posted Feb 11th, 2026 - The Golden Knights 4-way team enter the season as the reigning U.S. indoor and outdoor champions. This year, they will represent the United States at the sport’s premier event, the outdoor world championship. The last time this happened was in Gap 2003, when Eric Heinsheimer, John Hoover, Kurt Isenbarger, and Chris Talbert competed for the U.S. Army and the U.S. delegation in France. With Tal Hunter on camera, the team earned the silver medal, finishing just behind the French home team.

Eric Heinsheimer and John Hoover had already secured their places on the prestigious William H. Ottley Sword, awarded to 8-way world champions and also known as the 8-way Excalibur, after winning in Turkey in 1997 together. John Hoover was also part of the 1995 championship lineup. Kurt Isenbarger later added his name to the 8-way sword with a victory in Dubai in 2012. Chris Talbert and 4-way videographer Tal Hunter are the only members of that group who have not yet earned the same distinction.

Despite the U.S. Army’s remarkable success in 8-way competition, claiming a total of eleven world championship gold medals for U.S. delegations since 1985, the Army’s 4-way teams have yet to win a 4-way world championship gold medal. Now, a new 4-way chapter has begun for the current 4-way team. Jesse Stahler, Nick Birkner, Mike Connors, Mitch Stockenberg, with Skyler Romberg on camera, won the USPA Nationals 2025, earning the right to represent the U.S. delegation at the outdoor world championship in October this year. They had already secured the U.S. indoor 4-way title by winning the Open Class competition at the Paraclete XP Indoor Championship 2025.

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NSL Live Talk with Golden Knights on 10 January 2026 at Paraclete XP

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The situation of the Golden Knights 4-way team this year closely mirrors that of the 2003 lineup. Jesse Stahler and Mike Connors are reigning 8-way world champions, after winning with GKXP8 at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2024. At the same event, Nick Birkner and Mitch Stockenberg served as alternates for the U.S. 8-way team.

In 2003, the Golden Knights 4-way team faced an exceptionally strong French squad on home soil in Gap — Marin Ferre, Julien Losantos, Davide Moy, Erwan Pouliquen, with Laurent Pechberty on camera. The Golden Knights ultimately finished in second place, 15 points behind the host team (229–214).

The current Golden Knights lineup may face an even greater challenge. The French Aethers are presently dominating the world’s 4-way competition, while NMP PCH HayaBusa — featuring two Belgian 4-way world champions from 2016, 2018, and 2021 (Dennis Praet and Jeroen Nollet) — are making a strong push to return to the top of the world rankings. Over the past two decades, U.S. 4-way teams have typically had one primary rival at outdoor world championships, either from France or Belgium. This time, however, the Golden Knights must outperform both Aethers and NMP PCH HayaBusa to win the FAI world championship gold medal.

Wind Games 2026			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open Top 10		13,15,M		8,N,G,L		H,6,16		Q,D,J,12		17,P,21		7,3,2		F,19,11		B,20,4		22,E,10		C,9,5		Total	Avg
1	Aethers	FR	31	-2	37	-2	32	-1	39		34		29		32		32		25	-2	41	-3	332	33.2
2	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	27	-3	34	-2	32		33	-1	33		26	-1	27	-2	28	-1	25		39	-2	304	30.4
3	Golden Knights	US	30	-1	32	-2	29		31	-3	31	-1	25		29	-1	26	-3	23	-1	33	-1	289	28.9
4	Unruly	INT	28	-3	30	-2	26	-3	32	-1	29		26		27	-2	26	-1	24		39		287	28.7
5	Arizona Airspeed	US	27	-2	31		27	-2	31	-3	29	-1	25		28		26	-1	23		36		283	28.3
6	Tunnel Vision	US	27	-1	32		28		29	-4	30		25		27		26		23		34		281	28.1
7	Dynos	INT	26	-1	30	-1	27	-1	30	-1	29		26		27	-1	27		21		35	-1	278	27.8
8	Amnesya Fly X	IT	23	-3	29		24	-1	25	-4	27		20	-1	24	-1	23	-1	20	-1	29	-3	244	24.4
9	Skynamite	DE	23		24		24		27	-2	20	-1	21		23	-1	21	-1	17	-1	28	-2	228	22.8
10	Monaco F1	FR	21	-2	26		26		21	-5	20	-3	21		22		20	-3	18	-1	30		225	22.5

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Golden Knights at the Wind Games 2026

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The start of the world meet year at the Wind Games 2026 in January offered the first indication of what may lie ahead this season. Aethers, NMP PCH HayaBusa, and the Golden Knights — the national 4-way outdoor teams of France, Belgium, and the United States — faced off for the first time in the one-year buildup to the next FAI outdoor world championship. The outcome reflected the anticipated hierarchy.

The Golden Knights will continue their preparation with two additional indoor competitions: the U.S. indoor championship at the end of next week and the FAI indoor world cup in April. Their first outdoor showdown with the French Aethers is scheduled for the Shamrock Showdown 2026 - 1st Bob Hallet Memorial in DeLand.

In the six months following that first outdoor meet, the U.S. Army team will aim to maximize every available resource to close the gap to the French squad and arrive in October ready to compete on equal footing. The 2026 season could mark the final major championship appearance for team captain Jesse Stahler, who would undoubtedly welcome the opportunity to conclude his competitive career with a 4-way world championship gold medal. He has already indicated that his successor within the current lineup is preparing for the transition. Current team videographer Skyler Romberg is set to move into an active slot in front of the camera after the final round of the world championship. Recently, he was training in the wind tunnel with coach Niklas Hemlin, while his teammates discussed the 2026 season with the NSL News.