posted Sep 13th, 2004 - While the scores of the NSL Playoffs 2004 trickle in, an update on the European Skydiving League Championship 2004 is overdue. The event was concluded on September 4th after ten rounds of great 4-way competition in Spa, Belgium. The meet story with several pictures is posted at the ESL website.

The teams used the competition draw of the NSL September 3 meet weekend, which was also applied at the only NSL meet that weekend in the Northern Plains. Hayabusa, the Belgian national 4-way team, dominated the AAA Class competition in Spa and easily defended the team's ESL title with a new team record average of 19.3 points. Hayabusa also posted a new Belgium record of 34 points in round four of the competition (N-F-J-C-B). The Austrian national champion this year, team Fila, came in second with a 14.3 meet average. Diva LaPalisse, the Belgian national team of the Women's class, took the third place with a 13.1 team record average.

Team Optic, visiting from the United Kingdom, won the A Class competition with an 11.7 average after ten rounds. Black & Blue PCV from Belgium took the second place, and the best Dutch team, Duo Penotti, placed third. Ten team competed in the A Class, while 11 teams had signed up for the AAA Class competition.

Belgium won the new ESL trophy, "The Spirit" with a total of 416 points, followed by the Netherlands with 219 points. Germany placed third with 194 points. This trophy goes to the country that accumulates the highest amount of total points scored by its best three teams in each competition class. The team record performances of Hayabusa and Diva contributed to Belgium's success. Only Belgium and the Netherlands had a minimum of three teams signed up in each competition class and could take full advantage of this scoring system.

ESL founder Willy Boeykens from Belgium was proud of his country's teams: "The Spirit stays in Belgium. Those who want to take it away there next year will have to come with strong teams. We won't give it away easy." The new race for the ESL Spirit will begin in May 2005 when the European leagues will resume the competition series with more leagues and more teams.