... that Jack Jefferies commented the double gold challenge in 2003?
Live NSL Talk with Jack Jefferies at the World Meet 2003posted Jun 8th, 2012 -
The NSL News has covered several times in the past the different attempts to win double gold at a World Championship of Formation Skydiving in 4way and 8way with the same 4way lineup. The earlier attempts by the Golden Knights in 1987, Arizona Airspeed in 1999 and and 2001, France in 2003 and 2008 failed, and France is trying again this year.
The NSL News was recently looking for some information in the archives and found by coincidence an interview with Jack Jefferies where Airspeed's Formation Skydiving legend commented the pursuit of double gold. He was visiting the World Meet 2003 in Gap, France, to support the US teams. He had his own attempt in 1999 before he retired from hard core competition.
The NSL News had the conversation with him after Round 9.
NSL News: Jack, are you here for vacation? Jack Jefferies: Yes, I am a tourist. I am here to support the U.S. teams.
NSL News: Your support is too late for Synchronicity and the Golden Knights. What do you think about the 4-way events? Jack Jefferies: Synchronicity had a couple of bad breaks in the beginning, but they came fighting back which is a sign of a good competitor. Any team can look happy and confident when they are ahead. But to be able to skydive at your best when there seems to be no hope shows true metal.
NSL News: 4-way Open? Jack Jefferies: The French are having a tremendous competition. They are skydiving at the top of their game. And they are not letting up, no matter how far ahead they have come. The Golden Knights are fighting to the best of their ability and continue to be great sportsmen. Most interestingly, Norway and England are locked together in mortal combat once again.
NSL News: We just watched Round 9 in 8-way. Can you comment this for the NSL audience, please? Jack Jefferies: Well, it is no surprise that this happened in Round 9 for two reasons. One, in the 8-way event the scores can swing very quickly. Nobody knows this better than Airspeed who have lost more than one 8-way competition in the final round. Number two; it is very difficult for the leading team to maintain their top speed and full aggression. It is very natural for a team only a few points behind to play for blood. It looks like in Round 9, Airspeed was skydiving like their lives were depending on it, while the Russians were sometimes hesitant and cautions. To win in competition at this level, you must skydive at your full speed and ability every single round.
NSL News: What about the French 8-way? Jack Jefferies: The French too are great competitors and regardless of being behind by ten points, they had a great jump with full aggression and power.
NSL News: Jack, will the double-gold challenge ever be achieved? Jack Jefferies: Of course, it is possible. But it will require great timing. Two things have to happen simultaneously. A country has to have at least nine world-class athletes motivated and funded, and, one of the events must not be too strongly contested at the world level. These two things have to occur together.
NSL News: Why does it seem to be so difficult, the French camp seemed to have very good circumstances? Jack Jefferies: It is a greater challenge than it appears, again for two reasons. One, the events are very different, and switching from one to the other, whether in training or in competition is very disruptive. Thinking is different, moving is different, pace and people are different. In Training, when you work at one event you fall behind in the other. And in competition, when you switch from one event to the other, the entire psychology changes. The second reason why it is so challenging to win both events at this level is the fact that it is very fatiguing to make 20 world meet competition rounds. In my experience, when we try to win both events, our performance would drop off in the final rounds. We always felt this was because we had grown tired.
NSL News: Jack, you have been competing for a long time. What has recently changed, what is new these days? Jack Jefferies: Although females have always competed at the World Meets, this year many of the top performing Open Class teams have female members. And these athletes are in some of the most demanding positions in the teams. To me it is new to have a female member on Airspeed, and the team coexists through many years of training with no problems, which has destroyed an old believe that men and women cannot play competitively in the same team. Some of the best skydiving is happening on this drop zone today, which is the best in the world. And co-ed teams are doing it.
Loaded with reigning 4way and 8way world champion: French 8way team
Jack Jefferies' comments still fully apply to this year's situation, and his two main factors don't seem to be in place for the French delegation at the World Meet 2012 in Dubai.
There is no doubt that Jack's first condition speaks for the French attempt. National manager Jeremie Rollett has probably the strongest lineups in both events that he could dream up, loaded with reigning 4way and 8way world champions. The questionmark is behind Jack Jefferies' second condition that the NSL News also researched for Blue Skies Mag on 1 April 2012.
It is not a weak year, neither in 4way nor in 8way. Both events will be very strongly contested. Jack Jefferies thought that the the strong lineups and the "weak year" have to happen simultaneously. He explained that it takes a "weak year" since it is so difficult and challenging to compete in both events. The French delegation has to prove Jack Jefferies wrong this year...
