posted May 15th, 2024 - The recent scores at the FAI Indoor World Cup 2024 initiated a closer look by the NSL News at the history of indoor events. Result was a Top 10 ranking of 4-way indoor competition with the update on May 7th.

Only three teams appeared on the special leaderboard (NMP PCH HayaBusa - Arizona Airspeed - Weembi High Rollers), and the headline reflected one of the remarkable facts after the evaluation. None of the ten highest indoor averages in history had support by a Super Sequence.

Naturally, the NSL News was inspired to take the same closer look at the outdoor history, and the Top 10 positions were taken by an even smaller number of teams. Two of the three highest-scoring indoor teams have been dominating 4-way outdoor competition since 2008, as well, Arizona Airspeed and NMP PCH HayaBusa.

The 27.9 average for the 4th place is one of the most remarkable results, which was posted by Arizona Airspeed at the FAI Outdoor World Championships 2012, twelve years ago. NMP PCH HayaBusa's 27.8 average at the same event is shortly behind in 6th place. Arizona Airspeed had a different lineup in 2012, while the same event was the beginning of the HayaBusa era with the same lineup at five of the six events in the Top 10 rankings. In fact, Arizona Airspeed has three different lineups in the Top 10 opposing the Belgian consistency since 2015.

4-way Outdoor Top 10			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way FS Championship 2020		J,B,A,D,C		22,20,16		10,18,3		E,1,O,N		H,Q,P,L,9		8,G,F,12		15,M,11		13,14,21		6,K,17		2,7,4		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	57	-1	20		19		32		49		23		22	-1	20	-1	28		23		293	29.3
Rank	USPA Nationals 2019		7,C,H,P		J,21,20		O,3,11		B,2,K,E		8,Q,10		15,D,F,12		N,L,M,14		6,1,9		A,18,13		G,4,5		Total	Avg
2	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	45	-1	24		27		37		21		25		34		25	-1	26	-1	25	-4	289	28.9
Rank	Shamrock Showdown 2024		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
3	Arizona Airspeed	US	27		22		23		27	-2	25		23		34		25		53	-5	23		282	28.2
Rank	FAI World Championship 2012		5,12,E		6,D,B,K		O,8,7		N,13,18		10,21,M		19,H,11		C,G,1,A		20,9,15		16,F,P,Q		2,J,4		Total	Avg
4	Arizona Airspeed	US	27		34		27	-1	22		23		23	-2	32		25		40		26		279	27.9
Rank	FAI World Championship 2018		21,L,B,G		22,18,17		19,7,O		J,16,12		10,A,D,15		Q,M,F,C,N		H,20,P,13		6,14,11		E,2,5		4,1,3		Total	Avg
4	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	32		21		27	-2	24		22	-3	62	-2	22	-2	20	-1	27	-1	22		279	27.9
Rank	FAI World Championship 2012		5,12,E		6,D,B,K		O,8,7		N,13,18		10,21,M		19,H,11		C,G,1,A		20,9,15		16,F,P,Q		2,J,4		Total	Avg
6	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	25	-1	34	-2	27	-1	21	-1	23		24	-1	32	-1	27		40		25	-1	278	27.8
Rank	FAI World Championship 2018		21,L,B,G		22,18,17		19,7,O		J,16,12		10,A,D,15		Q,M,F,C,N		H,20,P,13		6,14,11		E,2,5		4,1,3		Total	Avg
7	Arizona Airspeed	US	26	-5	21		27	-1	24		24	-1	60	-1	26		22		27		20		277	27.7
Rank	Belgian Nationals 2018		8,H,E,1		19,3,4		N,11,G,10		A,17,14		B,D,7,5		21,15,9		12,F,L,M		6,C,J,O		P,2,Q,22		K,20,16		Total	Avg
8	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	26		25		23	-1	24		37		25		32		34	-2	26	-1	24	-1	276	27.6
Rank	USPA Nationals 2017		O,4,9		G,21,A,H		N,D,J,14		L,16,12		K,19,6		E,2,10		P,11,15		17,3,22		F,7,1		Q,5,M,20		Total	Avg
9	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	31		33		28	-2	23	-1	25		23		23	-1	22		31		31		270	27.0
Rank	FAI World Air Games 2015		B,C,17,2		N,19,4		13,14,F		6,E,O,L		7,1,A		D,18,P,22		M,H,5,15		16,9,12		21,K,G,Q		11,20,3		Total	Avg
10	NMP PCH Hayabusa	BE	29		26		23		36		28		23		31		24		27		22		269	26.9

Results of the Top 3 teams at FAI Outdoor World Championships between 1985 and 2022

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Niklas Hemlin, Mark Kirkby, Thomas Hughes and Josh Hall defeated NMP PCH HayaBusa by one single point in Dubai 2012, with Bill Schmitz on camera. Niklas Hemlin and Mikhail Markine, with Thiago Gomes and Ari Perelman in the 2018 lineup, David French on camera, lost to the same NMP PCH HayaBusa lineup by two points in Australia.

Last and not least, the current Airspeed lineup (Niklas Hemlin, Mikhail Markine, Christopher Kuhlmann, Joey Marshall) posted the highest 10-round average in history in November 2020 with Taylor Buffington on camera. NMP PCH HayaBusa were the direct opponents at the world championships in 2012 and 2018, while the 29.3 average in November 2020 was posted on Airspeed home turf in Eloy, and only with other U.S. teams on the leaderboard.

The chart with the Top 3 results at FAI World Championship between 1985 and 2022 is showing that the 1-point battle in Dubai 2012 is still on the highest scoring level in history. The averages at the FAI Tanay Mondial in August 2021 are misleading, as the event was over due to the weather situation after six faster rounds. The total of 20 rounds in Dubai 2012 and Australia 2018 added up to a 1-point difference (557 - 556) between the two best 4-way teams in history, to the advantage of the Belgians.

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Arizona Airspeed and NMP PCH HayaBusa with the highest outdoor meet averages in 4-way history

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There is a significant difference between the Top 10 indoor and the Top 10 outdoor results. The NSL News had pointed out that none of the ten highest indoor averages in history had support by a Super Sequence. This was surely not the case for the outdoor rankings.

Five meet averages in the Top 10 outdoor rankings had Super Sequences in the 10-round meets, and the highest outdoor average in history, Arizona Airspeed's 29.3 in November 2020, included the 57-pointer for the Super Sequence in Round 1 (J,B,A,D,C) and a 49-pointer for another fast sequence (H,Q,P,L,9) in Round 5.

On the other hand, NMP PCH HayaBusa's 28.9 average at the USPA Nationals 2019 did not include a Super Sequence. HayaBusa and Airspeed both did not need a a high scoring number in Dubai 2012 to make the Top 10 with their meet averages after ten rounds. Then they did have a Super Sequence in Round 6 (Q,M,F,C,N) at the world championship in Australia 2018. That's where NMP PCH HayaBusa posted the officially standing world record (62) for a single round. Arizona Airspeed's 60-pointer was higher than the previous world record, too. However, no team has yet reached the 30-point average level in outdoor competition, and the same two teams will continue to pursue it. The young French Aethers lineup could join the race for the 30-average benchmark, as well.