posted Mar 29th, 2024 - The Shamrock Showdown 2024 featured much more than only the two currently best 4-way teams in the world, Arizona Airspeed for the United States, Aethers for France. Golden Knights and SDC Rhythm XP visited Skydive DeLand to continue with their own duel for the U.S. position behind the reigning 4-way world champions from Arizona.

The NSL News covered the history of U.S. Army 4-way teams in the preview of the Shamrock Showdown on February 6th, and SDC Rhythm XP's peak time between 2019 and 2021 has been well documented, as well. It was the dramatic upset at the USPA Nationals 2019 that made 4-way history in the United States.

The history between Golden Knights and SDC Rhythm XP could only begin when JaNette and Steve Lefkowitz launched their 4-way project in 2007. The U.S. Army has had 4-way and 8-way teams on the world's top level even before the current format of Formation Skydiving competition was created first time for the world championship in 1985.

The Golden Knights 8-way team has won more world championship titles than any other team in history, while the 4-way teams were usually lower priority. Golden Knights 4-way teams represented the U.S. delegation only twice at world championships since 1985. The 4-way team in Brazil 1987 was a part of the 8-way lineup and added FAI silver medals in 4-way to the obligatory U.S. gold medals in 8-way.

Shamrock Showdown 2024			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		G,5,19		7,12,15		18,21,Q		17,16,A		E,L,22,11		2,10,M		F,6,N,9		J,13,O,8		C,K,H,P,B		D,20,4		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	27		22		23		27	-2	25		23		34		25		53	-5	23		282	28.2
2	France Aethers	FR	21	-1	18		22		24	-1	21		20	-1	29		22		42	-1	20		239	23.9
3	Golden Knights	US	23	-1	17	-2	18	-3	24	-1	21		21		27	-4	19	-2	40	-2	19		229	22.9
4	SDC Rhythm XP	US	19		16		18		22		19		17	-1	27	-1	22		39	-1	17	-1	216	21.6
5	Nephtys	FR	14		16		17		18		17		17		20	-3	20		31	-2	17		187	18.7
6	Chicken Bolts	US	17		14		12	-2	15	-3	13	-1	16		21	-1	16		29	-4	16		169	16.9
7	Thyra	NO	10	-2	9	-1	10	-1	12	-2	14		15		19	-1	16		23		10		138	13.8
8	Teiwaz	US	8	-1	11		11		13		11		11		15		8		14	-1	10		112	11.2

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Golden Knights - SDC Rhythm XP at the Shamrock Showdown 2024, video footage courtesy of InTime

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The next Golden Knights 4-way team at a world championship did not have 8-way obligations at the same time. Eric Heinsheimer, John Hoover, Kurt Isenbarger, Chris Talbert and Sean Capegreco on camera, outscored Arizona Airspeed at the USPA Nationals 2002 and finished in 2nd place in Gap 2003.

It would still take four years until the next U.S. world class team was created in 2007, and SDC Rhythm XP's first two years went by before they eventually posted their scores on the same leaderboard that the Golden Knights had their name on since 1985. SDC Rhythm XP and Golden Knights were still far away from each other in 2009 (216 - 181) and both teams had very different lineups, with none of the current team members.

Team captain Doug Barron was recruited by JaNette and Steve Lefkowitz in 2016, together with GKXP8 world champion Andrew Happick, and SDC Rhythm XP had big plans for the near future. Jesse Stahler, now team captain of the Golden Knights 4-way lineup, was already in the Golden Knights 8-way team when Doug Barron joined SDC Rhythm XP. He had won two 8-way gold medals (2014 - 2016) when the new Rhythm lineup started in 2016. The new Rhythm lineup needed only a year to catch up with and pass the Golden Knights 4-way team to take away the spot behind Arizona Airspeed. They were the new 4-way experts when the Golden Knights still focused mainly on 8-way.

USPA Nationals 2023		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA/4-way Open	O,E,C,Q,H		20,M,J,1		10,12,B		4,18,L		11,17,5		8,9,22		A,19,K,13		G,3,2		21,14,15		D,F,7,N		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	43	-8	29		22		23	-1	28		21		26		23		20		33	-2	268	26.8
2	XPG4	46	-2	21		17		17		20		17	-1	23		18		17		29	-1	225	22.5
3	SDC Rhythm XP	48	-4	19		17		16		20		17		22		17	-1	16		25	-1	217	21.7
4	Golden Knights	39	-3	23		18		17	-1	21		17	-1	24		15	-2	14		28		216	21.6
5	Pour Decisions	35	-1	18		15		16		18		16		20		15		14		23	-1	190	19.0
6	RhEvolution XP	27	-4	19		13		15		16		15		16	-1	16		13		23		173	17.3
7	Skydive Midwest NEXT	26	-4	18	-1	12	-2	15		17		14		17		15		13		23		170	17.0
8	Spaceland Apex	22	-5	11	-1	11	-2	14		15		13	-2	19		14		13		22		154	15.4
9	Alti-2 Technologies	24	-1	12	-1	10		13		13		11	-1	14		11		11		18	-1	137	13.7
10	Rhetirement Party	21		12	-2	11		10	-1	8		12		13		12		10		17		126	12.6
11	Rippin Flatties	10	-4	4		3	-3	5		4	-3	4	-1	6		3		5		10	-3	54	5.4

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SDC Rhythm XP - Golden Knights at the USPA Nationals 2023, video footage courtesy of USPA/InTime

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The Golden Knights 4-way teams did not win back the U.S. top spot that they had captured last time in 2002, while the same SDC Rhythm XP lineup of 2016 eventually accomplished the mission impossible and won the USPA Nationals 2019 over Arizona Airspeed.

SDC Rhythm XP represented the U.S. delegation at the FAI Tanay Mondial where they copied the 2nd places that Golden Knights 4-way teams had also finished in at the world championships in 1987 and 2003. The Rhythm lineup changed again after the team's biggest accomplishment at the outdoor world championship, and new members Keith Conner, Chris Webb and Charlie Mcgee (Camera) have been Doug Barron's team mates ever since.

Jesse Stahler was leading a new Golden Knights 4-way lineup after winning another 8-way gold medal in 2018, while he is still a member of the GKXP8 lineup and will most likely add the next FAI gold medal to his collection later this year. His new 4-way lineup started with training and competition in 2022 when SDC Rhythm XP were far ahead with their 2021 lineup. Both teams had personnel changes before the current lineups started in 2023 and finished one single point away from each other at the USPA Nationals. The Golden Knights had the upper hand at the Shamrock Showdown 2024, and Jesse Stahler has new and high 4-way goals. His counterpart, Doug Barron, is just as much used to high goals, and the same duel will most likely continue this year and in the near future.