posted Apr 15th, 2016 - The Sun Path Products NSL News evaluated the recent indirect scoring relationship between NMP PCH Hayabusa and Arizona Airspeed when the news broke that Tail Thiago Gomes and videographer Justin Price are on Airspeed's injury list.

Both teams met each other directly last time at the World Air Games 2015. A personnel change followed on the Airspeed side before the new lineup competed at the Shamrock Showdown 2016.

The Sun Path Products NSL News used the results of teams who competed at the same recent events that Hayabusa and Airspeed attended (French FLY-IN Girls, Qatar Tigers, SDC Rhythm XP, Satori XL at Shamrock Showdown and World Challenge) to estimate the current scoring relationship between the two top contenders in the 4-way Open Class.

World Air Games 2015			Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women		B,C,17,2	N,19,4	13,14,F	6,E,O,L	7,1,A	D,18,P,22	M,H,5,15	16,9,12	21,K,G,Q	11,20,3	Total	Avg
1	Golden Knights	US	25	21(-1)	22	25(-4)	23	19	29	21	25	17	227(-5)	22.7
2	French FLY-IN Girls	FR	25	22	21	30	21(-2)	20	20(-3)	22	25	18	224(-5)	22.4

French FLY-IN Girls and Golden Knights have been in a similar situation in 4-way Women, as they met each other last time at the World Air Games 2015, as well. The Golden Knights then missed the Wind Games 2016 and competed at the Paraclete XP Indoor Championship 2016. The U.S. national team in 4-way Women missed the Shamrock Showdown and the World Challenge, which both were events where the French FLY-IN Girls delivered very impressive performances.

The Sun Path Products NSL News now used the same method and formula to learn more about the indirect scoring relationship between the two top contenders for gold medals at the Mondial 2016 in 4-way Women.

SDC Rhythm XP (26.8) and Savolo (21.1) attended the Paraclete meet, where the Golden Knights placed 2nd with a 27.6 average. Both teams also competed at the World Challenge where they saw the French FLY-IN Girls (28.6) in 2nd place of the Open Class leaderboard. According to the Rhythm and Savolo averages, the Golden Knights would have finished with a 27.7 average (27.6 - 27.7) in Bedford, and the French FLY-IN Girls would have won with a 28.5 average (28.6 - 28.4) in Raeford.

Shamrock Showdown 2016			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		3,13,9	G,6,21	10,20,11	18,4,B	F,1,14	19,5,7	P,Q,16,A	C,15,M,12	J,L,K,2	E,O,22,17	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	23	24	19	22	24	24(-1)	29	25	29	24	243	24.3
2	Aerodyne French Girls	FR	21	22	17	21	23	20	27	21	27	22	221	22.1
3	Qatar Tigers	QA	19	22	16	21	19	19	29	20	28	22	215	21.5

World Challenge 2016			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		P,2,10	8,F,15	G,14,17	L,H,E,13	M,7,O,1	16,21,11	N,D,4,9	18,20,A	G,19,3	C,K,B,22	Total	Avg
1	NMP PCH Hayabusa	BE	27	31	28	39	35	25	38	30	31	36	320	32.0
2	French FLY-IN Girls	FR	22	27	27	34	35	22	33	24	29	33	286	28.6
3	FLY-IN France	FR	24	26	26	34	32	23	33	23	27	28	276	27.6

French FLY-IN Girls (22.1) and SDC Rhythm XP (20.4) also both competed at the Shamrock Showdown, and their results in DeLand allow an additional estimate of the French performance in Raeford (29.0) which moves the average even up to approx. 28.7 at Paraclete. The reverse application of the same extrapolation (French FLY-IN Girls - SDC Rhythm XP - Golden Knights) shows the U.S. Army team with a 21.0 average at the Shamrock Showdown.

No matter which numbers are being used - the result seems to be the same: The French FLY-IN Girls have at least caught up with the Golden Knights at this point in time.

The situation was very different after the World Meet 2014 in Prostejov where the French Girls had defended their gold medals of 2010 and 2012 successfully. The Golden Knights hired veteran coach Solly Williams for a long-term coaching job and came back with the same original lineup in 2015, going into the team's 5th year together, while the French national team continued with two reigning world champions (Sophia Pecout, Christine Malnis) and two new members (Clementine Le Bohec, Anais Alspach) in the center slots.

The Golden Knights posted impressive scores in 2015, while the French Girls changed their lineup again after the FAI World Cup 2015. Pamela Lissajoux replaced Anais Alspach. Both teams eventually met in Prague for the next direct confrontation at the 1st FAI World Indoor Skydiving Championships, and the scoring difference (29.4 - 25.2) seemed to be hopeless from the French perspective.

However, the new French Girls lineup was much closer (27.7 - 26.9) just a month later at the Clash of Champions, and the difference was almost completely gone at the World Air Games.

The French results at the last 2015 meets were obviously not the end of the impressive progression, as the first two meets this year are clearly showing - with or without extrapolation. The new French FLY-IN Girls have no intention of making it easy for the Golden Knights who finally want to take away the gold medals from France in 4-way Women...