posted Jun 1st, 2023 - FAI World Cups of Formation Skydiving usually do not offer the same competitive level as the FAI World Championships do, even though all participating countries may register more teams (up to four) than only one national team in each event.

The U.S. delegation has never missed any of the three horizontal events (4-way Open, 8-way Open, 4-way Women) at outdoor world championships since 1985. However, there have not been many U.S. teams at the outdoor world cups in the same time period.

In fact, complete U.S. delegations posted scores only in the same three FS events when the outdoor world cups were hosted by Skydive Arizona in Eloy. That happened three times, first in 2000, then again in 2005, and last time in 2019, when four U.S. teams swept the 4-way Open Class leaderboard. Russia won in 8-way, France in 4-way Women.

It is rare enough that the same nation wins all three sets of gold medals. This happened only twice since 2001, the year when the 4-way Women event was officially added to the outdoor world championship format. DeLand Majik (4-way Open), Arizona Airspeed (8-way Open) and Synchronicity (4-way Women) won all gold medals for the United States in 2004, and France did the same in 2010. The current U.S. delegation could change the situation this year in Norway.

FAI Outdoor World Cup 2019			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		13,11,16		P,22,4		O,7,21		9,20,G		18,15,L		K,10,3		6,14,C		1,M,A,17		F,D,Q,8		2,5,E		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	20	-1	22		28		29		21		21	-1	21	-2	29		31	-2	24	-2	246	24.6
2	SDC Rhythm XP	US	19	-1	22		25		21	-2	20	-1	20		23		25		29	-1	24	-2	228	22.8
3	Airspeed Odyssey	US	14	-2	17	-2	22	-2	21	-2	18	-1	16	-3	21		23		26	-3	17	-2	195	19.5
4	Defiance	US	17		17		21	-1	22		16	-2	15	-2	21		20	-2	26		16	-2	191	19.1
5	Aerodyne Cypres Lille-Bondues	FR	15	-1	16		19		21		16	-1	17		18		22		25		21		190	19.0
6	Echochamber	SE	17		14	-3	22		20	-3	17		16	-1	19		20		23	-1	21		189	18.9
7	Chimera	UK	14	-1	16	-1	21		19	-1	17		16	-1	18	-1	22		26	-1	18	-1	187	18.7
8	Pro Team	FI	15	-1	18		20		17	-1	17		15		18		21		26		18	-1	185	18.5
9	Kinetix	AU	14	-1	17		19		19		15	-1	17		18		19		23	-1	16		177	17.7
10	China	CN	12	-1	17		19		17	-1	14	-1	13	-1	16		20		24		15	-1	167	16.7
11	Eros	UK	12	-2	16		20		18		15	-1	13	-2	12	-4	17	-1	22		16	-1	161	16.1
12	eX3MO	IT	13		13	-2	17	-2	13	-4	12	-1	14		13		16	-1	22	-2	14		147	14.7
13	Pajama Pumas	UK	10	-2	12		17		14	-1	13		12		15		16		15	-2	13		137	13.7

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Arizona Airspeed - SDC Rhythm XP - Airspeed Odyssey - Defiance - Video Footage Courtesy of FAI/IPC/OmniSkore!HD

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The FAI Outdoor World Cup 2023 will feature a complete U.S. delegation at an outdoor world cup in Europe. Not only be the three national teams (Arizona Airspeed, XPGK8, XPG4) will compete in the respective events in Norway, there will also be additional U.S. teams using the biennial international FAI/ISC opportunity to measure up with strong European opposition.

SDC Rhythm XP's Doug Barron will bring his new lineup to Norway for their first international FAI/ISC outdoor competition experiences. He competed with Keith Conner and Chris Webb at the FAI Indoor World Cup 2022, and the new lineup with Steve Loufek also met the four best 4-way teams in the world at the Shamrock Showdown 2023. They will probably have the same opportunity at the outdoor world cup in Norway.

Doug Barron, Keith Conner, Chris Webb and Rhythm videographer Charlie Mcgee will also compete in 8-way, as their Prison 9 team mates Gorka Amian, Brian Ball, Doug Hendrix, Scott Latinis, Greg Oldendick travel to Norway together with SDC Rhythm XP. Keith Conner and Chris Webb replace Matt Accord and Lauren Byrd in Norway, Charlie Mcgee is filming the 4-way and 8-way teams both. The 4-way Women leaderboard will feature at least two U.S. teams, as well. The NSL News reported on 7 October 2022 that the SNE Fly Girls were planning their own trip to Norway, as well.

