posted Nov 2nd, 2022 - The combined leaderboard of the two 4-way categories that use the same competition draw and the same dive pool, 4-way Open and 4-way Women, did not change much since the NSL News featured it last time, after Round 8, and before the two fast sequences of Rounds 9 and 10. There was the change in the medal positions between France and Qatar that happened in Round 9, as the NSL News reported earlier, while this interesting finish does not relate to the topics of the combined leaderboard.

The same ten teams finished in the Top 10, including NFTO, Nephtys and XPG4. The French national team in 4-way Women moved up from 7th to 6th place by passing Spain's Papea CISM team. Chimera and Echochamber both left XPG4 behind to improve their Top 10 ranking positions.

The distance between the last Top 10 team, first Chimera and Echochamber after Round 8, then XPG4 after Round 10, was significantly larger compared to the 4-way Open Class rankings without the 4-way Women teams. Out Of The Blue (Netherlands) and Ripper (Australie) were a part of the battle for the Top 10 in 4-way Open. The combined AAA Class leaderboard always offers more interesting information beyond the different rankings and the Top 10 competition. It also provides an overview of the gender combinations, which have more variations than only 4-way Open and 4-way Women.

---

FAI Outdoor World Meet 2022			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open/Women Combined		20,16,B		P,D,21,13		17,K,11		E,A,19,22		2,9,M		C,14,F,12		3,6,18		4,10,1		8,Q,O,H		5,7,J		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	21	-1	28		27		27		31		23		21		20		32		31		261	26.1
2	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	20	-1	25	-2	21		23		28		20	-2	19		17		29		26		228	22.8
3	Qatar Tigers	QA	19	-2	23	-1	22	-1	21	-1	26		18		17	-1	17		28		28		219	21.9
4	France 4-way Open	FR	19		23	-1	22		23		27		20	-1	18		15	-1	20	-5	27	-1	214	21.4
5	NFTO	UK	18		23		21		21		25		15	-2	17		14	-1	23		23		200	20.0
6	Nephtys	FR	16	-2	20	-1	19		21		23		14		17		14	-1	24		21		189	18.9
7	Chimera	UK	16		21	-2	19		19	-1	18	-5	18	-1	16		14	-1	23	-1	24		188	18.8
8	Papea Masculino	ES	17	-1	20	-1	18	-1	21		21	-2	18		15		15		21	-1	20	-3	186	18.6
9	Echochamber Oceanside	SE	14	-1	21		19		19		20	-1	17		16		15		24	-1	20	-1	185	18.5
10	XPG4	US	17	-1	21	-1	18	-1	20	-1	20	-3	16		15		15		21	-2	21		184	18.4
11	Airbus Oceanside Illertissen	DE	16		18	-2	19		16	-1	20	-1	13	-3	15		14		19	-2	22	-1	172	17.2
12	Agera FS 2022	NO	16		16	-2	17	-1	17		18	-1	15		15		13	-1	18	-3	21		166	16.6
12	4Astrophe	CA	15	-1	20		19		15	-2	21		15		15	-2	14		16	-3	16	-2	166	16.6
14	Out of the Blue	NL	16		16	-3	17		17		14	-2	17		12	-1	13	-1	21	-1	18		161	16.1
15	Ripper	AU	14	-1	16	-1	18		16	-1	21		15		12		10	-3	19	-1	19	-1	160	16.0
16	Meltemi Oceanside	DE	15		17		13		17		20		14		14		9	-2	18		16		153	15.3
17	Sky4Four	PL	13	-1	14	-3	14		16		16	-2	12	-1	12		13		21		18	-1	149	14.9
18	HF Flying Circus	CZ	13		10	-7	16		15	-1	18	-2	12	-1	13		11	-3	16	-5	17	-1	141	14.1
19	Sequenz	DK	10	-2	16		15		14	-1	17	-1	12	-1	12		11	-1	17	-1	11	-3	135	13.5
20	INIT-Y	BR	12	-2	14	-1	14	-1	13	-4	16		11	-2	10	-3	12		17	-1	15	-3	134	13.4
21	HSV Red Bull Aerodynamix	AT	10	-2	16		14		15		15	-1	8	-3	9	-2	10	-1	15	-1	13	-1	125	12.5
22	Adventure Flyers	PY	9	-1	13		12	-1	11		16		11		10		9		14		14	-1	119	11.9
23	Equinox	LT	10	-1	12	-2	12		12	-1	13	-1	10		10		9	-1	12	-4	14	-1	114	11.4
24	Tina & The Dinosaurs	NZ	5		8	-1	4		9		9	-1	8		5		4	-2	10		8		70	7.0
25	La Playa	GT	2	-1	7	-2	5	-1	3	-3	7		5		3	-1	5		-		-		37	4.6

---

Grey = All-Male, Magenta = All-Female, Yellow = Mixed-Gender

---

The NSL News has followed the development of the gender combinations more carefully since 2018. There is an interesting progression that may even deserve a closer look into more data of the past. The current competition format at FAI/ISC Formation Skydiving events separates male and female competitors only in the 4-way Women event, even though teams are permitted to use male videographers.

There is, however, an indirect separation in 4-way Open, which happens only to the teams who compete at military world championships (CISM) at the same time. The CISM events have a leaderboard for 4-way Men and 4-way Women, and there is no 4-way Open category.

