posted Dec 9th, 2023 - The ISR Grand Prix has always been an international event, as at least teams from Belgium have always visited the event site in the Netherlands. Year by year, teams from more other countries traveled to Roosendaal, as well, and the 2023 event in November welcomed teams from nine different European nations (Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Sweden, Lithuania, Germany, Romania).

The NSL News has covered the Dutch and Belgian teams, Echochamber and Italy had a special turn, as well. Two more international teams posted their scores on the AAA Class leaderboard, and they were right next to each other in 5th and 6th place, Magic 4 from Lithuania and Realfly Fire from Switzerland.

They did not only place so close to each other, separated by only six points. Magic 4 and Realfly Fire were also two of the five national teams who had represented their respective countries at the 4th FAI World Indoor Skydiving Championship this April in Slovakia. Out Of The Blue competed at the same place for the Netherlands, Echochamber for Sweden, NMP PCH HayaBusa for Belgium. The same five teams finished in the five positions behind ISR FireFlash in Roosendaal, only in a totally different order, reversed for the three top reams, and reversed between Realfly Fire and Magic 4, as well.

ISR Grand Prix 2023			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		F,E,17,D		O,14,1		5,B,L,16		18,N,H,7		22,10,G		6,C,P,M		A,13,Q,21		12,2,11		Total	Avg
1	ISR Fireflash	BE	41		24		30		28	-1	19		36		25	-1	20		223	27.9
2	Out Of The Blue	NL	39		23		29		26		17		36		24	-1	19		213	26.6
3	Echochamber Stars	SE	32	-2	22		27		25		18		34		22	-1	17		197	24.6
4	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	36		24		25	-4	21	-2	17		32		24	-2	17	-2	196	24.5
5	Magic 4	LT	31		21		23		22	-1	18		30		23		17		185	23.1
6	Realfly Fire	CH	31	-2	19	-2	23		24		16		31		19	-3	16	-1	179	22.4
7	Phoenix	BE	24	-2	22		22		22		14	-2	28		19	-1	15		166	20.8
8	Phinergy	IT	29		17		17	-2	19		14		26	-2	16		15		153	19.1
9	Garudas	BE	16	-4	16	-1	22		17	-2	13	-1	27		23		14		148	18.5
10	Trance Ition	NL	25		17		19		18	-1	13		22		19		13		146	18.3
10	FSH2	BE	23		15	-2	17	-1	19		13		26		19		14		146	18.3
12	Full Power	IT	27		18		20		17	-2	12	-1	22	-2	16	-2	13		145	18.1
13	Lux	NL	21	-2	17		17	-1	18	-1	14		22	-1	18	-1	14		141	17.6
14	Aquila	NL	19	-2	17		18	-1	19		14		21	-1	16		13		137	17.1
15	Atomic	NL	17	-1	16		15		17		13		20		16	-1	13		127	15.9
16	Pneuma	BE	16	-1	13	-1	14	-2	16	-1	13		21		14		11		118	14.8
17	Shinobi	NL	16	-2	10	-2	13		12	-1	10		15		14		10		100	12.5
18	Patchwork	NL	13		10		11		6	-1	8		12		11		6	-1	77	9.6

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Magic 4 - Realfly Fire at the ISR Grand Prix 2023 - Video Footage Courtesy of Indoor Skydive Roosendaal

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The rematch between Realfly Fire and Magic 4 was a very new feature. OOTB, Echochamber and HayaBusa have known each other and met at many 4-way competitions in the past, while Realfly Fire and Magic 4 opposed each other for the first time in Slovakia. However, the three well established national teams of Belgium, Sweden and the Netherlands have also met Magic 4 at many earlier events over the years.

In fact, the Lithuanian team is one of the longest standing 4-way teams in the world, and in the history of 4-way competition. Three of the team members (Piotras Bukinas, Dalius Gaika, Zidrunas Mituzas) have trained and competed together at least since they posted scores on the 4-way Open Class leaderboard of the Outdoor World Cup 2005.

Only NMP PCH HayaBusa member David Grauwels was already competing at that time, and he was neither in his team's Roosendaal lineup nor in the active lineup in Slovakia. Magic 4's three original members competed at both events.

Magic 4 with the same three original members have competed for Lithuania at 12 FAI/ISC indoor or outdoor world cups and world championships since 2005, and did not miss an FAI/ISC outdoor meet between 2005 and 2009. They continued at outdoor events between 2012 and 2014 after a 2-year break and switched to indoor competition in 2015.