FAI Outdoor World Cup 2019			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Open		13,11,16		P,22,4		O,7,21		9,20,G		18,15,L		K,10,3		6,14,C		1,M,A,17		F,D,Q,8		2,5,E		Total	Avg
1	Tanay 8	RU	19		26		18		20		23		21	-1	20		24		20		16		207	20.7
2	France	FR	20		24		18		19	-1	21		22	-1	19		23		19		17		202	20.2
3	Paraclete XP8	US	21	-1	24	-1	16	-1	18		21		20	-2	19		22	-1	19		18		198	19.8
4	Arizona Airspeed	US	18		21		16		18		16	-3	21	-1	17		17	-1	16		14	-1	174	17.4
5	Qatar Falcons	QA	16	-1	20	-1	14	-1	13	-3	17	-1	12	-5	15		19		15		14		155	15.5
6	Airbus	DE	14	-1	15		12		15		15	-1	15		12	-1	15		14	-1	12		139	13.9
7	Monster	US	12		13	-1	10	-1	12		14		13		12		15		11	-1	10		122	12.2
8	Amphibious Attack Tigers	US	11		16		10		11		9	-3	13	-1	14		10	-1	13		11		118	11.8
9	Groomed	UK	7	-2	9		8	-1	9		10		7		8	-1	10		13		7		88	8.8

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Paraclete XP8 - Arizona Airspeedish - Monster - Amphinious Attack Tigers at the FAI World Cup 2019 - Video Footage Courtesy of FAI/IPC/OmniSkore!HD

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The three leaderboards in Voss will include more U.S. scores than ever before at an outdoor world cup that is not hosted by Skydive Arizona. The results may also indicate what can be expected at the next outdoor world championship in Israel 2024: the next attempt of the U.S. delegation to win the three sets of gold medals for a new FS sweep.

NFTO interfered with the potential of a U.S. sweep at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2022 by winning the gold medals in 4-way Women. Arizona Airspeed and the Paraclete's XP8 lineup won easily on home turf in Eloy last year and could still be out of reach this August in Norway.

The new Paraclete/Golden Knights combination XPGK8, which includes the three Golden Knights Andrew Starr, Jeshua Stahler and Mike Connors, will compete for the first time at an outdoor competition. They already had a very impressive indoor performance and will probably be as far out of each in 8-way as Airspeed was in 4-way.

The sweep pressure will probably and once again be on Paraclete's XPG4 lineup. However, Jeana Billings has been back with XPG4 after the Paraclete XP Indoor Championship 2023, and the 2022 lineup were very close to the 4-way Women top spot at the FAI Indoor World Championship 2023. It would not be a big surprise if the third U.S. national team takes the top spot in 4-way Women already at the upcoming outdoor world cup...

FAI Outdoor World Cup 2019			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women		13,11,16		P,22,4		O,7,21		9,20,G		18,15,L		K,10,3		6,14,C		1,M,A,17		F,D,Q,8		2,5,E		Total	Avg
1	Aerodyne Weembi Girls	FR	17		19		25		20		20		19		20		23		25	-1	21		209	20.9
2	NFTO	UK	17		17		23		19	-1	17		17		19		21		23	-1	20		193	19.3
3	Phoenix XP	US	13		13		17		14		13		12	-1	14		17		18	-1	14		145	14.5
4	Skynamite	DE	13		12		18		16		11	-2	13		13		15	-1	16	-3	16		143	14.3
5	SNE Fly Girls	US	11		11	-1	15	-1	14		11		12		13		14	-1	16		12		129	12.9
6	Victorious Secret	US	9		11	-1	14		10	-2	11		11		12		16	-1	14		14		122	12.2
7	Alola	UK	9	-1	10	-2	13		10	-1	9	-1	9	-1	9	-1	12	-1	16		11		108	10.8

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Phoenix XP - Fly Girls - Victorious Secret at the FAL Outdoor World Cup 2019 in Eloy - Video Footage Courtesy of FAI/IPC/OmniSkore!HD

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