posted Aug 5th, 2018 - Finland's national championship scores are embedded in the leaderboard that included Sweden and the Czech Republic, as well. The competition draw for all three events was synchronized, and even an event with only three (Finland) or two (Czech Republic) AAA Class teams becomes more interesting if other events use the same competition draw.

Two of the three teams in Finland were not new to the audience at all. The Pro Team has been a topic for the NSL News many times, in the beginnings of the team history due to impressive performances for a team from a small country, including the Top 10 finish at the FAI World Meet 2010 in Menzelinsk, and later on due to the Pohjala 4-way family and son Kalle's career in the sport, from a young packer to a competitor.

The latest updates from Finland have become a combination of both. The Pro Team now delivers impressive 4-way performances, and Kalle Pohjola is also in the active lineup.

This week's national championship was a historic event for the Pro Team, as Kalle Pohjola attended his first outdoor competition in the tail slot. He has his 18th birthday this year and launched his AAA Class outdoor carrer with a 17.0 average. He had attended his first 4-way competition at the World Challenge 2013. He was 12 years old by then and won the Rookie Class with Pro Team Extended and a 39.1 average.

August 2nd, 2018			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		P,8,20	4,E,5	A,12,2	17,19,11	9,Q,21	L,1,D,H	15,N,C,O	M,6,18	J,G,22,14	3,7,F	Total	Avg
1	Echochamber	SE	22	20	17	17	24	22	24	22	17	26	211	21.1
2	Pro Team	FI	17	15	14	16	19	17	20	17	14	21	170	17.0
3	Team X	SE	17	16	15	16	18	18	13	16	14	19	162	16.2
4	Team C4	SE	15	15	10	14	19	16	16	14	12	17	148	14.8
5	Aurora	SE	13	13	12	12	16	16	15	16	13	18	144	14.4
6	Edge	SE	11	15	10	14	18	16	13	15	12	13	137	13.7
7	HF Flying Circus	CZ	12	11	12	13	16	17	14	13	12	-	120	13.3
8	Tempo	FI	11	8	9	9	11	12	8	11	10	12	101	10.1
9	Sky....	CZ	9	11	6	9	7	11	9	9	7	-	78	8.7
10	SE Kolmas Flätsijoukkue	FI	1	2	1	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	7	0.7

He was packing parachutes for his parents, Outi and Kimmo Pohjola, when he started 4-way training on creepers in Rovaniemi, a small town in Finland, north of the arctic circle.

Now he is on his way to wipe out the highest Finnish scores that his own family team has in the records of Finnish 4-way history.

This week's 17.0 average is not yet the highest average that the Pro Team has posted. The 2010 lineup, with his mother and father both in the lineup, plus Laura Miettinen and Eija Suvala, had finished with a 20.4 average in Menzelinsk 2010.

The average was boosted though by one Super Sequence in Round 3 (43) and another very fast sequence in Round 9 (28), and the Pro Team did not perform the slow sequence of Round 10.

However, the same lineup had also posted a 19.1 average at the national championships the same year before the trip to Russia for the world meet. This week's 17.0 average is the starting point for Kalle Pohjola's outdoor 4-way career.

His father Kimmo Pohjola was still in this week's lineup, together with 2010 team mate Eija Suvala. Emilia Sormunen, who had joined the Pro Team in 2014, was in Outi Pohjola's slot last week.

FAI World Meet 2010		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	10,7,12	3,11,5	J,M,Q,P,L	19,1,13	N,18,20	K,17,8	2,15,H	4,D,6	O,E,9,G	-	Total	Avg
10	Pro Team	17	16	43	14	15	17	17	17	28	-	184	20.4
Roster: Mikko Kajala (Video), Laura Miettinen (Tail), Kimmo Pohjola (Outside Center), Outi Pohjola (Point), Eija Suvala (Inside Center)
Finnish Nationals 2010		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	18,Q,4	B,13,K,L	5,9,F	G,3,14	15,2,19	22,O,M,D	11,6,10	21,P,H,N	A,12,J,1	C,7,20	Total	Avg
1	Pro Team	16	22	26	16	16	21	15	23	17	19	191	19.1
Roster: Mikko Kajala (Video), Laura Miettinen (Tail), Kimmo Pohjola (Outside Center), Outi Pohjola (Point), Eija Suvala (Inside Center)
World Challenge 2010		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	5,4,12	J,M,E,D,L	20,17,8	15,18,7	22,A,F,K	21,C,G,6	9,19,16	B,13,14	H,P,O,3	N,2,10	Total	Avg
14	Pro Team	17	47	19	18	25	22	21	19	26	18	232	23.2
Roster: Laura Miettinen (Tail), Kimmo Pohjola (Outside Center), Outi Pohjola (Point), Eija Suvala (Inside Center)

Kalle Pohjola had already lifted the Pro Team indoor level to the highest average since 2010 when the same lineup posted a 22.8 average at the national indoor championship this February. The same 2010 lineup that had finished 10th at the world meet in Russia posted the highest indoor average in the country's history (23.2) at the World Challenge 2010. It was also boosted by a Super Sequence in Round 2 (47). Kalle Pohjola is now very close to the highest indoor average ever in Finland.

The next opportunity might come up when 4-way teams from Finland join the World Tunnel League for the first time in September. A new wind tunnel in Helsinki downtown is hosting the 10-round competition on the last September weekend, and the Pro Team plans to attend the event.

Tempo will compete at the same WTL meet, as well. The NSL News had introduced the team on 9 April 2018, after winning the AA Class competition of the World Challenge in Bedford. Many teams usually attend their first event in a higher category at indoor meets. Tempo turned to AAA Class outdoor training after the World Challenge and then competed first at the national outdoor championships last week.

Tempo mastered the 10-average level at the first outdoor attempt and will follow up with indoor scores in September.