posted Mar 4th, 2018 - The NSL News is going back to the first indoor meet of the year in the United States, while teams have started their final preparations for the first outdoor competition, the Shamrock Showdown 2018.

A total of 36 teams attended the SV Hew Hampshire Indoor Championship 2018, and a few stories had covered the AAA Class competition.

This time, it is the Rookie Class leaderboard that caught the attention of the NSL News.

The Minis, an all-female lineup with two 4-way juniors, won the meet after ten competitive rounds at SkyVenture New Hampshire.

3 Guys with Wood and Blood on the Glass had only the second place to fight for in an exciting 1-point battle, even though both teams outscored the winner two times each.

Jenni Galipeault and Michelle Grant have been team mates since they joined Jeff Atherton's A Class team No Name 4 You at the SV Hew Hampshire Indoor Championship 2016.

SVNH Indoor 2018		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	Rookie	J,N,M	H,C,B	O,D,E	L,F,M	Q,K,A	P,N,F	E,M,A	B,L,O	K,D,C	P,J,Q	Total	Avg
1	The Minis	16	13	9	17	16	14	11	14	10	14	134	13.4
2	3 Guys with Wood	11	11	14	15	11	16	10	12	9	11	120	12.0
3	Blood on the Glass	13	7	13	14	12	12	15	9	13	11	119	11.9
4	Undecidables	10	8	6	11	6	7	9	9	4	5	75	7.5
5	Charlie’s Angels	11	6	8	7	3	6	9	7	1	6	64	6.4

They were also competing for SkyVenture New Hampshire's Indoor Cloud League team, as the NSL News reported on 3 February, and they were back with Robot Unacorn Attack in 2nd place at the SV Hew Hampshire Indoor Championship 2017.

Emily Cooper was their team mate in the 2016 lineup. Her daughter Elizabeth Cooper was enjoying tunnel flying, too, and was always looking for flight time.

Michelle Grant's step-daughter is Maylla Novaes, who came into her life when she was five years old. Michelle Grant had just discovered skydiving as a sport, and her second jump was with Maylla Novaes' father at Pepperell, MA.

Mothers Michelle Grant and Emily Cooper eventually asked Jenni Galipeault to help train their daughters Elizabeth Cooper and Maylla Novaes.

They were impressed with the junior performance and began to consider entering them into the 2018 competition. Elizabeth Cooper and Maylla Novaes liked the idea, and the coaching began.

The complete 4-way lineup, The Minis, had only one 15-minute training session as a 4-way team before the competition in January and won the Rookie Class. Jenni Galipeault told the NSL News more of the team history and how the team came together.

Jenni Galipeault started with two tandem jumps in the summer of 2011 and then signed up for AFF. New England drop zones are seasonal and it was too late in the year.

However, she visited Florida with her husband and added a few tandem jumps to her early skydiving experience. It was still too long waiting for the spring, so she began with wind tunnel training.

Finally the waiting was over, and it was time for her AFF jumps that she did together with her best friend. It turned out to be a rough start: "My jump was successful, but Katie ended up with a shattered ankle."

Jenni Galipeault was not going to stop since she loved the feeling of jumping from planes. Unfortunately, she became a victim of an early injury, too:

"Level 2 and 3 passed with no redo's. At Level 4 I ended up breaking myself on a downwind tree landing, which caused my own ankle to be broken."

She needed surgery and a break for the remainder of the year, as well. However, she still spent the whole summer at the drop zone and learned a lot about canopy flight.

Finally she was cleared for tunnel training in 2013 and excited to get ready for her outdoor comeback: "I did a lot of tunnel time with lots of coaching from Eli and Kris. Hours of tunnel went by and next thing you know, AFF was about to start again. This was a make or break. I had to reverse a new found fear of winds and trees. I decided if it was not going to be fun after that first jump, it's not worth it again."

It was a great comeback, as she remembers well: "To my surprise, once my canopy was open, I found a peaceful place. The fear was not there and I really could not wait to do it again. I got my A License in July, which was definitely an even bigger reward than if I got it the first time. With new skyfam from the summer in the making, I really really had a huge support system I will never forget."

Jenni Galipeault has a total of 330 jumps by now and hours of tunnel time with coaching from Mass Defiance, Jeff Atherton, Brian Touhey and other New England 4-way experts.

She felt honored this year when Michelle Grant and Emily Cooper asked her to help coaching their daughters and be on their first team: "I did not hesitate when I said yes since I have seen these girls in the tunnel doing well, and they started with a passion of this sport at a very young age."

The Minis became a great and successful experience for Jenni Galipeault and Michelle Grant both: "We decided as a team to make things fair, so I would try a new position as inside center. I have never done that one before, so this gave a good challenge which I love. However, the main reason I was excited about was to help teach them 4-way, along with Emily and Michelle, as they have never done this before.

"The girls retained the information so well and with only 15 minutes of team practice, I was shocked we got 1st in the Rookie Class. I was super excited for them and proud of them for the effort they put into it. Now I know the reward of paying it forward is in the sport.

"I appreciate all who have taught me and would want to keep coaching newbies to 4-way since I find it amazing to have a team to rely, trust, communicate and learn off each other. I am thankful to those who have taught me everything I know so far and will keep teaching me new stuff, and I look forward to paying it forward with people who want to learn. The beauty of this sport is not only the people who are in it, but you can never know enough, and no matter how much time in the sport, you can ALWAYS learn more.

It seems as it will not be a big surprise to see Jenni Galipeault and The Minis back againat upcoming 4-way events...