The teams that compete at FAI/ISC and CISM events both have to consider their lineups when they are recruiting members. This time, there were four teams who have exclusively male lineups who also compete in 4-way Men at CISM championships: NMP PCH HayaBusa (Belgium), Tigers (Qatar), Papea (Spain), Aerodynamix (Austria). Brazil's INIT-Y team is on the way to turn into a military lineup, as well. There were three additional all-male lineups at Skydive Arizona (Arizona Airspeed, France, La Playa), while the majority on the combined leaderboard were mixed-gender lineups (13 = 52%).

---

FAI Outdoor World Meet 2022			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Completely Open		20,16,B		P,D,21,13		17,K,11		E,A,19,22		2,9,M		C,14,F,12		3,6,18		4,10,1		8,Q,O,H		5,7,J		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	21	-1	28		27		27		31		23		21		20		32		31		261	26.1
2	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	20	-1	25	-2	21		23		28		20	-2	19		17		29		26		228	22.8
3	Qatar Tigers	QA	19	-2	23	-1	22	-1	21	-1	26		18		17	-1	17		28		28		219	21.9
4	France 4-way Open	FR	19		23	-1	22		23		27		20	-1	18		15	-1	20	-5	27	-1	214	21.4
5	NFTO	UK	18		23		21		21		25		15	-2	17		14	-1	23		23		200	20.0
6	Papea Masculino	ES	17	-1	20	-1	18	-1	21		21	-2	18		15		15		21	-1	20	-3	186	18.6
7	Echochamber Oceanside	SE	14	-1	21		19		19		20	-1	17		16		15		24	-1	20	-1	185	18.5
8	Airbus Oceanside Illertissen	DE	16		18	-2	19		16	-1	20	-1	13	-3	15		14		19	-2	22	-1	172	17.2
9	Agera FS 2022	NO	16		16	-2	17	-1	17		18	-1	15		15		13	-1	18	-3	21		166	16.6
9	4Astrophe	CA	15	-1	20		19		15	-2	21		15		15	-2	14		16	-3	16	-2	166	16.6
11	Out of the Blue	NL	16		16	-3	17		17		14	-2	17		12	-1	13	-1	21	-1	18		161	16.1
12	Ripper	AU	14	-1	16	-1	18		16	-1	21		15		12		10	-3	19	-1	19	-1	160	16.0
13	Sky4Four	PL	13	-1	14	-3	14		16		16	-2	12	-1	12		13		21		18	-1	149	14.9
14	HF Flying Circus	CZ	13		10	-7	16		15	-1	18	-2	12	-1	13		11	-3	16	-5	17	-1	141	14.1
15	Sequenz	DK	10	-2	16		15		14	-1	17	-1	12	-1	12		11	-1	17	-1	11	-3	135	13.5
16	INIT-Y	BR	12	-2	14	-1	14	-1	13	-4	16		11	-2	10	-3	12		17	-1	15	-3	134	13.4
17	HSV Red Bull Aerodynamix	AT	10	-2	16		14		15		15	-1	8	-3	9	-2	10	-1	15	-1	13	-1	125	12.5
18	Adventure Flyers	PY	9	-1	13		12	-1	11		16		11		10		9		14		14	-1	119	11.9
19	Equinox	LT	10	-1	12	-2	12		12	-1	13	-1	10		10		9	-1	12	-4	14	-1	114	11.4
20	Tina & The Dinosaurs	NZ	5		8	-1	4		9		9	-1	8		5		4	-2	10		8		70	7.0
21	La Playa	GT	2	-1	7	-2	5	-1	3	-3	7		5		3	-1	5		-		-		37	4.6

---

Grey = All-Male, Magenta = All-Female, Yellow = Mixed-Gender

---

This proportion in participation matches almost exactly the numbers at the FAI Indoor World Cup in April this year, where 50% of the teams (18) had mixed-gender lineups. 31% of the all-male teams in Charleroi (11) compare to 32% in Eloy. Seven teams competed in 4-way Women in April (19%), four in Eloy last month (16%).

The proportion was very different at the previous indoor and outdoor world meets, disregarding the compromised participation in Russia last year. The all-male lineups in 4-way Open had the majority, with 12 (46%) in Australia 2018, and with 13 (48%) at Weembi Lille 2019. Participation in 4-way Women and mixed-gender lineups were equal in Australia (7 - 27%), followed by nine 4-way Women teams in 2019 (33%) and five mixed-gender lineups (19%).

The majority has changed critically from all-male to mixed-gender lineups, which have made up more than half of the teams at the FAI/ISC events this year.

Another fact relates to the same topic. Only one official FAI 4-way Open Class leaderboard, as it was before the 4-way Women category was added in 2001, would not have allowed three of the four 4-way Women teams to compete in Eloy last month, as world championships register only one team per nation. NFTO would represent Great Britain as the only team with an all-female lineup, and Chimera would have to stay home. The total number of 4-way teams at the world meet would have been reduced from 25 to 21, with the same number of participating nations. NFTO would still finish in 5th place, while Airbus (Germany), Agera (Norway) and 4Astrophe (Canada) would be back in the Top 10.