posted Feb 22nd, 2008 - The NSL News published an update from the Netherlands on 4 January 2008. Three Dutch competitors had visited the NSL News office in DeLand during a training camp of Punky Guppy, a Dutch player-coach project with international competitor Paul Hofstee. The story included a mention that one of the Punky Guppy players, Leon van Leeuwen, would return to DeLand in February for a camp with his own team, Whooops. Leon van Leeuwen's team just completed this training camp last week, and all Whooops members visited again before they headed back to Europe.

The next part of the series of international updates introduces a team in an even more colorful way. Local videographer Edson Pacheco filmed Whooops during the team activities in DeLand and created a DVD for the team, which can be viewed by clicking here. Edson Pacheco started his team profiles this year with a few other teams, as well. The comments by the Whooops members are in Dutch language. Requests for translations have to go directly to the team...

Whooops consists of Leon van Leeuwen (Point), Maurits Idema (Center Outside), Peter Tak (Tail), Mechie Voermans (Center Inside) and Johan De Pijper (Camera). Leon van Leeuwen, Mechie Voermans and Johan De Pijper are founding members and jumped at the same parachute club in the Netherlands, the First Dutch Skydiving Club (EMPC), which celebrates its 60-year anniversary in 2008.

Leon van Leeuwen (42 - first jump in 2002) and Mechie Voermans (31 - first jump in 2000) had between 200 and 300 jumps when they decided to form a team. Videographer Johan De Pijper (33 - first jump in 1993) was a more experienced club member and assisted his new team at recruiting time. Two other club members, Erwin van der Schaaf and Petra van Overveld, joined the original lineup, and Whoooops was complete at the end of 2004.

Paul Hofstee was working with the team and prepared Whooops for its first competition season in 2005. Whooops made a few training jumps and also added windtunnel time in Paris, France. Marc Hoornweg guided the team through its first competition season in 2005 since Paul Hofstee was too busy that year.

The Rookie Class was available for Dutch teams for the first time in 2005, and the timing was perfect for the new team with little 4-way experiences. In fact, Whooops became the first Rookie Class team in the competition history of the Netherlands. Whooops attended two meets in 2005 (1.7 - 3.7) and made plans for the 2006 season.

The lineup changed for the second team season. Point Petra van Overveld left, and Leon van Leeuwen took her slot. Isabella Terpstra joined the Whooops lineup with a total of 100 jumps. Coach Paul Hofstee had recommended the new member. He was also back as the team's coach in 2006.

Whooops decided to continue in the Rookie Class throughout the 2006 season. The new team member and a change of the Rookie Class rules were the reason for this decision. The Rookie Class dive pool now included all 16 Random Formations as exit formations after one season with only four standard exits.

A few more Rookie Class teams joined the Dutch Skydiving League in 2006, and the consistent progression (6.2 - 7.2 - 8.7) continued for Whooops. The highest Rookie Class score for a single round (13) and the highest meet average (8.7) are still in Whooops possession at the moment.

Whooops moved up into the A Class with two new members in 2007. Erwin van der Schaaf and Isabella Terpstra had left the team, and Whooops had the three original members looking for new team members. Peter Tak now joined the lineup as the Tail. He was the alternate for A Class team Pioshop before Paul Hofstee recommended him for Whooops.

Peter Tak came from the same dropzone where a former member of the Dutch national team in IPC's female category, Infinity, was jumping. Judith Muit heard from Peter Tak of the Whooops plans and decided to help the team. She was motivated to forward her own experiences to new teams and also learn more for herself. She had only been in the Tail slot before and switched to the Center Outside position for Whooops in 2007.

The 2007 season turned out to be another record season for Whooops, this time in the A Class. Reigning 4-way world champion Gary Smith coached the team on Judith Muit's request, and Whooops moved up to an unknown Dutch scoring level in the A Class that year (14.2 - 10.7 - 14.7 - 15.5) and set new records for a single round, as well, with a 23-pointer in June, which is still avalable on NSL-TV by clicking here.

The live battle with UK team Sonic V at the ESL Championship 2007 was supposed to become the Whoops highlight of the 2007 season. Unfortunately, the meet was cut short to only two rounds due to bad weather, and Sonic V was one point ahead after the second round. Each team had won one round until then.

Despite the very successful 2007 season, Judith Muit's commitment was only for one year. She had other plans for the near future and wanted to focus on AFF and skydiving instruction. She left Whooops at the end of the 2007 season, as it was planned. However, Whooops already knew that the team would need a new member and started to look around early.

Judith Muit had already recommended Maurits Idema who was her team mate with Doublemix in 2005. Maurits Idema (34 - first jump in 1989) had been on a break from team training after Doublemix, did not skydive in 2006 and made only a few jumps in 2007. However, coach Gary Smith, had also recommended him as a strong Center Outside, and he got the Whooops slot.

The new lineup started in November 2007 with a windtunnel camp in Rosendaal and scheduled one tunnel camp per month. Leon van Leeuwen then visited with Punky Guppy in January 2008, and the team training with the whole Whooops 2008 lineup and coach Gary Smith followed in DeLand in February.

The 2008 season will be very challenging for Whooops. The team decided to skip the AA Class and move up into the AAA/Open Class competition. The team members said that it is mentally very challenging to deal with longer sequences and memory. There are 14 new block techniques to learn, as well. It surely feels like a double step up for the team members.

Whooops confirmed that they only committed to skipping the AA Class when Maurits Idema joined the team as the new Center Outside. They trust his experience in the slot. Despite their own double step, the Whooops members said that the current NSL competition classes work very well in the Netherlands.

However, Whooops is up to the challenge. The Dutch team has already passed the 10-average level in the AAA Class after the tunnel training and 60 training jumps. Goal for the 2008 season is a 12-point average level. One week-long camp and three weekends will hopefully add another 100 training jumps to the team's logbook. Five hours of windtunnel training are also on the team's training agenda. Meets of the Dutch Skydiving League and the ESL Championship 2008 will bring competition experience to the 2008 lineup.

The team needs support for the training efforts and has already received some. Center Outside Mechie Voermans works in her family business, Bakery Voermans, which sponsors her team. Leon van Leeuwen's employer, Lemmens Metal, also helps the team with cash contributions. The company owner is a former BMX rider and understands the Whooops situation.

There is also a very interesting international aspect of the 2008 season for Whooops. The UK team Sonic V, Whooops opponent at last year's ESL Championship, is making exactly the same double step and moves up into the AAA Class. There is a very good chance that both teams will continue their battle one year later at a new location.