posted Mar 8th, 2020 - The Finnish indoor showdown between Just4Fun and Blue Steel was a part of the NSL News update on February 10th, and it took place earlier this week at the Fööni wind tunnel in Helsinki.

Last time when both teams met each other directly at the same place was in November 2019. Just4Fun had the upper hand (201 - 194) and won by seven points. Blue Steel then traveled to Spain in January and posted a 22.4 average at the Wind Games, which put a lot of pressure on Just4Fun.

However, league director Vesa Vuorenkoski's team countered with their own 22.4 average at the Finnish Tunnel League meet in January. The NSL News expected after that meet that Just4Fun and Blue Steel would have "a 22.4 tie-breaker meet in March".

The expectations were not too high, as last week's indoor competition in Helsinki ended with a 1-point difference between the two best Finnish 4-way teams behind Pro Team, even though they ended up significantly behind their previously posted team record averages. Just4Fun barely saved the 1-point advantage over the finish line to avoid an extra round for a real tie-breaker.The Finnish indoor showdown between Just4Fun and Blue Steel was a part of the NSL News update on February 10th, and it took place earlier this week at the Fööni wind tunnel in Helsinki.

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Finnish Tunnel League - March 2020		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	C,15,N,17		6,F,18		9,K,11		H,J,21,3		7,D,16		14,P,5		8,10,G		L,4,B,12		E,22,M,20		2,19,13		Total	Avg
1	Just4Fun	21	-1	22	-1	24		21	-2	23	-1	18	-3	17		19		20		16	-1	201	20.1
2	Blue Steel	21		21	-1	22		21		23		21		16		18	-1	19		18		200	20.0

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The March showdown between Just4Fun and Blue Steel had a special twist that comes from the history of the team members. The NSL News covered on 2 April 2017 how Matthew Iles and Vesa Vuorenkoski had a comeback 20 years after competing together for Finland at the FAI World Meet 1997.

They were back with Blackjack and their 1997 team mates, Mika Rautiainen and Oscar Salonaho. Blackjack started in the A Class in April 2017 (16.8) for the comeback and attended one more meet in the AA Class (15.8) before going back to AAA Class competition in February 2018 (14.5) and the same category that they competed in 20 years ago in 1997.

Blackjack was up to an 18.3 average at the end of the year, and they were very close to the 20-average level (19.8) at the World Challenge 2019. Nevertheless, the Blackjack comeback ended in April 2019, and the team members went their own ways, Matthew Iles with Blue Steel, Vesa Vuorenkoski with Just4Fun, Oscar Salonaho with Sörkan Laskuvarjourheilijat. Mika Rautiainen has not competed again yet after Blackjack discontinued.

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Finnish Tunnel League - March 2020		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AA Class	C,15,6		F,18,N		9,K,11		H,J,21		7,D,1		14,P,G		8,13		L,4,B		E,22,M		2,19		Total	Avg
1	Hermannin Nuorisoseura	11		13		12		17		16		11		9		12		12		8		121	12.1
2	4K	11		12		12		15		12		12		10		11		12		10		117	11.7

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Just4Fun attended four meets of the Finnish Tunnel League with the same lineup before the showdown with Blue Steel last week. The current Blue Steel lineup came together in September last year and lifted the scoring level at each of the three meets (19.1 - 20.1 - 22.4) by one average-point. Jus4Fun copied this progression with exactly the same numbers between September 2019 and January 2020. The stage was set perfectly for the tie-breaking showdown last week.

Just4Fun and Blue Steel did not continue with the same impressive scoring progression and had their focus probably more on the special duel between the close friends and former team mates, which Vesa Vuorenkoski won by one single point.

The AA Class competition in Helsinki was actually very close, as well, ending with a 4-point difference between Hermannin Nuorisoseura and 4K. Both teams had met each other four times before, each winning two times, Hermannin Nuorisoseura the first two times, 4K the last two. The difference after ten rounds was no more than two points at their previous three meets. Hermannin Nuorisoseura won by four points with a new lineup this time. 4K competed with the same lineup that has attended 12 of the 13 meets since March 2015.

Former Chymos/Max 4 member Reijo Kortesalmi and his long-time 4-way friend Harry Latvala had Mauri Hartikainen back in the lineup, together with new Hermannin Nuorisoseura member Arttu Saari, who trained and competed with Tahma in the past. The new lineup created the 4-point advantage over 4K.