posted Oct 11th, 2024 - Swedish 4-way Open Class team Echochamber won the unofficial amateur world championship title at the 26th FAI World Formation Skydiving Championships. It is not new that Scandinavians enjoy celebrations, and Echochamber did not hesitate to start this one early after the completion of the event.

Team members and friends of the Swedish delegation came together right after the NSL Live Talk conversation at their headquarters near Crystal Coast Skydiving, within walking distance to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. They had great reasons to celebrate the 5th place after defeating the other contenders for the world's unofficial amateur championship title.

Echochamber had to show their best to take the 5th place, while it was still not their biggest accomplishment. They were actually even prouder of the rounds where they tied or outscored NMP PCH HayaBusa who placed right in front of them. They won three rounds over two of the four full-time teams, HayaBusa in Round 4 and Round 7, Qatar Tigers in Round 2, where they also tied one more HayaBusa score.

Echochamber still could not forget that they were actually a part of the amateur championship battle, as the special leaderboard is showing. The group of the other amateur contenders were in the hunt for the 5th place all the time. In fact, the total of highscores of all other teams behind Echochamber was enough to defeat the Swedish team by one point (197 - 196). Only the lack of the Swedish consistency on their opponents' side, despite performances on a similar level, eventually won the 5th place.

FAI Outdoor World Championship 2024			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		14,G,13		J,C,17,12		D,A,21,P		18,B,H,F		E,L,O,8		22,2,K		6,7,16		9,20,15		3,M,N,4		5,1,10		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	24		27	-1	33		36		31		23		26		26		25		22	-1	273	27.3
2	Aethers	FR	22		23	-4	33		32	-1	29		23		22		21		25		22		252	25.2
3	Qatar Tigers	QA	21		20	-3	26	-2	32		29	-1	20		21		20		19	-2	20		228	22.8
4	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	19		21	-2	25		25		25	-1	20		19		17		21	-1	20		212	21.2
5	Echochamber	SE	17		21	-1	24	-2	26		22	-1	16	-2	20		14	-2	19	-1	17		196	19.6
6	Airbus Illertissen Oceanside	DE	17		19		21	-1	26		23		16		19		15	-1	18	-2	16	-1	190	19.0
7	Agera	NO	14	-1	17	-2	18	-2	26		24		17		17		15		19		17		184	18.4
8	Out Of The Blue	NL	13	-1	17		22	-1	22	-1	22	-1	12	-1	19		14		18	-1	16	-1	175	17.5
8	Apex	UK	15		18		21	-2	25		21	-2	13	-2	18		14	-1	15	-2	15		175	17.5
10	Papea	ES	14	-1	15	-2	23		20	-1	23		14	-2	17		16		13	-1	15		170	17.0
11	Havoc	AU	13		13	-2	19	-1	16	-1	18		13		14	-1	12	-2	16		14		148	14.8
12	Netunos	BR	11		15	-1	17	-1	18	-1	19		13		15		10	-1	14	-1	12	-2	144	14.4

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NSL Live Talk with Echochamber - Echochamber at the 26th FAI World Formation Skydiving Championships, Video Footage Courtesy of FAI/ISC/InTime

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However, there were more reasons for Swedish celebrations, even though the best one might be bad news for the rest of the 4-way amateur world. Echochamber see no reason to stop what they have been enjoying together for a decade, and they are committed to add the next decade of 4-way training and competition to their lives.

They won the unofficial amateur championship title first time in Australia 2018, behind the same four nations with full-time 4-way teams, Belgium, United States, France and Qatar. It was exactly the same lineup in Australia (Johan Edvall, Ulf Liljenbäck, Mattias Nord, Rikard Rodensjö, with Anders Brouzell on camera) who posted the 21.5 average, which included the Super Sequence booster (Q,M,F,C,N) with a 48-pointer in Round 6.

Echochamber now finished with 19.6 at Crystal Coast, and they are just as happy with their performance, as they had to fend off a new group of contenders and succeeded once again, after a 7th place in Eloy 2022 with a different lineup.

Norway's Agera outscored Echochamber twice this week and tied three more rounds. Germany's Airbus 4-way team could only match two of the Swedish scores, even though they finished ahead of Agera and only six points behind Echochamber. Out Of The Blue (Round 7) and Papea (Rounds 3 and 8) contributed to the 197-point total for the challengers. The Spanish team with their new lineup posted the amateur highscore in Round 8, even though they still launch a Star (M) to begin each sequence. Echochamber plan to continue with the same lineup, and they will probably meet more new and different opponents at the next world championship.

FAI Outdoor World Championship 2024			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open - Amateur (Unofficial)		14,G,13		J,C,17,12		D,A,21,P		18,B,H,F		E,L,O,8		22,2,K		6,7,16		9,20,15		3,M,N,4		5,1,10		Total	Avg
5	Echochamber	SE	17		21	-1	24	-2	26		22	-1	16	-2	20		14	-2	19	-1	17		196	19.6
6	Airbus Illertissen Oceanside	DE	17		19		21	-1	26		23		16		19		15	-1	18	-2	16	-1	190	19.0
7	Agera	NO	14	-1	17	-2	18	-2	26		24		17		17		15		19		17		184	18.4
8	Out Of The Blue	NL	13	-1	17		22	-1	22	-1	22	-1	12	-1	19		14		18	-1	16	-1	175	17.5
8	Apex	UK	15		18		21	-2	25		21	-2	13	-2	18		14	-1	15	-2	15		175	17.5
10	Papea	ES	14	-1	15	-2	23		20	-1	23		14	-2	17		16		13	-1	15		170	17.0
11	Havoc	AU	13		13	-2	19	-1	16	-1	18		13		14	-1	12	-2	16		14		148	14.8
12	Netunos	BR	11		15	-1	17	-1	18	-1	19		13		15		10	-1	14	-1	12	-2	144	14.4

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Highscores behind Echochamber, Video Footage Courtesy of FAI/ISC/InTime

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