posted Dec 12th, 2022 - The transition of the British national team and fresh outdoor world champions in 4-way Women, NFTO, to indoor training and competition brought up a very interesting topic that the NSL News touched briefly with the update on December 9th.

The update included the introduction of NFTO's new team member Elizabeth Kennedy and the lineup for the indoor winter season, after NFTO unexpectedly won the British Indoor Nationals. NFTO's indoor qualification and the plans for the FAI Indoor World Championship 2023 brought back memories of the previous event at Weembi Lille in April 2019.

The first and initial attention to the special topic came with the fact that the still reigning 4-way Junior world champions, HF Cubs from the Czech Republic, will also compete at the next indoor world championship in Slovakia, this time in 4-way Women.

NFTO, new outdoor world champions in 4-way Women, and HF Cubs, who won the gold medals at the FAI Indoor World Cup 2022 in the same category, have never competed against each other, neither directly nor indirectly. The 4-way Junior event in 2019 had its own dive pool and competition draw, and both teams have not yet attended the same event, or used the same competition draw, since the HF Cubs transitioned to 4-way Women.

FAI Indoor World Championship 2019			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women Top 3		M,K,D,14		Q,4,5		P,E,9,15		3,N,G,2		6,1,8		F,12,11		13,22,J		H,L,B,18		O,20,A,17		21,7,19		Total	Avg
1	Nephtys Weembi	FR	34		27		35		25		23		25		23		33	-1	31		24		280	28.0
2	NFTO	UK	34		26	-1	34		28	-1	23		24		24		34		28	-1	23	-2	278	27.8
3	XPG4	US	34		26		33		24		21	-1	24		24		28	-4	25		23		262	26.2

FAI Indoor World Championship 2019			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Junior Top 3		14,6		11,J,O		9,2		7,D,F		20,B,21		1,M,P		8,15		Q,H,18		Total	Avg
1	HF Cubs	CZ	25		29	-1	31		47		24		34	-1	20	-3	32	-2	242	30.3
2	Aerokart Ak'demie	FR	24	-1	30		29		38		28		31	-2	24		31		235	29.4
3	Russia FS Junior	RU	14	-5	23	-2	19	-4	29		15	-4	26	-1	17		20	-3	163	20.4

It becomes even more interesting with a closer look at the 4-way Women leaderboard of 2019. The same three teams who won the three sets of medals at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2022 were also in the medal positions at Weembi Lille in 2019: Nephtys (France), NFTO (Great Britain), XPG4 (United States).

The lineup of the French national team in 4-way Women of 2019 was actually the same as the one at the outdoor world championship in Eloy this year, before Pamela Lissajoux had to step back shortly before the trip to Arizona due to a shoulder injury, and Sophia Pecout substituted for the last training jumps and the ten rounds at Skydive Arizona.

NFTO had a different lineup in 2019, as well. Anna Hicks, Vana Parker and Sian Stokes had Kate Lindsley in the lineup, before Catherine Anderson came back for the 2022 season. The same 3-way have now welcomed Elizabeth Kennedy for the indoor winter season, until and through the indoor world championship in April.

U.S. team XPG4, bronze medalists in 2019, have only Jeana Billings and Michelle Karamon still in their current lineup. Katrina Autry Shows and Morgan Womble won the bronze medals at Weembi. Current members Brenn Richards and Anna Brunner won the FAI outdoor bronze medals in October. Jeana Billings and Michelle Karamon have also won two 8-way gold medals in the meantime with XP8.

FAI Indoor World Cup 2022			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women Top 3		O,18,14		L,C,F,9		1,J,H,19		3,E,P,Q		20,7,16		2,13,8		17,D,6		N,22,A,G		12,5,11		M,21,4		Total	Avg
1	HF Cubs	CZ	24		47	-2	24	-5	34	-2	23	-2	23		30		32		22		26	-1	285	28.5
2	Nephtys	FR	22		44	-1	28		33	-2	23		20	-1	29		29	-1	21	-1	23	-1	272	27.2
3	Piteraq	DE	19		37		23		30	-1	17	-2	17		24		21		16	-1	22		226	22.6

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HF Cubs - Nephtys at the FAI Indoor World Cup 2022, Video Footage Courtesy of FAI/Airspace Charleroi

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Only the HF Cubs have not changed their 2019 lineup (Sabina Ciolekova, Karolina Henkova, Viktorie Novakova, Adela Vesela) who won the FAI 4-way Junior world championship title in 2019 and then transitioned officially to 4-way Women competition.

They took a longer break in the summer of 2019, when some of the team members launched their outdoor skydiving career. The same Cubs came back for the indoor winter season of 2019/2020 and competed only in the AAA Class. Then came the corona virus crisis, and the HF Cubs had the same long break as many other teams in the world.

The next comeback for the original lineup started with the indoor winter season of 2021/2022 when the HF Cubs attended ten meets between November and May, including the FAI Indoor World Cup 2022 in Charleroi. They took the top position in the 4-way Women world after the 4-way Junior title, and they would have finished in 4th place on the combined AAA Class leaderboard with their 28.5 average, right behind Arizona Airspeed, France and NMP PCH HayaBusa.

