posted Nov 2nd, 2007 - The logo of the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2008 has been placed on the top of the pages earlier than ever before. There is a very good reason for this early announcement. The season opener of the Florida Skydiving League has already been one of the top events in the past years. However, the 2008 event promises even more excitement than all previous meets.

Information at the event page shows what's behind the early announcement. Two of the top contenders for gold medals at next year's FAI World Championship of Formation Skydiving in France have already confirmed their attendance at the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2008, Airspeed Odyssey and France Maubeuge.

Both teams will represent their countries as the national 4-way teams in August 2008 in France, Maubeuge. The early announcement will offer other national teams the opportunity to include this high-profile competition in their calendar's for the 2008 season, as well.

The Shamrock Showdown is not only restricted to national teams, the event has always been open for guest teams, as well. However, national teams from other countries can use the same opportunity to test the waters at the beginning of the world meet season and possibly even combine the competition with a training camp in the USA. The currency exchange rate for the US dollar favors teams visiting the USA at the moment.

Perris Fury has also confirmed the team's attendance, as yesterday's NSL News story reported. An exciting competition on the highest level of 4-way performance in March 2008 can already be guaranteed by now.

The Shamrock Showdown will be held for the 7th time at Skydive DeLand. The current format of the event, a 10-round competition plus the "Skins Game" money meet, was introduced in 2002. DeLand Majik members and FSL management had come up with the idea of the "Skins Game", which offered cash and prizes for the teams round by round, and also for the overall winners.

The participation of the best teams in the world cannot be very encouraging for other teams that would like to go after the prizes, as well.

This was the reason why the Shamrock Showdown management decided early to apply a handicap system for the "Skins Game". The records in the NSL Archives show that many different teams have won cash and prizes in the past.

The combination of the best teams in the world competing for the number one ranking and amateur teams in the same race for cash and prizes has always produced an exciting and entertaining atmosphere. The list of world-class teams at the Shamrock Showdown over the years includes DeLand Genesis, DeLand Majik, Airspeed Vertical, Sebastian XL, Sinapsi PD, Golden Knights, DeLand Fire, Hayabusa, Team Fastrax.

Airspeed Odyssey won the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2007 with a 23.0 average and comes back to defend the title in March 2008. Team Fastrax, Golden Knights, DeLand Groove and Norway Arcteryx made this year's event a world-class 4-way competition.

France Maubeuge will visit Skydive DeLand and compete at the Shamrock Showdown for the first time in the history of the event. The French national 4-way team won the silver medals at the FAI World Cup 2007 after an exciting finish with a jump-off round. Belgium's national team Hayabusa Defence won the gold medals, as the NSL News reported comprehensively.

The March 2008 competition in DeLand will be held from a Pilatus Porter for the national teams that would like to get competition practice for the world meet in France. Other participating teams have the option to jump from Pilatus Porter or Twinotter.

The results of the Shamrock Showdown have provided interesting information in the past years. DeLand Majik won the 2004 event and became the new 4-way world champions the same year. DeLand Fire beat the Golden Knights in March 2005 and repeated the victory at the USPA Nationals after a jump-off round.

Sinapsi PD won the Shamrock Showdown 2006 event over DeLand Fire and could not repeat this at the world meet. The DeLand team reversed the ranking order at the World Championship of Formation Skydiving 2006 in Germany and became the new 4-way world champions.

The order of the first three places at the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2007 was identical with the results at the USPA Nationals 2007. Airspeed Odyssey won in March and also in September this year, Team Fastrax and Golden Knights placed second and third.

The complete information at the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2007 pages provides a good idea of what to expect at the 2008 event. Airspeed Odyssey, France Maubeuge and Perris Fury have started the list of participating teams. The NSL News will update the list on a regular basis.