August 2nd, Tuesday, Saarlouis, European Championships & World Cups 2011,

August 2nd, Tuesday: 8am start and by 8.20 the first team (401 - Turkey) is in the dubbing station. The Competition has truely started. There was then a short delay, as some teams had not realised the start time had altered from that published in the Bulletin and were not on the Drop Zone. At the moment the judges are keeping up with the dubbing!# 09.50 and the first round of 4-way Female is completed:

The competition is really moving quickly with one coache complaining (jokingly) that there is not time to get a coffee between seeing the team into the aircraft and being at the landing area by the time they get down.

2nd August, Tuesday - Midday, 3 rounds of 4-way female completed, 8-way has started, 4-way open 3rd round underway. The plan now is to continue with 8-way and 4-way open and VFS and start the Artistic Events. The opening ceremony this evening means that all jumping stops for the day at 16.00 hrs.

Quite amazing - after 3 rounds of 4-way open the top two teams, Aerodyne Aerokart, France and Hayabusa, Belgium are tied round by round.

17.30 the last load landed and everyone made a mad dash into town for the opening ceremony and parade - so well attended by the local population. A really good ceremony, short and to the point with an excellent accuracy display by two "special" jumpers from the German police into a very tight DZ in front of an appreciative but critical crowd of their peers! Then it was back to the DZ for dinner and for the judges to judge round 2 of 8-way, VFS and the artistic events. At the end of round 4 in the 4-way open Areodyne Aerokart are ahead of Hayabusa by 1 point! 94 - 93 respectively.