INFO RELEASE FROM IPC FORMATION SKYDIVING COMMITTEE - PROPOSED DIVE POOLS FOR 2002


At the last IPC meeting the FS committee prepared a new dive pool for Formation Skydiving, which, contrary to ordinary procedures, should be made available on September 1st, 2001. This was to give the teams a chance to start training earlier with the new changes implemented. This dive pool was informed to be the official dive pool from September 1st.

However, after further thought and discussions with the FS committee and teams, I decided to postpone the decision to post an official dive pool between IPC meetings. The reasons were several: It became obvious since many teams and individuals objected the proposed changes to the 2002 rules that this subject would be revisited on the next IPC meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland at the end of January 2002, and at that time there would possibly be other proposals to consider. Since any dive pool and set of rules need the approval of the annual IPC meeting, it made less sense to launch an "official IPC dive pool" five months before it needed a new approval, or, maybe even changed further. Since there were no IPC sanctioned competitions after the World Games, the need for an official dive pool for five months was really not relevant.

In the clarity of hindsight, the decision to go out of sequence and approve new rules in between IPC annual meetings may not have had the result and effect that it was thought to have, and I apologize to anyone that may have been disturbed by this.

But - the work done and the directions proposed from the committee are still the grounds for the rules for 2002. This means that the dive pool that should be official from September 1st, is the same dive pool as is on the table for approval for 2002.

This new dive pool was reduced in size from the original to 20 blocks and 14 randoms to match the size of the proposed new formats with fewer rounds (7), but it it also large enough to accommodate a 10 round competition (with the chance of a formation or two being done twice within a complete draw). Another point for the reduction of the pool is to make it a little less "expensive" (# of jumps/time/money) for teams to train a larger pool, and thereby also tightening the competition between teams. The major changes have been to take out some similar formations, take away overlaps in four way and take away three point blocks in eight way.

This dive pool is now being made available to the skydiving community as the proposed dive pool for 2002. For those who wish, it may also serve as an official pool for their needs until the official 2002 dive pool is approved.

The dive pool can be downloaded from the FAI web pages at www.fai.org/prachuting/documents. It may not be available as you receive this email, but will be placed there as soon as possible from the FAI headquarters. If you feel the need for seeing this before it is available at the FAI website, I will be happy to email them to you. (zipped .jpg files, 610 K 4 way and 504 K 8 way).

Within approximately 15th November, the agenda for the IPC meeting in Lausanne will be in place, with the suggestions to the changes for 2002. This will also be available on the above web address. The FS committee can be reached at ipc-fsky@fai.org should you wish to comment the proposal or the procedure in which this manner has been dealt with. 


Pal Bergan
Chair, FS committee

Oslo, 14.10.01