FAI Indoor World Championship 2023			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		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	Arizona Airspeed	US	27		35		39		27	-2	31		38		38		29		28	-1	31		323	32.3
2	France 4-way Open	FR	27		33		38		26	-2	28		33	-3	35		28		30		30		308	30.8
3	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	26	-1	30		33	-3	26	-3	28		37	-1	37		28		29		30	-1	304	30.4
4	Qatar Tigers	QA	24		29	-1	32	-1	26		25	-3	32		30	-2	26		25	-1	26	-1	275	27.5
5	Jochen Schweizer Arena Airfource	DE	22	-2	28	-1	33		22		25		30	-2	31		24		24	-1	25	-1	264	26.4
6	Echochamber Oceanside	SE	22		26	-1	30		17	-5	24		28	-3	27	-2	23		24		25	-1	246	24.6
7	FLY X	IT	19	-4	27		30	-1	20	-1	21	-1	29	-2	30	-1	23	-1	22	-2	24	-1	245	24.5
8	HF Flying Circus	CZ	20	-2	23	-1	29	-1	22		20	-2	30	-2	29		24		20	-3	25		242	24.2
9	Purple Maze	FI	22		26		29		19	-3	21		29		27		25		21	-3	21	-2	240	24.0
9	Papea	ES	23	-1	24	-2	29	-2	19	-5	21	-2	28	-2	28		25		21	-1	22	-2	240	24.0
11	Out of the Blue	NL	22		23	-2	27	-2	21	-1	21		26	-1	26	-1	22	-1	21		22		231	23.1
12	Agera	NO	22		24		29		19	-1	23		25	-2	26	-2	23		19	-2	19	-3	229	22.9
13	Meraki	UK	17	-4	24		26	-3	22		19	-2	27		28		22	-1	23		18	-5	226	22.6
14	INIT-Y	BR	19	-2	20	-3	29		15	-4	19	-1	27		27		23	-1	23		20	-2	222	22.2
15	Realfly Fire	CH	20	-1	21	-2	26	-1	17	-2	20		27		24	-2	23		20	-1	19	-3	217	21.7
16	Bronteroc	HU	20	-1	22	-1	24	-3	18	-1	20	-1	26	-1	25	-1	19	-1	21		18	-2	213	21.3
17	FlySpot Sky4Four	PL	21		21	-1	24	-3	16	-2	21		27		25		17	-6	20	-1	20	-1	212	21.2
18	Red Bull Aerodynamix	AT	20	-1	21	-2	21	-3	16	-2	23		26	-1	25	-1	16	-3	20	-1	20	-1	208	20.8
19	Magic 4	LT	17	-1	19	-2	23		15	-4	20		27		25	-1	18	-3	19		18	-2	201	20.1

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Realfly Fire - Magic 4 at the FAI Indoor World Championship 2023, Video Footage Courtesy of FAI/InTime

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Tthe same three original Magic 4 members (Piotras Bukinas, Dalius Gaika, Zidrunas Mituzas) have had Ignas Ragacius in their lineup for Darius Kurlinkus, even before the corona virus crisis caused the next 3-year break. The current lineup was back in 2022 and attended six indoor meets ever since, including the indoor world championship in Slovakia.

That's where they met the Swiss indoor team Realfly Fire for the first time. They could only tie a few rounds and win one by a point in this duel, ending up 16 points behind. Magic 4 and Realfly Fire both were back with the same lineups in Roosendaal and had the same duel near the top of the leaderboard this time.

Magic 4 claimed six highscores over Realfly Fire in the 8-round meet, the Swiss team had only four, and Magic 4 had a successful rematch with a 6-point advantage at the ISR Grand Prix.

Lithuania also has a second 4-way team that represents the country at FAI/ISC events when Magic 4 have no plans to attend. Equinox competed for the Baltic country at indoor world cups in 2016, 2018 and 2022, then at the 25th FAI World Formation Skydiving Championships 2022 in Eloy, as well. Both Lithuanian teams have also been competing at several other indoor and outdoor events that are not sanctioned by FAI/ISC. Magic 4 finished with a new 23.1 team record average in Roosendaal, after 20.1 in Slovakia. This may have surprised Realfly Fire...