posted Mar 28th, 2024 - The last NSL Live Talk conversation with NMP PCH HayaBusa's team captain Dennis Praet took place before the complete current lineup traveled to New Zealand for a training camp. It was scheduled before the cancellation of the outdoor world championship in Israel and the replacement of the event to North Carolina.

Jump plane for their recent training camp in New Zealand was still the PAC 750XL which was supposed to be lifting the 4-way teams to competition altitude in Israel. 4-time world champion Dennis Praet and his Belgian team were not overly excited to exit from the same plane, even though Twin Otters will be used in North Carolina after the change.

However, the plans were made, and NMP PCH HayaBusa will have enough time to practice the Twin Otter exits, which will only be easier than they were in New Zealand.

Dennis Praet said that his team will focus exclusively on outdoor training throughout the European summer season. The new NSL Live Talk conversation touched once again the difficulties of balancing indoor and outdoor training properly and productively. NMP PCH HayaBusa have come to the conclusion that even any combination of both could become counter-productive.

Shamrock Showdown 2024			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		G,5,19		7,12,15		18,21,Q		17,16,A		E,L,22,11		2,10,M		F,6,N,9		J,13,O,8		C,K,H,P,B		D,20,4		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	27		22		23		27	-2	25		23		34		25		53	-5	23		282	28.2
2	France Aethers	FR	21	-1	18		22		24	-1	21		20	-1	29		22		42	-1	20		239	23.9
3	Golden Knights	US	23	-1	17	-2	18	-3	24	-1	21		21		27	-4	19	-2	40	-2	19		229	22.9
4	SDC Rhythm XP	US	19		16		18		22		19		17	-1	27	-1	22		39	-1	17	-1	216	21.6
5	Nephtys	FR	14		16		17		18		17		17		20	-3	20		31	-2	17		187	18.7
6	Chicken Bolts	US	17		14		12	-2	15	-3	13	-1	16		21	-1	16		29	-4	16		169	16.9
7	Thyra	NO	10	-2	9	-1	10	-1	12	-2	14		15		19	-1	16		23		10		138	13.8
8	Teiwaz	US	8	-1	11		11		13		11		11		15		8		14	-1	10		112	11.2

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Arizona Airspeed - Aethers at the Shamrock Showdown 2024

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The previous NSL Live Talk with Dennis Praet at the beginning of February covered mostly his coaching work with the Slovakian team Kiss My Grips. This time, the conversation was more directly related to NMP PCH HayaBusa and the team's current situation on their way back to contention level for the world's 4-way top spot.

Dennis Praet has to keep two different hats on his head and switch back and forth between his position as the team member and 4-time world champion and his growing coaching business. There is a major difference between the few teams who are full-time competitors and the vast majority of passionate teams on the recreational level.

Successful coaches are usually trying to balance the same difference as good as possible, as each team is most of the times in a different situation than another. The competition experience of coaches is often very different compared to the teams that they are working together with. The transition from being a world champion to coaching other teams and sharing the experiences does not happen naturally and automatically. In fact, there is a drastic difference between the life and experiences of a full-time competitor and recreational teams and competitors, which coaches have to consider from all angles.

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NSL Live Talk with Dennis Praet on 28 March 2024

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The second major part of the NSL Live Talk was related to the Shamrock Showdown 2024. Dennis Praet as a professional competitor had evaluated the performance of his former and future opponents carefully before, with or without the upcoming conversation.

He was impressed with Arizona Airspeed's performance, which is settled and established on the currently highest scoring level in the world. The reigning 4-way world champions are not making many significant mistakes and recover well from a potentially weaker round. Dennis Praet pointed out that there were only two infringements on the score-sheet, disregarding the five point deductions for "non-stationary grips" in the Super Sequence of Round 9.

He agreed that the same five infringements could be detected almost only by applying slower speed for the judging, which is according to the current rules:

"Viewings/Review of the Video Evidence: The Judges will watch the video evidence of each jump (1) one time at normal speed to determine points in time. The moment of freeze frame at the end of working time will be determined at the first viewing. If a judgement call occurs, a second viewing of the jump or part(s) of the jump will be conducted at normal or reduced speed between 50-90 percent of normal speed. At the request of the Event Judge a (3rd) third view of part(s) of the jump can be conducted at normal or reduced speed. The speed of the second- and third viewings (normal or reduced) will be determined by the Event Judge. The Chief Judge will decide prior to the start of each round the percentage of reduced speed to be used for the round. The freeze frame from the first viewing will be applied on each viewing."

23rd FAI World Cup of Formation Skydiving			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		3,G,N,19		11,17,L		13,7,C		2,D,O,8		14,K,J,12		9,M,P,H		5,4,18		15,1,10		16,21,E		F,20,6		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	26		27		26		25		22		48	-1	22		21		25		25		267	26.7
2	France 4-way Open	FR	23		25	-1	26		24		19		45	-1	19		19		23		23		246	24.6
3	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	20	-4	20	-2	25		23	-1	18	-2	45		20		19		24		24		238	23.8

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Arizona Airspeed - Aethers - NMP PCH HayaBusa at the 23rd FAI World Cup of Formation Skydiving - Video footage courtesy of InTime/FAI/ISC

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