posted Jul 1st, 2004 - It was a breath-taking race and an incredible finish by DeLand Majik. Team members mentioned after the conclusion of the meet that the team actually prefers to be in the hunt rather than the lead. However, it requires nerves of steel to do what Majik did in the three jumps of the last day of the competition.

The last update included the results of round eight already. France Maubeuge's lead had shrunk to two points with two more rounds to go. Round nine was the slowest sequence of the meet. It would be difficult or even impossible for the DeLand team to pick up another point. However, Majik went for it with desperate energies and managed to complete the second Monopod just in time for the score of 18 points. France Maubeuge finished this round with 17 points, the lead was down to the smallest difference possible, and the momentum was still on Majik's side.

It could hardly be any more exciting for teams and spectators than going into the last round with the two best teams in the world and in the history of skydiving separated by only one point. Both teams showed so clearly that they are really performing on a different planet compared to the top teams of the other countries. The Russian Sky Panthers ended up in third position and 26 points behind France. It was a two-team race from the beginning to the end.

The sequence of round ten was one of the faster ones (5-9-20) despite the fact that it was a three-block jump. Majik performed with the desperate attitude they had shown in rounds eight and nine. There was no other option for the DeLand team since they were one point behind. The score of 25 points put a lot of pressure on the French team, although they surely did not know the results when they were in the air. Both teams were in the same last MI-8 load of the meet.

France Maubeuge knew anyway that the Majik pressure was on. The French pace in round ten was very similar to Majik's. It seemed as if Maubeuge would get really close to Majik's score. 25 French points would be the winning $12,000 score, 24 points would force a jump-off. The 24th point was the completion of Block 20, the Viper at the end of the block move. It was almost tragic how close the French world champion came to the jump-off. The last grip was a few inches away from completion. The judges ran the tape two more times, and it would not get any closer at freeze frame. Majik had picked up two more points and won the competition by one point.

There is not much more to say at this point. It was a breath-taking, most exciting world class performance, and both teams deserve the greatest appreciation for this race. There will be follow-ups by the NSL News and coverage of the other races within the competition. Now it is time for the teams to celebrate and take a break. Then it will be time for evaluation and decisions what to do with the two remaining months before the next showdown between DeLand Majik and France Maubeuge at the world meet in Croatia. There are still two more things to do before leaving Russia: pick up the cash and visit Moscow tomorrow.

Here are a few words by DeLand Majik member Joey Jones shortly after the 10th round:

NSL News: Joey, congratulations. You just won $12,000. What will you do with the money?

Joey Jones: The money goes into the team fund, and I will drink a beer.

NSL News: Tomorrow we will all go to Moscow, what's the party plan?

Joey Jones: We will go to Red Square, drink a lot of champagne and vodka.

NSL News: What was the Majik plan for the three jumps on Thursday?

Joey Jones: Stick with the plan, and go for it with blind confidence and faith. We knew it was possible to catch up. It was a great training exercise, whether we won or lost. We had some bad judgement calls and wanted to see where we were. We know that we can perform when the chips are down, when the pressure is on. That was the most important thing. To get away without a jump-off was a bonus.

NSL News: Do you think you have the advantage now looking forward to Croatia?

Joey Jones: Of course, we already had the advantage coming here. But as I said in the last interview. You can say it either way. Each team can justify an advantage their own way. However, with a 2-0 record against Maubeuge we are heading to Craotia with a definite advantage.

NSL News: Thank you, Joey, go have a beer.