ESL - Euro Skydive league finals

[tdhibberd 0]

Yep those t-shirts looked great :-) actually just been looking at southy's pictures and they looked better than i could ever have imagined when i designed them. So proud to see you all wearing them and thanks to the BPA and Simon for giving me the opportunity.

See you all at Hib soon.

Tom

[fscalv 0]

I'd like to second Dru's comments. Netherlands NRG have done so well to move up to AA. They had 12.0 average in Single A on 26th August and could have easily medalled if they had stayed in single A. It should be noted that Belgium Spa Bad Donut and Belgium Spa Good Donut both competed in AAA on 24th June with 11.3 and 8.8 average respectively.

These seam quite respectable scores. Why did they feel it necessary to drop down to AA? It seams contrary to the spirit that teams enter the ESL. The decision was probably made in order to have two Belgium teams in each category and hence giving a better chance of winning the 'Spirit' sword. The Belgiums did indeed win the sword but at what cost? Will next year be a free-for-all with AAA teams competing in AA or Single A or even Rookies in order to win medals?

[bojana 0]

Anyone knows anything about the new scoring system?

[dbac 0]

so what's the solution for countries (like Belgium) that have no AA category?

If I remember correctly, they only had 14 teams at their National Championships in 05. Is a 4 tier system the answer for a country like that?

I think it kinda sucks that good AAA teams are allowed to drop down because there aren't enough teams but is there a compromise that allows smaller countries to compete on an even field? or is it simply that it's tough for some countries?

hmmmm.

Bri

ps Guy's rubbish, the website is actually www.escondido.co.uk but it hasn't been linked up yet so in the meantime it is www.escondido.moonfruit.com

[GeGe 0]

The Netherlands had a bit of both in AA this year: one team (Daltons) dropped down from AAA and the other team (NRG) stepped up. The one that dropped down only did one season in AAA and they really would have fitted better in AA if it had been available in the Netherlands.

So I'm not sure if there is a simple compromise for the small countries like Belgium and Holland, other than using common sense when entering teams in AA.

BTW, after the comments they got, I don't think those Donut teams will drop down again next year.....

[druspork 0]

You cant legislate for it. The ESL organisers were considering a new rule that teams cannot drop down to a lower division (same as USPA rules). But GeGe explains exactly why this is not acceptable for nations that dont have all 4 divisions. The Dutch approach to filling "AA" in 2006 was spot on. Any team competing in "AAA" simply because there is no "AA" has got to be allowed to do "AA" at the ESL. It would not have been fair to the Daltons to force them into "AAA" this year.

You have to leave it to the sporting nature of each Nation. If you dont like the result (it's no secret that I didnt) then grit your teeth and move on.

Dru