posted Mar 1st, 2008 - Round 7 of the Valentine's Meet 2008 was another clean round for Perris Fury. It was also the 5th consecutive jump where the Perris team scored only one point lower on the scoreboard than the dominating Airspeed Odyssey.

The main reason for the shorter distance between the US national team and Perris Fury surely was the exit situation, with Airspeed Odyssey jumping from the Pilatus Porter and Perris Fury from the Twinotter. However, the results were probably still a confidence builder for Fury after the last meet of both teams at the USPA Nationals 2007.

Canada's national team Evolution was still struggling with the exits, even though the progression was obvious, compared to the training camp in December that the NSL News covered on December 11, 2007 (Archives > 2007 > News > search for "Evolution). Evolution lost more points in Round 7, as the new video shows.

The problems that the LeMay family and videographer Daniel Paquette still experienced in Eloy will most likely be improved or fixed at the next meet, the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2008 in two weeks. Evolution has already resumed the training in DeLand and is very much focused on the top part of the skydive.

Perris Fury member Chris Farina was already impressed with the Canadian performance in Eloy, as he commented: "I was also very impressed with how the Canadian team performed and handled themselves during the competition. A very nice group of individuals who carried themselves in a professional manner. As with us, they had quite a few deductions, including a lot of camera busts. However, they stayed strong, focused and still managed to put up some very nice scores."

The scores of both teams will most likely be improved when they face each other once again and very soon in DeLand. Better exits for Evolution and fewer penalties for Perris Fury will bring both teams closer to the top contender at the Shamrock Showdown, Airspeed Odyssey.

Canada's Evolution and Perris Frury will probably still not be the toughest challengers for the US national team of 2008. The French national team, France Maubeuge, is well trained, and the French continuity plan fits much better to the right-hand door of the Pilatus Porter than Airspeed Odyssey's.

Great news from Russia will make the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2008 even more exciting and challenging for Odyssey. Black Cat, one of the world-class teams from Russia, is on its way to Florida after a long training camp in February in Marocco. Black Cat is well prepared after making over 100 traning jumps from the Pilatus Porter.

The Russian top team is obviously confident to win the qualification in Russia this year. Chances are little that the Russian Nationals 2008 will be held from the same jump plane that will be used at the World Championship of Formation Skydiving 2008 in August. The qualification event in Russia may even have a jump plane with a left-hand door.

However, Black Cat already prepares for the World Meet, as the focus on Pilatus Porter exits indicates.

This will be very helpful for the team in DeLand in two weeks where Black Cat will face off with several other national teams, including the medal contenders from Eloy and France Maubeuge.