posted Jan 27th, 2020 - The NSL News follows up on the World Tunnel League January competition at the Fööni wind tunnel in Helsinki, Finland, with some of the competition videos, which feature Team X from Sweden and home team Just4Fun.

Both teams were battling for the 1st place in Helsinki and for the 2nd place behind Flying Circus on the WTL January leaderboard. The meet videos and the leaderboard are both showing how the Swedish travel agenda had an impact on the performance, as coach Joey Jones had explained in yesterday's update.

Team X were tied with Just4Fun until Round 5, and both Scandinavian teams were seven points ahead of HF Cubs. Team X then lost energy and power, could not match any of the highscores in the second half any longer, and they ended up seven points behind Just4Fun and HF Cubs after all ten rounds.

The HF Cubs had the opposite progression at the WTL January meet. They competed with alternate and former team member Tereza Zívalová, who substituted for Sabina Cioleková. They warmed up in the first five rounds, got familiar with each other again and did not give away a round in the second half of the meet.

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World Tunnel League January 2020			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		4,19,8	A,11,J,5	B,3,16	C,14,H,E	9,K,Q,6	P,17,L,21	O,N,G,7	M,2,F,15	10,20,12	D,13,22	Total	Avg
1	HF Flying Circus	CZ	25	25	28	30	27	35	29	19	21	19	258	25.8
2	Just4Fun	FI	24	22	25	28	24	29	21	16	18	17	224	22.4
2	HF Cubs	CZ	19	21	27	28	21	32	23	16	20	17	224	22.4
4	Team X	SE	23	23	25	28	24	28	21	12	18	15	217	21.7
5	4 V Tunelu	CZ	16	15	21	18	15	22	17	12	14	11	161	16.1
6	M Team	CZ	15	16	18	16	12	19	17	11	14	11	149	14.9
7	Accord	CZ	13	14	16	15	11	13	15	10	8	11	126	12.6

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However, Just4Fun may not even have expected to be in competition with the best Czech 4-way team. They were probably hoping to improve their previous meet results and may have surprised themselves with the 22+ average. In fact, Just4Fun skipped the 21-average level and lifted the team's first two 20+ averages of June and November 2019 to 22.4 last weekend.

Just4Fun was founded in 2019, when Blackjack did not continue after a reunion and indoor comeback that the NSL News had covered on 12 April 2018. Blackjack member Vesa Vuorenkoski joined forces with three other seasoned Finnish 4-way competitors (Nina Kivilompolo, Riku Peltola, Markus Pitkänen) who were also looking for new assignments.

Nina Kivilompolo, original Pro Team member, Riku Peltola and Markus Pitkänen know each other well from long ago when they were team mates with the Finnish Tigers. They competed for their country at the FAI World Meet 2008, after defeating the Pro Team at the national championship of 2007.

Nina Kivilompolo and Markus Pitkänen were back with the Tigers and a new lineup at the FAI World Meet 2014 when the Pro Team were still in a new phase of hibernation. However, all four current Just4Fun members were back in action when 4-way indoor competition came to Finland, first at the Sirius wind tunnel, then at the Fööni wind tunnel in Helsinki, as well.

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Just4Fun and Team X at the World Tunnel League January meet at Fööni

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Nina Kivilompolo and Markus Pitkänen were still with the Tigers when the Sirius wind tunnel held the first 4-way competition in 2015, and when FAI/IPC hosted their first indoor world championship at the Hurricane Factory in October the same year.

Riku Peltola had his own indoor comeback with Telakka in 2015. Telakka were still the only AAA Class team in Finland when Vesa Vuorenkoski came back with Blackjack, first in the AA Class, and then moving back quickly to AAA Class competition.

Telakka and Blackjack were AAA Class opponents between February 2018 and January 2019, which was Blackjack's last competition. Matthew Iles joined Blue Steel, who compete this weekend at the Wind Games, and Vesa Vuorenkoski formed the new team Just4Fun. Nina Kivilompolo and Markus Pitkänen were obviously tired of being on the sideline when the indoor meets of the Finnish Tunnel League became a regular event at the Fööni wind tunnel, and the new team has attended all four WTL meets since June 2019.

The 22.4 average is the highest indoor average in Finland behind the Pro Team, and Blue Steel have to follow up at the Wind Games. The Pro Team will hopefully be back for the next indoor showdown between Just4Fun and Blue Steel...