posted Jun 3rd, 2008 - Last weekend's first competition of the 2008 season in Sweden was a big step for Blue Spirits.

The NSL News had introduced the team in detail with the story on 13 February 2008. Blue Spirits, with Johnny Andersson (Point), Ulf Liljenbäck (Tail), Johnny Olsson (Center Inside), Jens Thögersen (Center Outside) and Staffan Linde (Camera), then competed at the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2008 and finished with a 13.1 average.

Blue Spirits now followed up on the big plans and on the first scores of March with an impressive 14.8 average after Sweden's 10-round competition at FK Aros in Västerås. Team Evolution took the second place with a 13.2 average.

The team in 3rd place was not from Sweden. The Pro Team (Eija Suvala, Laura Miettinen, Outi Pohjola, Kimmo Pohjola and Mikko Kajala on camera) visited from Finland, as they had already done at last year's season opener in Sweden.

Two teams from Finland have been invading Sweden on a regular basis ever since the Tigers made the first trip across the Gulf of Bothnia in June 2006 and then again in July the same year. The Tigers traveled on the same route in 2007 and caught the attention of the NSL News. The story on 8 June 2007 (Archives > 2007 > News > Search for "Tigers") introduced Finland's top team at that time and its travel agenda.

In 2007, Tigers was not the only team from Finland any longer visiting meets in Sweden.

The Pro Team obviously liked the idea, as well, as the overnight boat trip from Finland to Sweden offers great food and a lot of fun at the same time.

Kimmo Pohjola (Center Outside) had launched the Pro Team project already in 2002. His wife Outi Pohjola was a member of the original lineup (Petri Lehtinen, Tomi Kallunki) and is still flying the Point position.

The family front piece went through a few different lineups with their team until Outi Pohjola took a break in 2005. She came back in 2006 when the Pro Team became more competitive and eventually began with the pursuit of the top spot in Finland that the Tigers held dominantly at that time. Tail Laura Miettinen joined the Pro Team in 2006. Henrik Lakela was the 4th member, and the Pro Team 2006 posted 7.4 and 8.1 averages in Finland.

The scoring level in 2006 was obviously not a threat for the Tigers who performed already on a 12.0 average level. Things changed when the same Pro Team lineup continued in 2007. Two trips to Sweden in June 2007 brought 10.3 and 12.7 averages. The Tigers were still quite far ahead after posting a 13.7 average at the Swedish Nationals 2007 and winning the national championship of Finland in July (13.0 - 11.5). However, the Pro Team was on track to more and higher.

Eija Suvala replaced Center Inside Henrik Lakela for the 2008 season, and the Pro Team became stronger once again. The current lineup (Outi Pohjola, Kimmo Pohjola, Laura Miettinen, Eija Suvala) competed at the World Challenge 2008 and beat the Tigers in Bedford for the first time (17.6 - 16.6) ever since both teams have been competing together. Last weekend's 12.5 average at the 10-round meet in Sweden puts new pressure on the Tigers who did not travel to Sweden this time.

The Pro-Team is not planning to slow down. Team founder Kimmo Pohjola said that his team is right on the track that was planned last fall. The 2008 lineup had an April outdoor training camp in Spain after the World Challenge 2008, which was followed by an indoor camp in Bedford.

Kimmo Pohjola said that the team really enjoyed the "real skydiving camp" in Spain: "We are really looking forward to summer and warm weather. It was still snowing here in northern Finland in May." The Pro Team's home DZ is a skydiving club in Rovaniemi, very close to the Arctic Circle and with a climate similar to Alaska and Greenland.

The Pro Team continued with outdoor training in Sweden before last weekend's competition. Mathias Nord, Arcteryx' Center Inside, was working with the Pro Team during a Swedish Basic camp in Gryttjom. Another training camp on Swedish soil will follow at the end of June.

The team's competition schedule is comprehensive and very busy and includes another Swedish Cup event on June 28 in Gryttjom, plus the Swedish Nationals 2008 on July 26 at the same location.

The Finnish Nationals 2008 follow on July 28 in Hanko. The Pro Team plans to wrap up the 2008 season at the ESL Championship 2008 in Texel, Netherlands.

Kimmo Pohjola explained that the 2008 season is the first year of a 3-year project with the new Pro-Team line-up. The final goal is the World Championship of Formation Skydiving in 2010. It seems to become a very challenging time for the defending champions, the Tigers.