posted Mar 20th, 2008 - The videos of Round 3 of the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2008 have already been replaced by new videos of Round 4. Not to forget: the total number of point deductions in Round 3 was 23 for all teams. Perris Fury had the largest portion with six penalties, which reduced the score from 31 points in working time to 25 points on the scoreboard.

It was bad luck for the Perris team that videographer Niklas Daniels' ringsight of the camera was not perfectly set. Parts of the formations and maneuvers were not in the frame, and the judges had to deduct the points for the non-judgeable portions of the jump.

However, Perris Fury's bad luck in Round 3 turned out to be beneficial for the first round of the Skins Game. The low score for Round 3 reduced the average after the first three rounds and increased the team's handicap for the first round for the money. Jump Shack sponsored Round 4 with $200 cash, and Perris Fury won the first skin of the competition after handicap.

It was a comeback with a lot of energy and skills for Perris Fury, which did not only win Jump Shack's $200 in the Skins Game. The 31-pointer was also the highest score for the round. Airspeed Odyssey and Russia's Black Cat completed 32 points in working time, but ended up with 30 and 29 points on the scoreboard after point deductions. The Golden Knights lost one point and posted 30 points. The whole field lost 22 points due to penalties in Round 4.

Canada's national team Evolution was one of the four teams that completed all ten rounds. The LeMay family (Michel, Martin, Vincent, Benoit) had a completely different meet experience in DeLand compered to the Valentine's Meet 2008 in Eloy in February.

The right-hand door exits from the Pilatus Porter were very costly at the team's season opener in Eloy. However, Evolution had used the four weeks until the next meet to work on the first part of the skydive. The difference was significant, as the 22.0 average after ten rounds clearly shows.

Evolution lost a total of six points at the Shamrock Showdown and has changed overnight into an underdog position as a potential medal contender at the World Meet in France this year. The pure numbers of the progression between the first two meets (16.8 - 22.0) do not consider certain factors of the competition. However, it is still very impressive, and the Canadian team will not stop here.

The NSL News had already introduced the British team Satori (Aaron Faith - Tail, Julia Foxwell - Center Outside, Liz Matthews - Center Inside, Katie Woods - Point, Ian Ridpath - Camera), with the NSL News story on 9 January 2008. The scores at the team's first competition with the new lineup were as promising as the NSL News had expected.

The team's 18.9 average after eight rounds included the outstanding 26-pointer in Round 4. Satori was the only AAA Class team that did not post its highest score in Round 6 with the fast sequence of random formations. Four point deductions in Round 6 were actually the main reason for this special situation. However, the 26-pointer in Round 4 was still Satori's highlight of the meet.

Today's NSL News story covers international teams that competed at the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2008. Two Scandinavian teams had a very exciting internal battle throughout the nine rounds that both teams completed.

Danish Blaze (Brian Gregersen, Lars Jensen, Allan Stejlborg, Torben Tidemand) is already qualified as Denmark's national 4-way team in 2008. The team trains and competed from the Pilatus Porter in DeLand. Blaze's exit in Round 4 gives more evidence how difficult it is for many teams to switch to the right-hand door. The Danish team finished with a 13.9 average after nine rounds and beat the Swedish rival by one single point.

Blue Spirits from Sweden was introduced by the NSL News with the story on 13 February 2008. Johnny Andersson (Point, Ulf Liljenbäck (Tail), Johnny Olsson (Center Inside), Jens Thögersen (Center Outside), with Staffan Linde on camera, will most likely win the Swedish Nationals this year and become the national team in France in August.

However, Blue Spirits still has to win the national championship, and the team preferred to compete from the left-hand door of the Twinotter. The World Meet 2008 would only be the first international meet experience for the this lineup, and the exits from the Pilatus Porter in France are not on the top of the agenda for the team at the moment.

Last not least, another team from Scandinavia competed at the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2008. Bangsimon is Iceland's national 4-way team and will represent the island between Europe and America at the World Meet this year. Teams from four different Scandinavian nations (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland) made the meet a small nordic championship, with only a team from Finland missing.

National teams from Iceland have competed three times at a World Championship of Formation Skydiving so far, in 1989 (Spain), 1993 (USA) and 2004 (Croatia). Bangsimon, with Orvar Arnarson, Siggi Johannsson, Tryggvi Jonasson and Skolli Thorarinsson in the lineup confirmed for the NSL News that they plan to compete in France this year.

The team from Iceland at the World Meet in Croatia 2004 finished with a 1.9 average after eight rounds, and Siggi Johannsson was a team member of the 2004 lineup. Bangsimon now posted a 7.7 average after nine rounds, and that's not the end yet. The new team has the 10.0 average benchmark in mind that the Icelandic team of 1993 had reached. Nikolai Eliasson, now DeLand resident and AFF instructor, was a team member in 1993 and watches the Bangsimon progression with great interest.