posted Oct 22nd, 2023 - According to the NSL News records, the last 4-way outdoor competition in Finland was held in July 2018. Three teams competed in the AAA Class, and the NSL News reported on 5 August 2018 that young Kalle Pohjola attended his first outdoor event for Finland's Pro Team.

The Pro Team, with father Kimmo Pohjola and son Kalle in the lineup, together with long-time members Eija Suvala and Emilia Sormunen, followed up a year later with the ten outdoor rounds at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2019 at Skydive Arizona, where they made the Top 10 and finished only ten points behind the bronze medal position.

It was the last outdoor competition for the Pro Team. The same lineup competed one more time together a month later at the November meet of the Finnish Tunnel League before Matthew Iles replaced Kalle Pohjola for two more indoor events in 2021 and 2022.

Eija Suvala and Emilia Sormunen continued with Matthew Iles when Kimmo Pohjola left the Pro Team. They invited Nadja Lönnroth for their new team, Purple Maze, completed two 10-round meets in Helsinki, and finished in the Top 10 of the 4th FAI World Indoor Skydiving Championship, as well.

FAI Outdoor World Cup 2019			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open Top 10		13,11,16		P,22,4		O,7,21		9,20,G		18,15,L		K,10,3		6,14,C		1,M,A,17		F,D,Q,8		2,5,E		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	20	-1	22		28		29		21		21	-1	21	-2	29		31	-2	24	-2	246	24.6
2	SDC Rhythm XP	US	19	-1	22		25		21	-2	20	-1	20		23		25		29	-1	24	-2	228	22.8
3	Airspeed Odyssey	US	14	-2	17	-2	22	-2	21	-2	18	-1	16	-3	21		23		26	-3	17	-2	195	19.5
4	Defiance	US	17		17		21	-1	22		16	-2	15	-2	21		20	-2	26		16	-2	191	19.1
5	Aerodyne Cypres Lille-Bondues	FR	15	-1	16		19		21		16	-1	17		18		22		25		21		190	19.0
6	Echochamber	SE	17		14	-3	22		20	-3	17		16	-1	19		20		23	-1	21		189	18.9
7	Chimera	UK	14	-1	16	-1	21		19	-1	17		16	-1	18	-1	22		26	-1	18	-1	187	18.7
8	Pro Team	FI	15	-1	18		20		17	-1	17		15		18		21		26		18	-1	185	18.5
9	Kinetix	AU	14	-1	17		19		19		15	-1	17		18		19		23	-1	16		177	17.7
10	China	CN	12	-1	17		19		17	-1	14	-1	13	-1	16		20		24		15	-1	167	16.7

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Pro Team at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2019 - Video footage courtesy of FAI/Omniskore

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The FAI Outdoor World Cup 2019 was still the last competition where a Finnish 4-way team jumped from planes. The break after the last outdoor event in Finland lasted throughout the time period of the corona virus crisis until this August.

Finnish judge Jukka Olkkonen then informed the NSL News that 4-way outdoor competition was still alive in Finland. He reported that the Utti Open competition included a 4-way event, and the three teams created the same participation as the last one did in July 2018. Jukka Olkkonen has been a 4-way judge in Finland for many years. He and long-time 4-way competitor Harry Latvala evaluated this year's 4-way competition rounds in Utti.

There was no team in Utti that could copy the performance level of the Pro Team or Purple Maze. However, the event attracted at least a few experienced 4-way competitors back to the outdoor world, including former Pro Team and Purple Maze member Nadja Lönnroth. She joined forces with Vesa Vuorenkoski, who was a MAX5 member, Finland's national 4-way team at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 1997. Nadja Lönnroth (Tribe, Purple Maze) and Vesa Vuorenkoski (Just 4Fun) both were back with indoor teams at the time when the Pro Team slowly came to its end.

Utti Open 2023		1	2	3	4	5	6	Total	Avg
Rank	AA Class	C,L,K,4	19,B,O	13,H,21	18,N,M	J,22,2	A,P,9	Total	Avg
1	Suskin Virkistyspäivä	12	14	7	8	5	10	56	9.3
2	Tyrnit	1	0	0	0	-	-	1	0.3
Rank	Rookie	H,C,M	G,F,A	B,P,E	K,N,O	D,J,Q	L,M,O	Total	Avg
1	Pilvin Pojat	0	4	5	2	9	2	22	3.7

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Purple Maze at the FAI Indoor World Championship 2023 - Video footage courtesy of FAI/InTime

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Nadja Lönnroth and Vesa Vuorenkoski also had Tony Nyholm in their lineup at the outdoor comeback in August. He was in the Finnish 4-way team FC Moukku who dominated Finland's 4-way competition after MAX5 had retired. FC Moukku competed for Finland at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2002 in Spain. He was also a Pro Team member for a year in 2011.

Tony Nyholm was also back in 4-way action after the start of the Finnish Tunnel League, where he competed with Sörkan Laskuvarjourheilijat in 2019 and 2020. His indoor team mate was Susanna Raulio, who now completed the lineup of this year's AAA Class outdoor winner Suskin Virkistyspäivä.

Another experienced 4-way competitor was back in the Rookie Class lineup of Pilvin Pojat. Reijo Kortesalmi trained and competed with Chymos in 1995, together with Vesa Vuorenkoski who would then continue with MAX5.

There was a time when 4-way outdoor competition was more popular in Finland. A total of 17 teams competed at the Hanko Open 2005, where the all-female lineup of Zooey defeated and upset FC Moukku. 15 teams followed up a year later, two years after the Pro Team was launched. Hopefully the next Utti Open will get closer to the participation at the Hanko Open in 2005.

Hanko Open 2005		1	2	3	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	20,G,3	17,21,19	H,6,16	Total	Avg
1	Zooey	8	9	11	28	9.3
2	FC Moukku	8	11	8	27	9.0
3	Ikurin Kaakko	9	7	8	24	8.0
4	Finn Jävlarna	5	8	9	22	7.3
5	Vauhti Korjaa Virheet	5	6	4	15	5.0
6	Zenith	5	3	5	13	4.3
7	Paranoidat	1	5	5	11	3.7
Rank	A Class	G,L,N	21,19	H,6	Total	Avg
1	East Magic	7	4	6	17	5.7
2	Tumbleweeds	3	5	7	15	5.0
3	Overload Light	4	5	5	14	4.7
4	Pistepirkot	3	4	6	13	4.3
5	Veikkola Roskat	3	5	1	9	3.0
5	Gallows Birds	4	1	4	9	3.0
7	Shaking Beacon	1	4	2	7	2.3
8	Red Zone	0	3	-	3	1.5
8	0-pää	1	1	1	3	1.0
10	Lantsarit, Villasukat ja Pipo	0	0	2	2	0.7