It seems like one of the medal-winning nations in 4-way Women at Weembi Lille in 2019 could end up outside of the medal positions in Slovakia, if the HF Cubs perform on the same winning level at Airspace Charleroi in April. And that would only be without the Russian Bubbles, outdoor world champions in 4-way Women at the FAI Tanay Mondial who could easily claim another Top 3 position in Slovakia...

FAI Indoor World Cup 2022			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA/4way Open/4way Women		O,18,14		L,C,F,9		1,J,H,19		3,E,P,Q		20,7,16		2,13,8		17,D,6		N,22,A,G		12,5,11		M,21,4		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	29		54	-3	35		41		29		25		39		37		27		30		346	34.6
2	Aerokart Monaco Akdemie	FR	25	-1	58		28	-3	39	-2	25		25		33		32		24		28	-2	317	31.7
3	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	23	-1	54	-1	30	-1	38	-2	26		23		32		31	-1	24		28	-1	309	30.9
4	HF Cubs	CZ	24		47	-2	24	-5	34	-2	23	-2	23		30		32		22		26	-1	285	28.5
5	ISR FireFlash	BE	22	-1	41	-4	27	-2	36		22	-1	21		31		28		21	-1	27		276	27.6
6	Nephtys	FR	22		44	-1	28		33	-2	23		20	-1	29		29	-1	21	-1	23	-1	272	27.2
7	Skydive Midwest NEXT	US	22		44		28		30	-2	20	-1	22		26	-1	27		20	-1	24		263	26.3
8	HF Flying Circus	CZ	21	-1	39	-3	27	-2	33	-1	20	-2	21		28	-1	27	-1	21		23	-2	260	26.0
9	Meraki	UK	19	-1	43		25	-1	30	-1	23		20		26		27		20		24		257	25.7
10	Papea Masculino	ES	20	-1	41	-1	26	-2	31		21	-1	17	-2	25	-1	27	-1	21		24		253	25.3
11	SDC Rhythm XP	US	20		39	-2	25		31		17	-2	20		25	-1	22		18	-2	24		241	24.1
12	Out of the Blue	NL	20		39	-2	25		30		17	-2	19		27		23		18	-1	22		240	24.0
12	Echochamber Oceanside	SE	19	-1	43		24	-1	31		18	-2	17	-1	26		23		17	-2	22		240	24.0
14	Once Pakoi	FR	18		36	-2	24		31		19		18		24	-1	24		19		24		237	23.7
15	St Flow Weembi	FR	21		37		25		26	-1	19		19		23		25		19		22		236	23.6
15	Amnesya	IT	17	-1	33	-7	25		29	-1	21		19		24	-1	25		19		24		236	23.6
17	INIT-Y	BR	20	-2	39	-2	24	-1	22	-4	23		18	-1	27	-2	27		14	-3	20	-4	234	23.4
17	Windabona Black Mantis	AT	18	-1	39	-2	25		29		21		18	-1	25		23	-2	14	-2	22		234	23.4
19	Bronteroc	HU	19		41		24		31		19		15	-3	22	-2	24		18	-1	20	-2	233	23.3
20	Piteraq	DE	19		37		23		30	-1	17	-2	17		24		21		16	-1	22		226	22.6
21	Chaotic Motion	NL	17	-2	35	-1	23		29		18		18		23		22		19		19	-1	223	22.3
22	Skynamite	DE	17	-1	35		23	-1	25	-3	19		16	-1	25		22		15	-2	22		219	21.9
22	Ayro	BE	18	-1	35	-1	22		25	-1	18		17		24		22		17		21		219	21.9
24	Aurora	SE	18		37	-1	23		24	-2	17	-1	17		22	-2	20		17		22		217	21.7
25	Windabona Angels	ES	18	-1	34	-4	20	-1	25	-1	18		17		24		18	-2	18		22		214	21.4
26	Synergy	IT	19		35		22	-1	25	-1	14	-5	17		24		21	-1	16	-2	19		212	21.2
27	Alakran	ES	16	-2	33	-3	24		25	-1	19		18		20	-1	14	-5	14	-2	22		205	20.5
28	So Pressao	BR	15	-1	30	-5	20	-2	25	-1	16		16		21		22	-1	17		22		204	20.4
29	Equinox	LT	14	-4	34		21	-2	25		19		14	-1	21		16	-3	15	-1	22		201	20.1
30	Windwerk EOS	CH	14	-2	30		20		25		17		16		21		19		14	-1	17	-3	193	19.3
31	Shaka	UK	17		29		20		22		14	-1	15		17	-2	18		13	-2	19		184	18.4
32	Monaco Aerodyne	FR	16	-1	23	-4	19		21		16		15	-1	18	-1	18		13	-1	18		177	17.7
33	Phoenix	BE	15	-2	27	-2	21		20		13	-4	15		17	-2	17	-1	14	-1	17	-1	176	17.6
34	Flyboys	IL	16		26	-3	16	-3	16	-4	15	-2	14	-1	20	-1	16	-2	12	-1	19	-1	170	17.0
35	Squadra Militare Femminile	IT	12		19	-3	15		14		12		11	-1	14		15		9	-1	14		135	13.5
36	Fatal Four	NL	11	-1	18	-2	14		16		12	-1	12		14		8	-3	9	-2	15		129	12.9