posted Dec 31st, 2006 - The situation on the top of the AAA/Open Class leaderboard at the USPA Nationals 2006 became more interesting when the faster rounds of the second competition day came up. Round 9 (J-L-Q-P-18) was already shaking up the leaderboard for the first time, even though no changes of the rankings were visible yet.

In fact, the rankings of the AAA/Open Class after Round 9 were still identical with the order at the end of the first competition day after seven rounds. Round 8 next morning had not brought any changes at all. However, even though the ranking order on the leaderboard was still the same after the fast round nine, things had changed.

The Russian team Black Cat obviously knows very well how to handle fast sequences. The same line-up had posted a new official world record with the 44-pointer at the Malevsky Cup 2006, which can still be viewed on NSL-TV. It was no big surprise that Black Cat was able to outscore DeLand Groove and Team Fastrax by four points in Round 9.

However, the other top teams lost a few points in the judging room (DeLand Groove -2, Fastrax -1), which helped Black Cat to catch up and get very close to the very top of the leaderboard. The distance between the 1st place and Black Cat in 3rd place was now down to two points. Everything was possible again before the last round of the meet.

The situation was similar in the race for the USPA bronze medals. The ranking order had not changed, the Golden Knights were still holding the bronze medal position. However, Airspeed Odyssey was closing in on the Army team. Odyssey was a new team on the second day of the competition and had finally shaken off the challenging Perris Fury.

The Airspeed line-up was now chasing the Golden Knights and reduced the distance from four points after Round 8 to one single point after Round 9. Odyssey's point deduction left the Army team still alone in the bronze medal position, but the pressure was on.

Perris Fury was under pressure, as well. Airspeed Velocity reduced the 3-point difference to two points in Round 9. The Perris team was still the surprise of the meet and peaked with a perfect timing at the right time. The great performance at the USPA Nationals 2006 motivated the team to make big plans for the 2007 season, as the NSL News reported on December 5.

The same story mentioned that Perris Fury was looking for a new team videographer. The reason for the personnel change was laid out in the article. However, former Fury videographer Karen Lewis did not leave the team to retire from 4-way competition at all. She actually still offers her services for other teams.

In fact, she is now looking for a new team to work for. She is offering professional video, as she has shown many times throughout the 2006 season with Perris Fury. She mentioned that she is still available for almost any schedule. She prefers to work in Southern California but would consider other locations.

Karen Lewis has over 2,500 4-way video jumps, including three USPA Nationals and multiple SSL meets, and a total of over 4,000 camera jumps. She also works as an AFF and Tandem Instructor. Interested teams can get directy in touch with her by e-mail.

Perris Fury prepares for the 2007 season in the meantime. It will be another very busy season. The Fury members will once again manage their successful 8-way projects, guide 4-way teams through the SSL meets and have to find enough time to train and compete with their original 4-way line-up.

The AAA/Advanced Class competition did not offer any exciting news on the very top. Arizona Divewerkz was already too far away and added more distance to the other teams in this USPA competition class in Round 9. However, Cross Keys Vision opened a door for Perris Voltage in this round.

Vision's 8-pointer included three point deductions, and the Cross Keys team was lucky that the Perris team lost two points in the same round. The second competition day was not the best day for Vision after safely sitting in second place at the end of the first day, six points ahead of Perris Voltage. The Perris team made up four points in the first two rounds of the second day, and it was a tight competition again for the AAA/Advanced Class silver medals.

Ranch Pulse gave away three points to Air Force CAD, once again in a round with a faster sequence. Both Air Force line-ups completed 17 points within working time in Round 9 and outscored the rest of the Intermediate Class field. Air Force 7XY lost a point in the judging room, and Air Force CAD had the sole highscore with the 17-pointer. It was now a 2-point distance between Ranch Pulse and Air Force CAD before Round 10. The NSL News story on October 23 included an evaluation of the situation before the last round of the meet.