posted Jun 9th, 2023 - The preliminary NSL Power Rankings in the 4-way Open Class competition at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2023 were showing the same four teams on the top of the leaderboard who competed for the same three spots at the last three major events, and the national teams in 4-way Women are creating the same situation.

Great Britain (NFTO), France (Nephtys), United States (XPG4) won the three sets of medals at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2022, and Germany (Meltemi Oceanside) finished in 4th place. The same four countries have registered their national teams for the event in Voss, Norway.

The situation in 4-way Women could still not be much more different than it is compared to the one in 4-way Open. The NSL News had pointed out that all four medal contenders in 4-way Open will be back with exactly the same lineups who started their ongoing showdown of currently 30 rounds at the world championship in Eloy last October. Arizona Airspeed have the lead after the 30 rounds with a total of 828 points, followed by, NMP PCH HayaBusa (749), France (746) and Qatar Tigers (691).

FAI Outdoor World Cup 2023			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Total	Avg
Rank	NSL Power Rankings 4-way Women		TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	Total	Avg
1	XPG4	US	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2	France 4-way Women	FR	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3	NFTO	UK	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4	Meltemi Oceanside	DE	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	SNE Fly Girls	US	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

It is the complete opposite situation in 4-way Women, where none of the four teams on the top of the leaderboard in Eloy last year return to Norway without any personnel changes in the meantime. There is one team though with exactly the same lineup as in Eloy.

Paraclete XP's 4-way Women team XPG4 came back with new member Shannon Catalano after the outdoor world championship and competed at the Paraclete XP Indoor Championship. However, outside center Jeana Billings took back her slot for the FAI Indoor World Championship, where the 2022 lineup finished in 2nd place after a 10-round battle with the French Nephtys.

XPG4 with Jeana Billings have now made new plans for the time period until the next outdoor world championship in Israel next year, and the U.S. team has naturally taken the position of the top contender for FAI gold medals in Norway this year.

The other two medal contenders in 4-way Women and Germany's outdoor team Meltemi are training and competing with new lineups. It will be very difficult for any of them to keep up with XPG4, even though Jeana Billings is the only competitor with double duties in 4-way Women and 8-way Open.

FAI Outdoor World Meet 2022			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women		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	NFTO	UK	18		23		21		21		25		15	-2	17		14	-1	23		23		200	20.0
2	Nephtys	FR	16	-2	20	-1	19		21		23		14		17		14	-1	24		21		189	18.9
3	XPG4	US	17	-1	21	-1	18	-1	20	-1	20	-3	16		15		15		21	-2	21		184	18.4
4	Meltemi Oceanside	DE	15		17		13		17		20		14		14		9	-2	18		16		153	15.3

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NFTO - Nephtys - XPG4 at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2022, video footage courtesy of FAI/Omniskore

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French national coach Mathieu Bernier had assigned a new lineup for outdoor training and competition already before the indoor world championship, where his plan to win gold medals with a short-term lineup worked out perfectly. Only Pamela Lissajoux and Elise Poindron continue with the new outdoor lineup, as the NSL News explained on May 12th.

NFTO, reigning British outdoor world champions in 4-way Women, are in a similar situation as the Nephtys in France. Only two team members of the 2022 and 2023 lineup continue with a new lineup, and XPG4 finished Oceanside, will come back with a new team member. The NSL News explained on May 26thahead of NFTO at the FAI Indoor World Championship 2023.

Even Germany's outdoor national team, Meltemi that indoor team Piteraq now makes room for Meltemi Oceanside, according to the original plans. Piteraq members Petra Jastram and Linda Koeb now switch to outdoor training and competition with Meltemi and their new team mate Franziska Wiesler.

XPG4 moving into the position of the top contender increases the chances for a U.S. FS Sweep in Norway significantly. The three U.S. national teams in Norway also have plans until Israel 2024, where a sweep would be even more meaningful...

FAI Indoor World Championship 2023			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women		E,14,3		K,F,22,17		O,7,5		N,2,18		L,P,12,15		M,10,D,H		16,9,C		1,G,J,8		4,Q,21		6,20,A		Total	Avg
1	France 4-way Women	FR	24	-2	30	-1	34	-1	22	-1	27		36		34	-1	27		25		26		285	28.5
2	XPG4	US	25		28	-1	33		25		25	-2	36		29	-3	24	-2	26		25	-2	276	27.6
3	NFTO	UK	25	-1	29		30	-2	20	-3	22	-3	32		34	-1	27	-1	23	-2	26		268	26.8
4	HF Cubs	CZ	22	-2	25	-3	33		23	-1	19	-5	31	-1	33	-1	25	-3	23	-4	24	-2	258	25.8
5	Piteraq	DE	22		19	-2	25		19		20		27		24		20		21		21		218	21.8
6	Airdrops	CH	18	-1	19	-2	23		13	-3	19		24		22	-1	19		21		16	-4	194	19.4
7	Windabona Angels Chicas	ES	18		16	-1	20	-1	16	-1	16	-1	22		16	-4	16	-1	18		17	-1	175	17.5
8	Fire Phoenix	IT	17		17	-1	20		14		14	-2	20	-2	16	-2	14	-1	16		16		164	16.4
9	Kiss My Grips	SK	13	-1	14	-2	19		14		12		19		16	-3	16	-1	16		13	-2	152	15.2

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Nephtys - XPG4 - NFTO at the FAI Indoor World Championship 2023, video footage courtesy of FAI/Hurricane Factory Tatralandia

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