posted Feb 4th, 2025 - The battle between NMP PCH HayaBusa and new U.S. indoor team Tunnel Vision, including an extra round to break the tie after Round 10, took all the attention at the Wind Games. The French winners, Aethers Medjay, at least received the deserved attention due to the highly impressive performance level and by arguably taking over the top position in the 4-way world.

However, even the confirmation of the new power situation on the world's top level was not a big surprise for the formation skydiving competition community, as it was already expected to happen before the Wind Games eventually generated the evidence with the first scoring numbers of the new year.

The battle and extra round between NMP PCH HayaBusa and Tunnel Vision was surely more dramatic than the French runaway victory, especially as the Belgian team surprised themselves and the audience both with an unexpected performance level and the resilience to competition pressure with the new and current lineup. There was still another battle on the top level of the Wind Games that might not have received the attention that it deserved. It was taking place between the two visiting U.S. teams, Golden Knights and Tunnel Vision, and it was almost just as exciting as the battle between NMP PCH HayaBusa and Tunnel Vision for the 2nd place.

Wind Games 2025			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		L,N,O,6		M,3,A,J		B,D,5,K		Q,10,7		22,1,C		15,11,F		E,14,17		8,21,4		9,20,H		G,19,P,13		Total	Avg
1	Aethers Medjay	FR	39	-1	43		48	-1	29	-1	26		29		32		25		38		32	-1	341	34.1
2	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	39	-1	37		42	-1	26	-1	26		25	-1	29		22		34	-1	28	-1	308	30.8
3	Tunnel Vision	US	38		37		44		27		23	-1	26		29		22		33		29		308	30.8
4	Golden Knights	US	38	-1	35		43	-3	27		25	-1	28		28	-1	21	-2	28	-5	32		305	30.5
5	Dynos	NO	30		31	-1	41		26	-1	21		23		24	-2	21		30		22	-4	269	26.9
6	Fly X Amnesya	IT	33		27	-4	36	-1	25		22		22	-1	24	-1	21		26	-2	25		261	26.1
7	Qatar Lions	QA	25	-6	27	-5	35	-4	25		23		23	-2	26		19		31		25		259	25.9
7	Papea	ES	29	-1	30	-1	32	-1	27		23		24		23		19		30		22	-2	259	25.9
9	Qatar Cheetahs	QA	31		28	-1	28	-5	21	-3	22		23		23		18	-2	27	-1	25		246	24.6
10	Yasuke	MA	32		26	-1	32	-1	24		21		24		24		18	-1	23	-3	21	-2	245	24.5
11	Monaco F1	FR	27	-1	20	-5	24	-2	25	-1	20	-1	22	-1	22		18	-2	23	-2	21	-2	222	22.2
12	UK Team	UK	28		24	-2	24	-1	21		17	-1	19	-1	22		17		21	-2	20		213	21.3
13	Windabona Angels	ES	24	-3	25	-2	25	-3	22		18		13	-5	21		17		25	-1	17	-4	207	20.7
13	Airdrops	CH	20	-4	27		26	-2	21	-1	18		18		17	-2	16		23		21	-1	207	20.7
15	Oblivion	FR	26		23	-2	24	-2	21		18		19		19	-2	15		21	-1	20		206	20.6
16	Panthers	CZ	23	-1	26	-1	23		19		16		16		17	-1	15		18	-1	16	-3	189	18.9
17	Magyx	ES	16	-2	16	-1	13	-3	11	-1	13		13		12	-1	12		11	-4	16	-1	133	13.3

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Tunnel Vision - Golden Knights at the Wind Games 2025

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The two U.S. teams were not only locked into each other at the Wind Games and pushed each other to the 30+ scoring level. They have been connected to each other in other ways, as well. Tunnel Vision's Niklas Hemlin, still reigning indoor and outdoor 4-way world champion, has been coaching the Golden Knights for a few years, as the NSL News has reported several times.

He has also been working with two of his team mates, Michelle Karamon and Brenn Richards, when they were on their way to become 4-way world champions in 4-way Women, together with Jeana Billings and Jennifer Davidson. The NSL News has covered Niklas Hemlin's work with Golden Knights and XPG4 both on a regular basis.

Only his Tunnel Vision inside center, Keith Conner, did not work much with Niklas Hemlin as a coach. In fact, Keith Connor has been one of his strongest opponents in the three years (2022 - 2024) that he trained and competed with SDC Rhythm XP. The dynamics between the two teams have always been more of a rivalry, athletically by nature, while both team projects have also created overlapping areas in the skydiving business. At the same time, Arizona Airspeed recruited new lineups regularly from SDC Rhythm XP as well as from other teams in the past.

Paraclete XP Indoor Championship 2025		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	Total	Avg
-	Arizona Airspeed	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	Golden Knights	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	SDC Rhythm XP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	Tunnel Vision	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Arizona Airspeed have kept away from Rhythm members in recruiting since 2016. Thiago Gomes and Mikhail Markine were the last Rhythm member who made the move from Rhythm to Airspeed, Thiago Gomes in 2015, Mikhail Markine in 2016.

Niklas Hemlin eventually invited former Rhythm member Keith Conner to join his new indoor team, together with the two former XPG4 members, and the starting point for Tunnel Vision is the 30+ scoring level. Both were still direct opponents at last year's national indoor championship where SDC Rhythm XP won the bronze medals after an extra round over XPG4, with Michelle Karamon and Brenn Richards in the lineup.

The two former XPG4 team mates now lost two tie-breaking extra rounds within a year, and the next national indoor championship at Paraclete XP is not far away. The competition pressure at the end of the month will not be any easier compared to the Wind Games. The Golden Knights finished 2nd behind Arizona Airspeed last year. The U.S. Army team already won one round over Airspeed in February 2024, the very first one of the competition. The same lineup ended up 46 points behind Airspeed with Niklas Hemlin, and they are now three points away from Tunnel Vision. SDC Rhythm XP's and Arizona Airspeed's new lineups know what they can expect at Paraclete XP this month. None of the four teams in contention will be able to run away from the U.S. field as Aethers Medjay did at the Wind Games. The next tie-breaker round could be coming up, this time for the 1st place at the U.S. national indoor championship.

Paraclete XP Indoor Championship 2024		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		11		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open	4,21,F		6,14,5		H,10,K,8		2,D,B,15		O,J,P,22		20,17,18		L,M,C,19		E,13,3		A,1,Q,G		11,12,16		N,9,1		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	28		26	-1	29		33		34		28		38	-1	29		39		26		-		310	31.0
2	Golden Knights	30		25		22	-1	28	-2	27	-2	20	-3	31	-4	26	-1	31	-3	24		-		264	26.4
3	SDC Rhythm XP	23	-2	23	-1	23		25	-1	30		20	-2	33	-1	25	-1	31	-1	21		35		254	25.4
4	XPG4	24		23	-1	25	-1	28		28	-1	18	-2	33		24	-1	30		21		30	-1	254	25.4
5	XPerimental	24		21		20	-1	24		25		17	-2	29	-1	21	-2	25	-3	19		-		225	22.5
6	RhEvolution XP	22		19	-1	19	-1	23	-1	23	-1	21		28		19	-1	25		19		-		218	21.8
7	Netunos	22		18	-2	19	-2	17	-5	26	-1	16	-2	28	-1	17	-3	26	-2	19		-		208	20.8
8	Chicken Bolts	19	-1	19		19	-1	20		22	-2	16		26	-1	19		26		18		-		204	20.4

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Arizona Airspeed - Golden Knights - SDC Rhythm XP - XPG4 at the Paraclete XP Indoor Championship 2024

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