posted Sep 2nd, 2011 - The NSL News goes back to the UK Nationals 2011, which was the biggest 4way competition of the 2011 season so far. Only the USPA Nationals 2011 might still be able to count more then 55 4way teams.

The AA Class competition was very exciting this year, with the standard across all teams much higher than in the past years. Full Stop, player-coached by AAA Class champion Ian "Milko" Hodgkinson of Satori, dominated from start to finish as expected, following their stunning performance at the World Challenge 2011. Full Stop now won the outdoor meet with a 29-point lead and a 16.1 average. The videos of Full Stop's meet rounds show skills many AAA Class teams would be proud of.

It was a close competition otherwise and a very tight race for the silver and bronze positions, as only three points separated the 2nd and the 7th place after four rounds.

UK Nationals 2011		Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Round 7	Round 8	Total	Avg
Rank	AA Class	P,Q,7	K,9,13	19,L,G	O,B,M,4	1,F,A	22,J,14	2,6	D,11,H	Total	Avg
1	Full Stop	23	12	13	24	17	11	13	16	129	16.1
2	Satori Red	16	12	10	15	13	10	11	13	100	12.5
3	Gr4vity	17	8	11	16	13	8	11	14	98	12.3
4	Brit Chikkos	17	13	11	13	12	8	10	13	97	12.1
5	Nomad	15	11	11	15	13	8	10	10	93	11.6
6	Kryos Airkix	15	11	10	15	12	9	10	10	92	11.5
7	Eclipse	15	11	8	17	13	8	11	8	91	11.4
8	Satori Purple	13	7	7	8	11	6	7	7	66	8.3

Satori Red took silver with a very strong performance across the eight rounds and a 12.5 average. The team was put together from scratch by the Satori Academy in March of this year and hadn't actually met as a team before they attended their first tunnel camp together. The AA Class blocks were still new to some team members, and others had to learn new slots.

Satori Red entered the July meet of the United Kingdom Skydiving League (UKSL) to cut their teeth in competition and won bronze medals with a 12.3 average. Then the teamy peaked at the right time and delivered a very consistent performance across the eight rounds at the UK Nationals 2011, including a nail biting finish.

Satori Red said their team came together quickly with fun and a fast progression: "We enjoyed the really tight race at the Nationals - there was great spirit amongst all the teams - and we were delighted to find it brought out the best in each of us".

Gra4ity, 4th in the A Class at the UK Nationals 2010 with a 12.3 average and 2nd in all three of the UKSL meets this year (9.7 - 9.8 - 13.0), had a strong finish to secure the bronze medals with a 12.3 average.

Eclipse had won all three UKSL meets this year (9.8 - 10.4 - 13.7) and taken the UKSL 2011 gold medals. However, 11 point deductions in the national championship were too costly, and Eclipse ended up in 7th with an 11.4 average. Eclipse confirmed that the same lineup will continue and step up into the AAA Class competition next year for the 3rd season together.

Half of the Brit Chicks 8way lineup competed as Brit Chikkos, which stands for a nod to their cameraman Stikkos Janssens. Whilst they had trained heavily in 8way for the past two years, they were effectively a scratch 4way team together. The Brit Chikkos still made their presence known with a 17-pointer and the 2nd place in Round 1. They finished 4th with a 12.1 average and reunited with their other four team mates a week later to deliver a great 11.9 average for silver medals in the Open Class 8-way competition. The UK 4way future looks bright with such a strength in the AA Class and 17 teams already in the AAA Class competition this year.