posted Apr 20th, 2020 - There was actually another unofficial "amateur team" at the Wind Games that was expected to compete with IFS-Moscow, ISR FireFlash and Weembi Unicorns for the positions right behind the three top teams in Spain.

Echochamber are in another different category of teams that would neither be defined as "full-time" or "pro" teams. It is the group of national teams who compete for their countries at the FAI events, after winning the national championships or qualifying in any other way.

Echochamber have competed for Sweden at the last two indoor world meets, at SkyVenture Montreal in 2017, and at Weembi Lille in 2019, and they represented their country at the FAI World Meet 2018 in Australia, as well. They also finished right behind IFS-Moscow at the FAI Indoor World Cup 2018 and missed the 5th place at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2019 at Skydive Arizona by one single point.

The Swedish national indoor and outdoor team has several 27+ indoor averages in their team records, and the 28.3 average at the FAI European Indoor Championship 2018 in Norway won the bronze medals behind France and Russia's Black Cat. The team's best meet averages were scored by Johan Edvall, Ulf Liljenbäck and Rikard Rodensjö, either with player-coach Mattias Nord or original member Martin Bäcklin in the lineup.

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Wind Games 2020			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class - Top 10		Q,F,6,14		1,13,4		8,J,15		O,9,D,5		21,A,P,H		N,C,20,12		7,G,K,19		10,16,22		17,E,11		M,B,3,L		Total	Avg
1	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	32	-1	29		28	-1	44	-3	45		29		35		25		34		47		348	34.8
2	Arizona Airspeed	US	34		24	-1	29		45	-2	41		29		34	-1	23		34		39	-1	332	33.2
3	SDC Rhythm XP	US	33		25		27	-1	44	-1	41		26		30	-3	23		30	-2	41	-2	320	32.0
4	IFS-Moscow	RU	27	-3	20	-3	25	-2	45	-2	36	-1	25	-1	30	-1	23		29	-2	33	-5	293	29.3
5	ISR FireFlash	BE	30		23		26		39		36		22	-1	27	-2	20		29		29	-4	281	28.1
6	Weembi Unicorns	IT	28		23		26		42		36		23		29		20		22	-4	26	-3	275	27.5
7	NFTO	UK	28		21		22		38		36		21		27	-1	18		24	-3	32	-1	267	26.7
8	Echochamber	SE	28		21		22		37		35		21	-1	23	-2	19		26		29	-4	261	26.1
9	Nephtys Weembi	FR	26		19	-1	20	-1	35		32		22		26	-1	19		22	-2	32	-1	253	25.3
10	Oceanside AtomiX	DE	25	-2	21		19	-2	31	-1	31		19		27		17	-1	22	-1	31		243	24.3

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The outdoor lineup with Mattias Nord, who has now taken the indoor slot, as well, had posted three 21+ outdoor averages in 2018 and peaked with the 5th place at the outdoor world meet in Australia. Expectations were high for the 2019 season, and Echochamber could not live up to their own goals, as the NSL News reported on 19 October 2019, with feedback from the team members.

A new update from Sweden on 28 October 2019 explained the new Echochamber plans for 2020 and the road to the team goal, a set of FAI medals at the outdoor world meet in Tanay.

Echochamber's 2020 plans included the Wind Games in January, and the NSL Power Rankings expected the Swedish team in an underdog position for the top rankings behind NMP PCH HayaBusa, together with several other teams. Consistent training with the same lineup supported the chances for a successful start into the outdoor world meet season.

However, five of the other potential contenders for the 2nd place had the better start into the new year, while Echochamber finished significantly below their previously shown meet averages. Even Weembi Unicorns, with their new lineup at the Wind Games, outscored Echochamber, who ended up in 8th place.

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Wind Games 2020			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		Q,F,6,14		1,13,4		8,J,15		O,9,D,5		21,A,P,H		N,C,20,12		7,G,K,19		10,16,22		17,E,11		M,B,3,L		Total	Avg
1	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	32	-1	29		28	-1	44	-3	45		29		35		25		34		47		348	34.8
2	Arizona Airspeed	US	34		24	-1	29		45	-2	41		29		34	-1	23		34		39	-1	332	33.2
3	IFS-Moscow	RU	27	-3	20	-3	25	-2	45	-2	36	-1	25	-1	30	-1	23		29	-2	33	-5	293	29.3
4	Echochamber	SE	28		21		22		37		35		21	-1	23	-2	19		26		29	-4	261	26.1
5	Oceanside AtomiX	DE	25	-2	21		19	-2	31	-1	31		19		27		17	-1	22	-1	31		243	24.3
6	Out of the Blue	NL	25		19		21		31	-2	29	-1	18		25		17	-1	24		16	-7	225	22.5
7	Blue Steel	FI	24		18		20		29		26	-1	20		24		15	-1	21		27	-1	224	22.4
8	Windobona Black Mantis	AT	27		18	-1	21		27	-3	27		19	-1	24		17		21		19	-5	220	22.0
9	Papea	ES	22		19		21		29	-1	27	-2	19		21	-2	17		22		19	-5	216	21.6
10	Lucky Boys	HU	20	-2	18	-1	20		28	-1	27		18		23		17	-3	18	-3	24		213	21.3
11	Realfly Fire	CH	23		16	-3	18	-2	25	-1	28	-1	13	-2	23		17		19		19	-4	201	20.1
12	Windobona Angels	ES	21		16	-1	17	-2	26		26	-1	17		21		15		17	-1	20	-4	196	19.6
13	Standby	IT	20		13	-3	16		22		24		12	-1	19	-2	12	-1	15	-1	23	-1	176	17.6
14	Equinox	LT	22		17		15	-1	20	-2	21	-3	16		17	-2	13		12	-2	16	-3	169	16.9

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It was nevertheless only a slow start into the new year for the Swedes. One of the reasons for attending meets early in a competition season is the opportunity to collect experiences and detect room for improvements. Echochamber had a similar start in 2018 and then peaked at the outdoor world meet.

The closer look at the field of teams in a world meet situation, where only one team competes for each country, would lift Echochamber back up in the rankings and much closer to the desired medal positions. It becomes even more promising, as IFS-Moscow is an indoor team and will most likely not compete for Russia in Tanay.

It will still be difficult enough for Echochamber to make a serious run at the outdoor medal positions. The Qatar Tigers, one of the unofficial "pro" teams, did not compete at the Wind Games and are probably the third top contender for FAI medals. There was neither a French top team at the Wind Games, even though they are not really considered top contenders this year, due to their strong commitment to 8-way.

Not much has changed for Echochamber after the Wind Games, and the biggest obstacle on the way to FAI outdoor medals is probably still the corona virus crisis...