posted Aug 5th, 2004 - A looming tropical storm didn't stop twelve teams from showing up at the 4th meet of the Carolina Skydiving League season. Skydive Coastal Carolinas hosted their first meet ever on July 31 - August 1 at their very scenic drop zone in Southport, North Carolina. The competition was as hot as the heat index! Special thanks to Nikki and Brian Strong (DZO's) and their staff. Also, big thanks to The Uninsured Relative Workshop for special prizes for the I-class and Video Champions, and Sunpath and Performance Designs for donating a multitude of prizes awarded in a drawing of registered competitors. A total of three substantial gear discounts were given out over the weekend!

In the Intermediate/AA Class, Carolina Ice continues to dominate the league. They were meet champions for the 4th consecutive time this year. Second-year team Fox Force 4 continues to improve their average and finally have a permanent line-up for the remainder of the year. The handicap battle was very close, and by the time weather settled in with Tropical Storm Alex on Sunday, JFF had inched within mere tenths of a percent of Fox Force 4. In handicapped standings, the Foxes earned gold, JFF won silver and Imagination took the bronze medals.

In the Introductory/Rookie Class, Insane in the Plane posted a jaw-dropping score of 23 points in round one and quickly closed the door on the other competitors for the gold medals finishing with a raw score of 74 points in only four rounds. A tie in Round four left 2EZ up by one point, placing them in 2nd place with a total of 55 points. Missing Slot came in 3rd.

The Introductory Class is proving to be very competitive in the Carolina League. One team of the I-Class, apparently tired of the close competition, moved to the unpopulated Open/AAA Class to win the lone gold medal. They faced a big surprise though when a pick-up team formed and also entered the Open/AAA Class to ensure competition for the first place. Four of the team members had never been in a competition before, and three have less than 200 jumps. The spirit of competition embraced by team KC45A brought the appreciation of the other league competitors and they were rewarded with a huge round of applause when they received their silver medals. It does not happen often that the true champions of competition take second place! The league would like to give special sportsmanship recognition to Stuart Wood, Roger Kimble "Kim" Walker, Sherry Copley, Rodney Cruce, and Melissa Polarski of KC45A!

The CaSL recognizes one outstanding videographer at each meet. Steve Kemp was awarded a medal, some cash, and a 35% discount certificate from The Uninsured Relative Workshop for his efforts keeping exits and grips in frame, and generally making life easy for the judges.

The CaSL season finale and NSL Playoffs 2004 meet is set for Carolina Sky Sports on September 11-12, 2004. Teams from all over the South are welcome to join us for ten rounds of hot competition!

Meet story provided by Fox Force 4 member Pam Riggs