posted Apr 20th, 2005 - The backdrop for Meet #3 of the Southwest Skydiving League was a beautiful spring day in Eloy, Arizona. Nine four-way teams enjoyed a fast draw and the opportunity to compete with the league’s two full-time teams, Arizona Airspeed Odyssey and Arizona Airspeed Velocity. To top off the great weather and participation, a strange coincidence: round five of the draw was exactly the same jump as round three of Meet #2 on March 19th. Omniskore provided the professional judging, the staff at Skydive Arizona ran things like a clockwork, and guest meet director Andi McNew did a great job.

In the AAA Class, both Airspeed four-way teams made good use of the fast draw by posting matching 30’s in round three. Velocity took it away in rounds four and five with a 26 and 25 respectively and widened their margin to twelve points over the six rounds for the gold. Airspeed Velocity was competing intact, while Airspeed Odyssey competed without Craig Girard, who was coaching in Brazil. Filling Girard’s slot was Airspeed veteran John Eagle, who had made less than ten jumps over the past two years prior to the meet.

Nobody exiting behind Odyssey on the first jump noticed any cobwebs in the air though, on the 20-point re-currency jump, and the 20.8 average for the silver medal was a great performance. Perris Storm pulled off some high scores, including an impressive score of 15 points in round five. The team’s re-set button worked well after Andi McNew lost the visor off of her helmet in the second round on the first Tee - Chinese T (Block 22). Perris Helion rounded out the AAA Class with a 7.8 meet average. Helion had impressive scores all through the rounds, it was just a killer score of four points in round one, otherwise that average would be several notches above the team's performance at SSL Meet #2.

In the AA Class, Arizona Divewerkz dominated with scores far outpacing any of their previous performances. After having to leave Perris on the weather day at the last meet, this team let it rip on their home turf and took the gold medal with a 12.1 meet average, including impressive 15-point scores in rounds one and three and a 14-point score in round five.

Taking the silver medal and filling an important role, which every meet needs (the venerable local pick-up team with a humorous name), FTTTJ ("Free Tunnel Time Til June") scored a 7.2 meet average. Two members of this team are Anabel Durham and Jamie Lindsay who will be competing in a player-coach team with newly Italian Pete Allum at the USPA Championship 2005. Durham recently relocated from DeLand, Florida to the Tucson area.

Three teams competed in the A Class, including Perris Quest, which includes father-and-son 4-way teammates Merv and Jason, with longtime jump-buddy John Green. Quest captured the bronze medals in tight scores throughout the meet in the A Class. Though the name may sound Californian, Quake hails from Britain. This junior team was in town getting coaching from Todd Hawkins, who helped them achieve a 6.5 meet average for the silver medals. Arizona Desert Dogs, a new local weekend team, hopes to stay together this year and finished just four points behind Quake, catching the silver medal with a 5.8 meet average.

The next SSL meet will be on May 28th at Skydive Elsinore.