posted Jun 8th, 2004 - The NSL-TV just posted the last round of the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2004. This means that the coverage of this exciting event has come to its end, which is just in time for the next great 4-way competition coming up. Round ten of the Shamrock Showdown gives the NSL-TV audience the last opportunity to compare DeLand Majik and Sinapsi PD directly with each other. Both teams will have the next 2004 showdown at the IPC Anton Malevsky Memorial World Cup 2004, which will begin on June 29. Round ten was one of the four faster rounds of the competition in March 2004 at Skydive DeLand. Majik and Sinapsi posted their highest scores in rounds one, two, three and ten. Each of the sequences of these rounds allowed the world class teams and 2004 top contenders to score between 24 and 26 points within working time. A very interesting aspect of this data is the fact that the Italian team won three of these four rounds, including the currently featured round ten. They were also the only rounds where Sinapsi could claim the highest score.

Majik lost two penalty points in round one, which gave Sinapsi the highest score. Sinapsi lost two points in round two for the same reason. The overall result of these four faster rounds was 99:99 and shows that winning more rounds did not give the Italian team any advantage at all. However, Sinapsi surely had the better round ten. Block 6 (Stardian - Stardian) was faster (Sinapsi 2.4 seconds, Majik 2.4 seconds average block time), and the Italian team was also able to keep up with Majik's famous random work (1.11 seconds for Sinapsi, 1.12 seconds for Majik). Sinapsi PD ended up with the 26th point just on the edge of the working time, while Majik's 25th point was clearly out of bounds.

The summary of the competition between DeLand Majik and Sinapsi PD shows where the teams had their strength and weak points in March this year. The quick Italian flyers seem to have an advantage in the faster rounds. However, the overall score of the faster rounds proves that the US national team from DeLand is right on top of the race for pace, even if it may not look like that on the videos. The real Majik advantage seems to be the consistency of the performance and the great execution of all the technical challenges. The overall result of the remaining six slower rounds was 114:105 in Majik's favor. This is a very significant difference and means much more than it shows. It is a fact that the dive pool consists of 22 blocks and only 16 random formations. A ten-round meet with the current dive pool will realistically include a higher number of technical rounds most of the times. The accurate technical execution of the block moves must be the solid foundation for a top team.

DeLand Majik is obviously very strong in this area. At the same time, it is much easier to win several points in a faster round. The slower rounds do not offer teams a great opportunity to run away from the field. It will be very difficult for Italy and France to beat the DeLand team this year if Majik continues to be strong and consistent in the technical area and keeps up with the top pace in the faster rounds at the same time. The Malevsky World Cup will soon show where the three best teams in the world currently stand. The NSL News will soon follow up with more previews of this event.

Round ten of the Shamrock Showdown also offers the NSL-TV audience the last opportunity to enjoy another jump of the Genesis 2004 reunion. The team members actually mentioned that they had more than enough fun to consider attending more meets this year. However, round ten showed Genesis in very close touch with the two top contenders once again. Only a two-point deduction and a missed completion of Block 6 left Genesis further behind Majik and Sinapsi PD than the pace of the jump indicates. Round ten was also the final showdown between Sebastian Teiwaz and the Danez who had raced each other thoughout the whole meet. Both teams finally ended up tied in fourth place with a 15.4 meet average. DeLand Mojo carried the sixth position over the finishing line after a great competition with Optic Nerve.The FSL Shamrock Showdown 2004 was an exciting competition, including world class scores, several personal best records for other attending teams, many prizes in the Skins Game and a lot of fun for each participant. The FSL management looks forward to next year's event, which should be marked in each team's calendar, as soon as the date will be posted.