posted Sep 26th, 2025 - The 24.6 average of the Golden Knights at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025 was the highest meet average of the current lineup, as the NSL News mentioned a few times during the aftermath. Nick Birkner, Mike Connors, Jeshua Stahler and Mitch Stockenberg have been training and competing together since 2022, with Skyler Romberg on camera since 2024. The performance at Skydive Teuge still has even more meaning than the team's new record number.

The previously highest 10-round average with the same lineup was the 22.9 at the Shamrock Showdown 2024, which was still standing a year later after this year's Shamrock Showdown. The next 10-round performance at the XP Summer Classic 2025 in June still did not threaten the 22.9 at Skydive DeLand in March 2024.

However, NSL Live Talk with the current lineup at the end of the 10-round competition at Skydive Paraclete XP featured the same complete lineup with a new spirit and new energy. The Golden Knights appeared inspired and ready to leave the previous performances behind. Result of a different approach and the work with coach Niklas Hemlin was eventually the 24.6 average at the end of the 10-round competition at the outdoor world cup with a draw that was not significantly faster than at the previously attended events.

FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		B,Q,19,F		G,13,K,A		12,7,8		16,E,6		1,J,9		10,15,21		5,18,L		M,20,11		C,17,2		22,O,P,3		Total	Avg
1	Aethers Lille	FR	36	-2	36		20	-1	25		29		20		24	-1	24		24	-1	25		263	26.3
2	Golden Knights	US	33		31	-2	20		24	-1	27	-1	16	-2	23		24		24		24		246	24.6
3	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	33		28	-3	19		24		30		18	-1	19	-2	22		21	-1	23		237	23.7
4	SDC Rhythm XP	US	27	-1	22	-5	17		22		21	-3	14	-2	20	-1	18	-1	20		19		200	20.0
5	U.S. Team	US	24	-2	21	-2	17		20		24		15	-1	18		19		21	-1	19		198	19.8
6	Skywalkers Junior	CZ	28		22	-2	16	-1	20		23		15	-1	18		18	-1	17	-2	19		196	19.6
7	Echochamber	SE	26		25		16	-1	20		24		12	-1	16	-1	19		18	-1	19		195	19.5
8	Agera	NO	27	-1	23	-1	17		18	-2	23	-1	16		17		17	-1	17	-2	19		194	19.4
9	RhEvolution XP	US	27		22		15		18	-1	21		15		13	-2	17		17		17		182	18.2
10	Out Of The Blue	NL	21	-2	22		13	-2	17		21		14		16		17	-1	17		17		175	17.5
11	AYRO	BE	24		22		13		18		21		12	-1	13	-2	17		17		15		172	17.2
12	Papea	ES	21	-3	22		17		18		18	-3	14		13	-1	15	-2	16	-2	16	-1	170	17.0
13	Chop Chop!	AU	18		16		11		12		16		9		10	-1	14		12	-1	13		131	13.1
14	Les Hermines	FR	17	-2	16	-1	10	-1	12		15		8	-1	10		14		13		13		128	12.8
15	British Army Volt4ge	UK	16		12		10		12		14	-2	11		9	-1	11	-1	10	-1	11		116	11.6
16	Axis	UK	13	-1	10	-2	10		10		14		9		8		11		10	-1	9	-2	104	10.4

---

Golden Knights - NMP PCH HayaBusa at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025

---

The meaning of the 24.6 average goes beyond the previous scoring numbers of the current lineup. It is the highest meet average that any Golden Knights lineup has ever posted in a 10-round competition. There is a 24.9 average in the NSL News records that the 2008 lineup posted at the Shamrock Showdown.

Matt Davidson, Kurt Isenbarger, Brian Krause and John Hoover posted this average after only eight rounds in DeLand, with Larry Miller on camera. The 8-round meet average was even boosted by a Super Sequence in Round 6 (G,C,J,D,B) that the Golden Knights mastered with a 43-pointer. The 24.9 average in 2008 would have won the 3rd place behind Airspeed Odyssey and France after the eight rounds that most of the teams completed.

The 24.6 at the outdoor world cup was the result at a 10-round meet without any Super Sequences, and it moved the U.S. Army team significantly closer to the world’s current leader in 4-way competition, Aethers Lille. The French national team in 4-way Open finished with a team record average, as well, which was still only two points higher than the previous one at the Shamrock Showdown 2025 (263 - 261). Aethers and Golden Knights were separated by 34 points in April this year, and by only 17 points in Teuge.

