posted Aug 6th, 2007 - Round 2 changed the whole picture in the Open Class competition already. It looks as if the competition in Stupino will be just as exciting as it could be expected. Belgium's new Hayabusa Defence line-up with Center Inside Luc Verstrepen was obviously not very happy with the first round and came back with force and finesse. The 27-pointer was the highscore for the round and moved the Belgium team up into the second position, tied with the Russian Sky Panthers and only one single point behind the new leader from France.

The founder and manager of the German Deutsche Sky Liga (DSL), Dr. Rainer "Exi" Hoenle, is also on competition site in Stupino, Russia. He oversees the FAI World Cup 2007 as the official FAI Controller. The NSL News receives updates from him, as well, and he had some very interesting comments after the second round.

Exi's World Cup Corner

The opening ceremony is over now. This was the main reason why the remaining scores of Round 2 were delayed. Actually, the opening ceremony included a VIP snack with adult beverages, as well. The local reporter spent a few extra minutes at this event... However, the show goes on now, not for the 4-way teams any longer though. The afternoon is reserved for artistic events and 8-way competition.

Belgium's Hayabusa Defence won their 27-pointer highscore by excellent engineering of the sequence. Norway's Arcteryx tried to go faster to keep up with the top teams and was punished with a deduction of four points in Round 2.

What's with the low scores of the Italian team? The explanation is the fact that this is not the best Italian 4-way team at the moment. The senior members and 4-way experts of the 8-way team Ex3mo are saving their energy for the 8-way competition with archrival Germany. The situation is similar in the German quarters. The EADS 4-way members focus on the 8-way event, while only Next Generation competes in the 4-way competition, as well.

The Ukrainian team Alpha Fox is the surprise in the female category. The team seems to have a new coach or manager and keeps up with the German team Chicas. It will be an interesting competition for the bronze medals. The girls from the Ukraine are moving quicker, while Chicas is more precise.