posted Jul 29th, 2007 - The Grande Finale at the Paraclete XP Money Meet 2007 was just as exciting as the situation after Round 9 promised. In short words: Airspeed Odyssey gave Craig Girard the birthday gift he was hoping for.

The meet psychology played a big role in the last round, as former Aispeed world champion Kirk Verner explained before the two top teams boarded the plane for the last round:

"The hunter has now turned into the runner, and the former runner is the hunter. You are much more focused and sharper, more energetic and dynamic when you are hunting from behind. You will see, with the 2-point lead the Golden Knights will not go after it the same way they have done it throughout the whole meet. They will try to defend the lead. And Airspeed will be the hunter, attacking from behind."

Kirk Verner was right, the positions had changed, and the videos show the difference. Airspeed looked in Round 10 as they had competed in each round at the Malevsky Cup 2007. The Golden Knights had a good round and were still not as aggressive as they had been before.

It is even difficult to define where and how exactly Airspeed beat the Golden Knights by three points in Round 10. The Army team did not make any serious mistakes. Airspeed was just a little bit quicker and more aggressive throughout the whole jump. It did not appear as if it would be enough for a 3-point difference when the jumps were dubbed for the judges.

However, Tony Thacker finally posted the scores on the board, and Airspeed Odyssey had won the round by three points and the 10-round meet by one single point with a 23.4 average.

The teams and the live audience had no idea what kind of drama the last videos of the competition would bring to the conclusion of the meet. Both teams were confident when they landed and knew that they had performed well. The videographers went to the dubbing station, while the crowd outside gathered in the viewing area at the creeper pad.

Both teams knew their numbers of points within working time after checking their own videos. However, the judges would have the last word, and only the final numbers on the scoreboard would count.

The final test for Airspeed before the USPA Nationals 2007 eventually turned out to become the situation the team had been hoping for. The team members had mentioned earlier that they were looking for the challenge and the pressure. It was one of Airspeed's goals to have a direct confrontation with each possible contender before the final showdown.

The Raeford meet had great results for the Golden Knights, as well. Even though the last round did not have the outcome that was in reach at that point, the Army team now knows that it has the potential to go back to the place of its own glory in 2002 and win the USPA Nationals once again this year.

Airspeed Odyssey knows that the competition will be as tough in Ottawa as can be. The Arizona team experienced in Raeford that a very hungry team could beat the favorites, not only in a round but also over a whole meet. It will take a focused and dynamic 10-round performance this year to win the USPA Nationals.

The reward for the amazing last round did not only come with the well deserved first place. Tim D'Annunzio also handed out the checks for the first three places at the award ceremony. $8,000 are going to Arizona, the Golden Knights donated their $4,000 back to the Paraclete XP owner, and Mass Defiance won $2,000 cash for the third place.

The meet in Raeford was another great competition experience for Airspeed Odyssey and all other teams. The final round will follow soon on NSL-TV.