Shamrock Showdown 2008			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		18,7,15	9,10,14	4,F,M,A	L,H,E,6	3,P,5	G,C,J,D,B	12,13,Q	1,16,20	21,N,O,2	19,11,22	Total	Avg
1	Airspeed Odyssey	US	21	22	32	30	25	42	22	17	22	19	252	25.2
2	Maubeuge	FR	21	18	30	28	24	45	21	19	22	19	247	24.7
3	Evolution	CA	18	19	27	27	20	36	19	17	20	17	220	22.0
4	Black Cat	RU	19	17	27	29	23	42	18	16	21	-	212	23.6
5	Golden Knights Black	US	19	19	29	30	22	43	19	18	-	-	199	24.9
6	DeLand Groove	US	19	21	28	29	21	40	18	17	-	-	193	24.1
7	Fastrax	US	18	16	27	28	24	39	19	16	-	-	187	23.4
8	Perris Fury	US	19	17	25	31	22	43	-	-	-	-	157	26.2
9	Satori	UK	16	16	22	26	18	25	16	12	-	-	151	18.9
10	Teiwaz Red	US	11	17	21	21	16	27	15	14	-	-	142	17.8
11	Optic Nerve	US	14	12	21	20	20	25	15	12	-	-	139	17.4
12	Fortitudo	NO	12	14	21	19	14	22	11	12	12	-	137	15.2
13	Sebastian Tempest	US	14	12	22	22	16	23	13	13	-	-	135	16.9
14	Blue Spirits	SE	9	11	20	17	13	23	12	6	13	7	131	13.1
15	Team Twisted	US	14	13	20	18	15	26	13	11	-	-	130	16.3
16	Danish Blaze	DK	11	10	17	13	16	22	12	11	13	-	125	13.9
17	Fastrax Blue	US	14	15	21	22	17	31	-	-	-	-	120	20.0
18	Sequence	DK	11	10	14	12	11	15	9	9	9	-	100	11.1
19	Venom	NO	9	10	14	12	9	18	11	7	-	-	90	11.3
20	Chicas	DE	12	12	20	17	14	-	-	-	-	-	75	15.0
21	Bangsimon	IS	4	8	10	9	8	9	7	6	8	-	69	7.7
22	Skybreakers	DK	6	6	10	9	7	9	7	2	-	-	56	7.0

Additional inspiration after the completion at Skydive Teuge was probably caused by the fact that the Golden Knights had also defeated NMP PCH HayaBusa at an outdoor competition. The Belgian team won the same indoor duel with their current lineup at the Wind Games 2025 by three points (208 - 305). The outdoor rematch had a 9-point difference (246 - 237) to the advantage of the Golden Knights.

The last 10-round outdoor competition between Golden Knights and NMP PCH HayaBusa took place at the USPA Nationals 2017, where the Belgian guest team won by 47 points (270 - 223). It was HayaBusa's signature lineup (Andy Grauwels, David Grauwels, Jeroen Nollet, Dennis Praet, Luc Van Britsom on camera) who won the whole 4-way Open Class competition at Skydive Perris. New team captain Dennis Praet and Jeroen Nollet, are still in the current HayaBusa lineup, with David Grauwels now on camera, while none of the current Golden Knights 4-way team members were in the 2017 lineup of the U.S. Army who had set the main focus on 8-way competition at that time.

The timing of the Golden Knights record performance at the outdoor world cup could hardly be any better. The USPA Nationals in October is the most important event for the U.S. Army team. Only the winner of the U.S qualification for the next world championship will represent the U.S. delegation in Eloy next year. There was still enough time between both events for some adjustments or just additional training, and the confidence level is probably on the same peak as the record number.

USPA Nationals 2017			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		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
1	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	31		33		28	-2	23	-1	25		23		23	-1	22		31		31		270	27.0
2	Arizona Airspeed	US	27		32		29		22		24		22		21	-1	23		29		29		258	25.8
3	SDC Rhythm XP	US	29		31		28	-1	23		22		20	-1	23		19		28	-1	29		252	25.2
4	Golden Knights	US	24		26	-1	28		22		18	-3	19		20		19	-1	24		23		223	22.3
5	Airspeed Odyssey	US	25	-1	23	-1	27	-1	19		22		19		19		17		23	-1	23		217	21.7
6	Defiance	US	24		24		26		18		19		17	-1	19		16	-1	24		22	-1	209	20.9
7	GKBC	US	24		19	-4	24		15	-2	17	-1	17		18		16		23		20	-1	193	19.3
8	Dallas 350	US	18		23		24		16		16	-1	16		16		11		22		19		181	18.1
9	ISR FireFlash	BE	21		22		19	-1	14	-2	17		16	-1	14	-2	16		20		19	-1	178	17.8
10	SDMW NEXT XP	US	15	-3	25		17	-3	17		15	-2	16	-1	16	-1	15		23		14	-3	173	17.3
11	Spaceland Lite	US	19		22		19		12	-2	17		14		13	-1	8	-2	19		17	-1	160	16.0
12	Phoenix XP	US	16	-1	18		19		13		13	-1	13	-1	14		14		15	-2	17		152	15.2
13	Long Shot	US	16	-1	14	-1	15	-2	13	-1	13	-1	14		12	-2	12		16	-1	17		142	14.2
14	Arizona Alpha	US	17		17		11	-3	12	-1	14		13	-1	12		13		17		12	-2	138	13.8
15	Perris Quicksilver	US	15		17		12	-3	11		11	-1	13		12		10	-1	16		13		130	13.0

---

Golden Knights - NMP PCH HayaBusa at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025

---