posted Aug 16th, 2024 - The recent NSL News update from Norway included the scores of the national outdoor championship. As expected, and without a challenge of the DeLand Norgies this year, Agera and Thyra confirmed their national top positions in 4-way Open and 4-way Women. The videos of Thyra's ten competition rounds in Norway were featured in the same story, and the videos of Agera's performance are now available, as well.

The same story also pointed out that Thyra could have a chance for their next FAI medal position, after the 4-way Women bronze medals at the FAI European Championship 2023, if they can catch up with the German national team in this event, Meltemi Oceanside.

Agera have no chances for outdoor world championship medals, even though the DeLand Norgies placed 3rd three consecutive times (1999 - 2001 - 2003) for Norway. It was a very different situation when the DeLand Norgies won their FAI medals. Only France and United States had full-time 4-way competitors and dominated the event for many years, while the 3rd place was at least in reach for other national teams. This changed when NMP PCH HayaBusa entered the 4-way world with a full-time military lineup in 2006, followed several years later by the Qatar Tigers. The medal positions have been out of reach for the unofficial amateur teams ever since, and the 5th place, or even making the Top 10, have been new goals for the rest of the field.

Norway Outdoor Nationals 2024		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	21,22,13		7,P,5		4,J,18		8,O,16		D,N,20,L		F,15,C,K		2,14,Q		A,M,6,3		E,B,12,9		G,11,19		Total	Avg
1	Agera	15		22		16		17	-1	22		18	-4	17		17	-3	18	-3	16		178	17.8
2	Thyra	10	-2	16	-1	12	-1	14		16		17	-1	13		14		15		11	-2	138	13.8
3	Grenland Allstar	9	-2	14		11		10		11		16	-1	10		10		15		11	-1	117	11.7
4	Urus	6		7	-1	6	-1	5	-1	7		6	-1	6		6		-		-		49	6.1

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Agera at the Norwegian Outdoor Nationals 2024

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Sweden's Echochamber won the unofficial amateur world championship title behind the same four medal contenders in Australia 2018, Spain's military Papea lineup in Tanay 2021, Chimera for Great Britain in Eloy 2022.

This year, there seems to be a lineup of teams who could be in contention for the meaningful 5th place, and Agera plan to be a part of this internal competition on the 4-way Open Class leaderboard. Chimera have not been back to outdoor competition, while Papea and Echochamber are expected to repeat their challenge for the 5th place, and they are probably the top contenders for this position.

However, Germany's Airbus Illertissen Oceanside 4-way team is the most recent national team in 5th place after the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2023, where they also won a set of FAI bronze medals in the European championship part of the event. They outscored Papea in Norway and added an average point to their score a week later at the German Outdoor Nationals 2023.

The additional year of training and competition with the same lineup could bring the German team close to the 20+ benchmark, even though they did not not show it yet at the Paranodon Cup in June. At this point in time, all contenders for the 5th place may have to be at least close to the 20-average level this year, two months before the FAI Outdoor World Championships 2024 at Crystal Coast.

FAI Outdoor World Cup 2023			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open National Teams		3,G,N,19		11,17,L		13,7,C		2,D,O,8		14,K,J,12		9,M,P,H		5,4,18		15,1,10		16,21,E		F,20,6		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	26		27		26		25		22		48	-1	22		21		25		25		267	26.7
2	France 4-way Open	FR	23		25	-1	26		24		19		45	-1	19		19		23		23		246	24.6
3	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	20	-4	20	-2	25		23	-1	18	-2	45		20		19		24		24		238	23.8
4	Qatar Tigers	QA	20	-1	22	-1	23		20		19		40		13	-4	17	-1	22		19	-4	215	21.5
5	Airbus Illertissen Oceanside	DE	17	-1	18		20	-1	17		14		31	-1	15		15		18		18		183	18.3
6	Amnesya	IT	16	-1	17		19		17	-1	16		31	-1	15		14		18		18	-1	181	18.1
7	Papea	ES	14	-3	17	-1	18	-1	17		14	-1	32		14	-1	15		18		18		177	17.7
8	Out Of The Blue	NL	17		15	-1	18		16	-1	15		31	-4	14		13		16		18	-1	173	17.3
9	Agera	NO	15	-2	13	-2	16		18		12	-1	32	-1	13	-1	15		18		13	-4	165	16.5

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Airbus Illertissen Oceanside - Agera at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2023

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It is no surprise that Agera have picked Germany's Airbus 4-way team as their target, and they make no secret of it. The target was well defined in the team room when Agera visited Skydive DeLand for their last training camp. The road to the 5th place at Crystal Coast has the German team as one of the major obstacles.

Agera finished already very close to Airbus after the ten rounds in Eloy 2022 (166 - 172). It was the competition where former DeLand Norgies tail Carl-Erik Tuv filled the open slot. Chimera in 5th place were still far away (188) and Papea and Echochamber both placed ahead of Airbus and Agera, as well.

The gap was larger a year later when Agera were in the process of rebuilding the team with new tail Amund Meyer. The next year with the new lineup brought Agera back and ahead of the 2022 level, closer again to the German nemesis and the other contenders for the 5th place.

Airbus have been training and competing with the current lineup since 2020, including the outdoor world championship in 2022. The new Agera lineup started in 2023, while team members Nadia Joergenrud, Julian Frayne and Kjetil Viste Levik have trained and competed together since 2019. The 18.6 average earlier this year will probably not be enough for Airbus to fend off the Agera challenge, and both teams may need peak performances to finish in the meaningful 5th place.

FAI Outdoor World Meet 2022			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		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	Arizona Airspeed	US	21	-1	28		27		27		31		23		21		20		32		31		261	26.1
2	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	20	-1	25	-2	21		23		28		20	-2	19		17		29		26		228	22.8
3	Qatar Tigers	QA	19	-2	23	-1	22	-1	21	-1	26		18		17	-1	17		28		28		219	21.9
4	France 4-way Open	FR	19		23	-1	22		23		27		20	-1	18		15	-1	20	-5	27	-1	214	21.4
5	Chimera	UK	16		21	-2	19		19	-1	18	-5	18	-1	16		14	-1	23	-1	24		188	18.8
6	Papea Masculino	ES	17	-1	20	-1	18	-1	21		21	-2	18		15		15		21	-1	20	-3	186	18.6
7	Echochamber Oceanside	SE	14	-1	21		19		19		20	-1	17		16		15		24	-1	20	-1	185	18.5
8	Airbus Oceanside Illertissen	DE	16		18	-2	19		16	-1	20	-1	13	-3	15		14		19	-2	22	-1	172	17.2
9	Agera FS 2022	NO	16		16	-2	17	-1	17		18	-1	15		15		13	-1	18	-3	21		166	16.6
9	4Astrophe	CA	15	-1	20		19		15	-2	21		15		15	-2	14		16	-3	16	-2	166	16.6
11	Out of the Blue	NL	16		16	-3	17		17		14	-2	17		12	-1	13	-1	21	-1	18		161	16.1
12	Ripper	AU	14	-1	16	-1	18		16	-1	21		15		12		10	-3	19	-1	19	-1	160	16.0

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Airbus Illertissen Oceanside - Agera at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2022

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