1	Good Vibrations	5	5	5	7	2	5	29	4.8
Rank	AA Class	P-15-13	C-1-8	L-14-18	7-B-9	11-Q-J	N-22-19	Total	Avg
1	Just 4 Fun	6	6	6	8	5	6	37	6.2
Rank	A Class	P-9	C-8	L-A-G	7-B	Q-J-M	N-19	Total	Avg
1	Furies	3	1	2	4	1	2	13	2.2
2	Always Broke	1	1	0	2	0	1	5	0.8
Rank	Rookie	O-P-C	E-L-Q	B-J-N	O-M-K	E-G-D	B-F-A	Total	Avg
1	Nite Hooker and the Pimps	1	2	2	2	-	-	7	1.8
2	Sirens	1	1	2	2	-	-	6	1.5

The skies were gray as the competitors sat down for the team meeting. By the time we walked out of the meeting, blue skies had miraculously emerged. The teams hurried to the creepers and consulted with meet coach Lem Castro about exits and dive engineering. Some of the teams grounded themselves after the wind caused some interesting landings during round one. The rest of the competitor were grounded after round one as the winds gusted to 25+ and the clouds returned.We consulted the National Weather Service website to see what the rest day had to offer. It wasn't pretty, but we encouraged everyone to stick it out for a few hours. The gamble paid off. After some nasty looking clouds and a burst of heavy rain, the blues skies came back. Another wave of angry looking clouds loomed in the distance, but that didn't keep the gutsy Midwest competitors on the ground for very long. It took a lot juggling and communication with the manifest staff, but we managed to get everyone in the air to complete the meet.

Aside from the weather actually cooperating with us, the surprise of the meet came from the team Good Vibrations. Last year the team was in the Rookie Class, but at this meet they bravely stepped up to the AAA Class. Coach Castro had his work cut out for him as he helped prepare the team for the difficult dives. They seemed confident before round one, and the scores proved they had a right to be confident. They averaged almost five points per round, more than triple last seasons average! The team was mentally exhausted afterward, so we'll have to see if they decide to stay in this class for the season.In the AA Class, Just 4 Fun started off the season with a solid performance. The eight they scored in round four shows that these guys have what it takes to average seven points this year. With a start like this, Just 4 Fun should be fun to watch this season. Last year's Rookie Class champs, The Furies, made the jump to the Class A this year. The new line-up showed a lot of promise as they beat out Always Broke for the win. Coach Castro saw signs of great things to come from both teams, so we look forward to seeing them next month at the second MWSL meet.

In the AA Class, Just 4 Fun started off the season with a solid performance. The eight they scored in round four shows that these guys have what it takes to average seven points this year. With a start like this, Just 4 Fun should be fun to watch this season. Last year's Rookie Class champs, The Furies, made the jump to the Class A this year. The new line-up showed a lot of promise as they beat out Always Broke for the win. Coach Castro saw signs of great things to come from both teams, so we look forward to seeing them next month at the second MWSL meet.The closest race of the day was between two new Skydive Chicago teams, Night Hooker & the Pimps and The Sirens. Night Hooker earned a one-point victory this time, but the Sirens didn't make it easy for them. It took the last jump to secure the win. The Sirens will undoubtedly be looking to avenge the narrow defeat next month. Special thanks to meet coach Lem Castro, the Skydive Chicago staff and pilot Kirk Smith for all of their efforts. We look forward to coming back to this great facility later in the season.Close races, gutsy performances and great coaching were combined to make sure that the competitors had fun and improved their skills, which are the main goals of these competitions. We hope to see more of the same next month at Chicagoland Skydiving.