posted Dec 8th, 2006 - The NSL News recently explored the very beginnings of the National Skydiving League and found very interesting material, including videos of the top teams by then. Two articles covered two of the busiest competition teams in 4-way history (November 14 on DeLand Genesis, December 2 on Z-Spot) and the first two years of the NSL in 1998 and 1999.

Today's story goes even a little bit further back in time. The project of the National Skydiving League was actually prepared with a test run beginning in November 1996 in Florida. The first season of the Florida Skydiving League was publicly announced as follows:

FSL Mission Statement

"In November 1996, a world class field of 4-way teams started to approach competition skydiving in a new way. The idea and the concept of the Florida Skydiving League was developed to help pushing the sport into a new direction. The FSL is based on the idea of an ongoing competition series, just as in other sports like basketball, hockey, baseball, or football. The long-term goal is to create and establish a professional, profitable and future-oriented league for Formation Skydiving competition. The Florida Skydiving League also wants to help creating an environment for skydiving that matches the high standards of other sports and offers the best possible conditions for the participating drop zones, teams, competitors, and also for the media and the general audience. For these high long-term goals, the Florida Skydiving League is the first step on the way."

It was a team effort that initiated the start of the Florida Skydiving League. South African Equanimity member Solly Williams, British Sebastian XL member Pete Allum and German DeLand VNE member Kurt Gaebel were looking for more 4-way competition and had discussed the project during their team training camps in DeLand.

The three competitors and coaches knew each other well after attending several international meets with their national teams. Equanimity, XL and VNE had just recently competed at the World Cup 1996 in Belgium. In fact, VNE and Equanimity had even formed an 8-way team for the World Cup and competed as a guest team in Belgium.

Back at their training homes in Florida, the three teams were eager to continue working together and offer more competition practice and fun to other teams that they knew and that they were coaching.

The plans materialized in a schedule and a set of rules, and six teams from Florida were invited to join the project. DeLand Equanimity, Sebastian XL, DeLand Basic 4, Sebastian 4NB, DeLand VNE and the Z-Boyz committed to compete throughout the first season of the Florida Skydiving League. All six teams attended the required six out of seven 4-way meets and collected FSL points, which determined the standings at the end of the regular season.

The league points were awarded after each meet and based on a handicap system that all teams had agreed upon. The raw average was of no relevance for the league rankings. Especially the top teams, DeLand Equanimity and Sebastian XL were looking for the pressure of a tight competition and the experience of it.

Next step was the FSL Semifinals, which were held in Sebastian in April 1997. Two teams were now paired against each other for elimination, according to their placement at the end of the regular season.

DeLand Equanimity in 1st place went over six rounds against the Z-Boyz. Sebastian XL was paired against DeLand VNE, DeLand Basic 4 and Sebastian 4NB competed against each other in the third pairing. The handicap system was still applied in the FSL Semifinals. Each team completed six rounds, and the three winners after handicap advanced to the FSL Finals 1997. Several guest teams used the opportunity and joined the 6-round competition in Sebastian.

The new and experimental handicap system eliminated the top teams in the semifinals and was later re-defined by Optic Nerve's eye surgeon, Dr. Joel Shugar, and then by Jetstream's Joe O'Connor.

The Z-Boyz, DeLand VNE and Sebastian 4NB competed once again at the end of April in DeLand, this time for the first FSL Championship title. The Z-Boyz won after handicap, with an 11.8 meet average after six rounds. DeLand Equanimity, with Solly Williams, Gary Smith, Robbie Spencer, Fred Whitsitt and Graham Harding on camera, competed as a guest team and posted a season-high 18.3 average.

The same Equanimity line-up traveled to Turkey at the end of the same year and surprised the skydiving world by winning the bronze medals at the World Championship of Formation Skydiving 1997 with a 19.3 average after ten rounds.

Sebastian XL, with Pete Allum, Chris Lynch, Toby Stafford, John McIver and Ian Brown, won the UK Nationals 1997 and placed 5th at the same world meet with a 17.6 average.

Sebastian 4NB, with Pamela Geoffrey, Mary Inhoffer, Valerie Walton and Sue Murphy in the line-up, won the silver medals at the USPA Nationals 1997 in the Intermediate Class.