posted Jun 5th, 2007 - The NSL News goes back to the meet weekend on May 26. The Ranch Skydiving League had its season opener at the Blue Sky Ranch, and RSL Director Roger Cunha has provided one meet video of each team.

Two of the four teams that competed in May came back from the RSL 2006 season. Ranch Fusion competed in the AA Class last year and signed up for the same competition class for 2007. Fusion 2006 had posted 8.5 and 8.8 averages at the two RSL meets the team attended in 2006 and finished the 10-round competition at the USPA Nationals 2006 with a 10.3 average.

Ranch Pulse is the other RSL team that continues after a very successful 2006 season. The 2006 line-up, with Brian Ball (Tail), Roger Cunha (Point), Dimitri Kavour (Inside Center), Bob Schuyler (Outside Center) and Mike Shatalov (Camera), attended all four RSL 2006 meets (6.8 - 9.5 - 12.5 - 12.7) and peaked at the USPA Nationals 2006. The 13.5 average in Eloy brought USPA's Intermediate Class gold medals to The Ranch.

Ranch Fusion 2007, with Gene Benson (Tail), Ben Cheah (Center Outside), Michella Fanzo (Point), Mike Kamszic (Center Inside) and Gary Roth (Camera) in the line-up, posted a 7.5 average after the six rounds of the first RSL 2007 meet in May. The 10-pointer in Round 6 can now be viewed on NSL-TV.

The winner of the USPA Nationals is required to move up into the next competition class, and Ranch Pulse already competed in the AAA Class in May.

The Pulse line-up has changed for the 2007 season with the complete dive pool. Four team members continue (Brian Ball, Roger Cunha, Dimitri Kavour, Mike Shatalov), and Jon Dunn has replaced Bob Schuyler.

The positions have changed within the team. Former Tail Brian Ball has left the rear piece and taken the Center Outside position of the front piece.

Roger Cunha was the Point in 2006 and is now flying the Tail position. Only Dimitri Kavour came back to his Inside Center slot, as well as Mike Shatalov on camera. Jon Dunn is the new Point for Ranch Pulse.

The 11.8 average of the May meet is a promising start into the 2007 season for Ranch Pulse. The competition draw for the AAA Class included five of the six memory or mirror-image blocks that are new to the teams that come from the AA Class dive pool.

Blocks 5 and 17 neutralized each other in Round 6. However, Rounds 2, 5 and 5 brought memory challenges or swing moves to the team.

Ranch Pulse may pursue a goal in 2007 that has not been accomplished yet in the history of the USPA Nationals and the current system of competition classes. There has not been the same team yet that won the AA/Intermediate Class competition, moved up into the AAA Class and won USPA's Advanced Class the following year.

Arizona Divewerkz was four points short of this accomplishment when the team finished in 3rd place at USPA's Intermediate Class competition of 2005. AZDW moved up into the AAA Class anyway and won the Advanced Class gold medals in 2006. Ranch Pulse has the better start since the team already won USPA's Intermediate Class in 2006.

The Ranch team is also on the same pace as AZDW was throughout these two years. AZDW won the USPA bronze medals in 2005 with a 12.6 average, Ranch Pulse scored 13.5 at the USPA Nationals last year. AZDW posted an 11.2 average in February 2006 and a 12.5 average in April. The team's winning average last year was 14.6 in October.

Ranch Pulse's first AAA Class average in May (11.8) is close to AZDW's April average (12.5) last year. One open question is behind the opposition at the USPA Nationals this year. AZDW was far ahead of the team in second place in 2006 (Cross Keys Vision - 12.5 average). However, it seems as if Ranch Pulse has a realistic chance to accomplish the first USPA double-gold challenge.