posted Aug 30th, 2008 - The newest scores on the NSL leaderboard are coming from Italy.

The national championship takes currently place in Aquino, and it is a big event with a lot of public attention and TV coverage. The Formation Skydiving competition of the multi-category event has brought together 26 teams in three competition classes, plus four 8-way teams, including the Italian bronze medalist at the World Meet 2008, Ex3mo.

The NSL News has covered the controversy over the status as the Italian national 4-way team several times last year and in 2008. Sinapsi PD, the Spin Team and Felix Poseidon all had their own reasons to claim the right to represent Italy at the World Meet 2008 in France.

The Italian skydiving federation, FIPaS, eventually sanctioned the Spin Team as the national 4-way team and allowed Marco Arrigo to compete both in 4-way and with Ex3mo in 8-way.

Both Italian national teams did well in Maubeuge. Ex3mo won the first 8-way medals in Italy's Formation Skydiving history with an 18.0 average. The Spin Team was the winner of the "amateur championship" at this year's world meet in 7th place with a convincing 18.7 average.

The Spin Team, with Marco Arrigo, Antonella Chiarin, Alessandro Giovannini, Mirko Righi and Enzo Muro on camera, is not yet at the same world class level where the former Italian national team, Sinapsi PD, competed. Sinapsi with Marco Arrigo, Arianna de Benedetti, Livio Piccolo and Luca Poretti placed 4th at the World Meet 2004 in Croatia with a 21.0 average. The Sinapsi lineup of 2006 (Arianna De Benedetti, Pete Allum, Livio Piccolo and Luca Poretti) then won 4-way bronze medals at the World Meet 2006 in Germany with a 22.0 average.

However, the Spin Team with leader Marco Arrigo seems to be on the way to become the next Italian world class team in 4-way if the progression continues. The 7th place in Maubeuge was a good start into the international team career.

The situation a few weeks later at Italy's national championship is more than interesting. Sinapsi PD is back with a new lineup. Pete Allum's former team mate with the British national team XL, Steve Hamilton, has replaced Marco Arrigo who is now guiding the Spin Team.

The new Sinapsi lineup is not yet performing and scoring on the same level where the 2004 and 2006 lineup was. Pete Allum, Livio Piccolo, Luca Poretti and Steve Hamilton are still clearly outscoring the Spin Team and all other teams after nine rounds. The new Sinapsi lineup is also ready to accept the status as the Italian national team after winning the championship this weekend.

The very slow competition draw has not allowed the teams to come up with impressive scores so far, and even a faster sequence for Round 10 will not change the meet averages dramatically. However, the Spin Team continues with the same progression as at the World Meet 2008, which is still not good enough to keep up with the Sinapsi 4-way veterans.

The national championship event actually features a complete Sinapsi reunion of all previous lineups. The only missing member, Arianna De Benedetti, is filling a slot for Vertigo TH, the team currently in 4th place. She left Sinapsi after the World Meet 2004 in Croatia and continued with freeflying.

Last year's qualification drama in 4-way also included the team that is currently in 3rd place, Felix Areo Club Poseidon. Francesco De Felici, Mario Fattoruso, Armando Fattoruso, Paolo Tedesco and Vincenzo Tedesco were in second place after last year's national championship.

There was a short time period when Felix Poseidon was officially nominated as the Italian national 4-way team for the World Meet 2008. FIPaS was not in favor of Marco Arrigo's 4-way and 8-way double duties by then and refused to sanction the Spin Team as the national team after winning the championship last year. The Spin Team appealed, won and competed at the World Meet 2008.

All three teams are now in the three top spots of the current leaderboard and all deliver well. It will be interesting to see how teams and officials will work together after the conclusion of the Italian Nationals 2008. The scores of Round 10 will be posted as soon as possible, together with the 8-way results.