posted Dec 31st, 2004 - The NSL News covered the details of Pete Allum's eligibility status with the news story on December 24. Thomas Hughes' situation with Arizona Blade and the new DeLand team (Montgomery, Smith, Pilcher, Bobo) actually initiated the discussion and coverage of the rule situation.

Hughes has British citizenship, and he has a U.S. passport, as well. He already won USPA gold medals with DeLand Tunnel Rage in the Intermediate Class competition of the USPA Championship 2000 in Perris. Then he competed together with Pete Allum as members of the British national 4-way team "XL" at the World Championship of Formation Skydiving 2003 in Gap, France. The British team did not continue after the world meet, and Hughes accepted a player coach slot with Arizona Blade for the 2004 season.

Due to his status as an international competitor for the British team, Blade competed only as a guest team at the USPA Championship 2004 in October. The team finished in third position in Perris but could not receive USPA medals due to Hughes' status as a guest competitor. Blade then won the NSL Championship 2004 in November where Hughes and his team were not limited by eligibility rules.

Blade members Natasha Montgomery and Thomas Hughes decided to form a new team for 2005 and possibly also for the 2006 season. The NSL News interviewed Montgomery and Hughes as of future team plans and followed up with a story when the new line-up with Hughes as the team's videographer and alternate was complete. NSL News readers then expressed their interest in the eligibility status of the team players, and the NSL News began the coverage and a "case study" with Pete Allum and Thomas Hughes.

The first "case study" completed Pete Allum's situation for the next two years with the Italian national 4-way team, Sinapsi PD. Thomas Hughes' situation is quite similar, however, not really exactly the same. The IPC rules logically regulate both cases with the same set of rules:

There is no doubt that Max Bishop, the General Secretary of the FAI, will also "not split hairs over a couple of weeks" if it came to Thomas Hughes possibly competing at the next world meet in 2006. However, the major difference between the two cases is the fact that Allum will compete for Italy, while Hughes would represent the U.S.A. in Germany 2006.

National associations, which represent the country in the FAI/IPC, can regulate qualification and eligibility status of teams and competitors separately and independantly. USPA is the FAI/IPC member of the United States and sanctions participation of U.S. teams at international FAI/IPC events.

Pete Allum has already approval in Italy that he can represent the country at the next world meet. Thomas Hughes still has a much longer road to travel to compete with his new team in Germany 2006. First of all, Sinapsi PD does not really have any serious competition in Italy. Allum will win the Italian Championship 2006 with the team and qualify directly.

The 4-way competition in the U.S.A. is very different and will once again be very tight in 2005. The Golden Knights and Team Fastrax continue with the same line-ups that already won the silver and bronze medals at the USPA Championship 2004. Both teams are very determined to win USPA's set of gold medals in 2005. The NSL News will soon follow up with information covering the plans of these two top U.S. 4-way teams.

Traditionally and according to the USPA rules, the winner of the USPA Championship qualifies directly for the world meet of the following year. The USPA rules define the qualification as the national team more precisely in USPA's Competition Manual (11-1.2: SELECTION OF DELEGATION):

The rule language actually makes USPA's Board of Directors responsible for the selection of next year's Team Manager who then invites the team members to join the U.S. delegation (for the world meet 2006) after the USPA Championship of the preceding year (2005). Practically, the winner of the USPA Championship 2005 will become the U.S. national team in 2006.

Montgomery's and Hughes' new team obviously has to win the USPA Championship 2005 to qualify. This is the first and most important athletic challenge. The team will have to keep the rule situation in mind at the same time. Hughes will be the team videographer and alternate. However, he is supposed to be a full team member, and his rule situation in the U.S.A. is different compared to Allum's situation in Italy. USPA has adopted IPC's 3-year rule for eligibility:

Hughes will have completed only two years of the "waiting time" at the USPA Championship 2005 after competing for the United Kingdom in 2003. He will not be eligible for USPA medals, unless USPA's Competition Committee grants him an exemption status for and at the USPA Championship 2005.

The team is aware of the rule situation. Hughes will only be the "inofficial" videographer and alternate in 2005. The team plans for the upcoming season include an additional and eligible videographer who will film the team at the USPA Championship 2005. Hughes will film the team and jump occasionally only for training purposes. He will not be in the official line-up for the championship in September.

The situation might change if the team wins the USPA Championship 2005. USPA's Team Manager of 2006 would then follow procedure and invite the team to join the U.S. delegation for the world meet in Germany. The invitation will offer the winning team the opportunity to slightly change the line-up if necessary or desired. Hughes might get the chance to become a full team member by then, but only if USPA also adopts the IPC guidance defined by General Secretary Max Bishop in his message for Pete Allum: "We are not going to split hairs over a couple of weeks."

This completes the two case studies and hopefully offers additional rule information. Both cases can also be discussed in the NSL Forum. Some comments have already been made, the new case study now has its own topic.