NSL Championship
2003 - AA Class
 Competition
format at the NSL Championship in 2000
The competition in the AA Class was
actually the most exciting race of the whole event and reminded on a different
competition format that the NSL had tested and applied years ago. The title
defender and Colorado Skydiving League champion Air Force battled it out
with the Midwest Skydiving League champion Money Shot for the AA Class
title. It was a decision by one single point after ten rounds. |
 The
Air Force team at SkyQuest 2002
The Air Force team from Colorado
was the defending NSL champion after winning the one-round weather meet
of SkyQuest 2002. This year's line-up at Fantasy of Flight consisted of
Joel Bier (point), Zach Fennell (tail), Jalen Whitener (center inside)
and Charlie Goetz (center outside), with Grant Adams on video. The Air
Force team came form a 7.9 season average and a 9.0 meet average at the
NSL Playoffs 2003. |
 Money
Shot at the NSL Championship 2003
Money Shot was the only other AA
Class team that travelled to Florida to attend the NSL Championship at
SkyQuest 2003. The Midwest Skydiving League AA Class champion 2003 competed
with Christy West (point), Eric Bickel (tail), Tom Bohm (center inside)
and James White (center outside) at Fantasy of Flight, Charles Lane filmed
the team. Money Shot had posted an 8.4 season average and was ahead of
the Air Force team in the NSL 2003 Rankings.
The MWSL team then scored an 8.6 meet average after eight rounds at the
NSL Playoffs 2003. |
 NSL
Championship 2000 TV show
Knowing both teams' previous scores,
there was no doubt that they would make a great match for an exciting competition,
and it turned out exactly like that. Since it was a direct confrontation
between only these two teams, the competition was very similar to the format
of other team sports as football, basketball, baseball, soccer or hockey,
and it was also similar to the NSL format of the championship event in
2000. That year, the event took place at Skydive DeLand. All teams completed
six rounds on the first day of the competition with the traditional format
for the preliminary rankings. |
 NSL
Championship 2000 match-up between Mr. Pink and Nemesis
On the second day of the competition,
the teams were set according to the rankings of the first day in two-team
match-ups for a knockout competition over two rounds. Only the winners
of each match-up would advance to the next round of the championship event.
This NSL Championship in 2000 was broadcast by the Sunshine Network in
Florida in a very entertaining 30-minute show. The match-up between Air
Force and Money Shot was a copy of this former NSL format, except the fact
that both teams went at each other over the whole ten-round distance. |
 Air
Force team at SkyQuest 2003
Even though some the 2000 match-ups
were already very close and exciting, the drama of the AA Class competition
at SkyQuest 2003 was as good as it can get. It went back and forth between
Air Force and Money Shot round by round for the first five jumps, and both
teams were still tied before going into round six. Each team had won one
round, three rounds were tied. Then the Air Force seemed to take control
in round six and created a two-point distance to Money Shot. It got worse
for the MWSL team when the Air Force won two more points in round seven.
The momentum of the whole second meet day was with the Colorado champion
who had the highest score in each of these five rounds and was now up by
four points. |
 Money
Shot preparing a competition jump at Fantasy of Flight
However, Money Shot did not give
up. The MWSL team did not know what the Air Force team scored in the later
rounds of the meet before they did the next round since they were ahead
of the schedule. They still tried to give it the best shot after the tough
results in round six and seven. They succeeded without knowing it when
the Air Force team seemed to show nerves in their lead. Money Shot did
not only make up the four-point deficit in the next two rounds. All of
a sudden, the Air Force team was one point behind going into the last round
of the meet. |
 Air
Force launching the exit Hook of round ten
The Air Force cadets apparently needed
the pressure and handled it very well. The last round was a pure random
sequence (K-F-G-N), and the Colorado team delivered their best performance
of the whole meet with a clean and energetic execution of this round. The
score of 16 points was a team record and enough to take the lead back by
one point after Money Shot's 14 points in the same round. It was the last
round, there was no chance for the MWSL team to fight back anymore. The
Air Force team had successfully defended the NSL AA Class trophy. There
was no reason to be disappointed for Money Shot who also won the SkyVenture
Competition after handicap at Fantasy of Flight and 60 minutes of free
SkyVenture tunnel time. Congratulations to both teams for a great competition. |
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| Area Hotels |
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Click
Here for more detailed information about the area hotels that offer
special NSL rates. |
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| SkyQuest 2003
Sponsorship |
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Click
Here to request information on how you can sponsor SkyQuest 2003 and/or
provide awards for the events. |
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