posted Jan 19th, 2019 - Several stories that covered last year's FAI World Meet 2018 in Australia and the run-up to the event pointed out that France would not send a national 8-way team. It become an unusual and sad reality when the 8-way leaderboard did not show a team from France.

It was the first time in Formation Skydiving history that France did not compete in 8-way and logically did not win a medal. The Golden Knights continued their next "Decade of Excellence" with the 4th consecutive 8-way victory in Australia. Russia's Tanay 8-way team placed 2nd, and the Qatar Falcons won the bronze medals.

French national coach Mathieu Bernier, 8-way world champion of 2006, 2008 and 2010, did not know in Australia what the future would bring for 8-way Formation Skydiving competition and the national 8-way team in France, even though the event has recently gained popularity in France, according to the participation at the Weembinamic 2018.

Mathieu Bernier had good news for the 8-way community at the beginning of the new year. France will at least have an 8-way team at the FAI Indoor World Meet at Weembi Lille in April. Of course, it is much easier to recruit and register a team when the event is taking place on home turf. In fact, France as the host of the FAI/IPC event will probably have teams and competitors in each of the disciplines that will be conducted at the indoor world championship, including the unofficial 8-way competition.

Weembinamic 2018			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	8-way		P,12,6	C,10,3	K,G,B,22	L,A,8,4	M,G,O,18	H,D,N,11	7,2,E	17,J,21	16,5,13	F,9,19	Total	Avg
1	Qatar Falcons	QA	26	27	29	24	25	28	18	21	21	20	239	23.9
2	Weembi Girls	FR	23	25	24	24	24	23	22	22	23	22	232	23.2
3	Veloce QRF 1	FR	23	22	24	20	23	23	17	15	22	18	207	20.7
4	Véloce Vair8maxxx	FR	20	22	22	21	21	22	15	19	20	16	198	19.8
5	Airbus	DE	18	17	18	18	21	20	17	14	20	17	180	18.0
6	Veloce QRF 2	FR	16	18	18	18	18	19	15	15	17	16	170	17.0
7	Les French Tuktuk	FR	17	15	17	15	17	19	15	16	15	15	161	16.1
7	After 8	FR	13	18	16	19	18	17	16	15	15	14	161	16.1
9	Hotchpotch	BE	16	17	18	15	17	17	15	13	15	14	157	15.7
10	8 Way Otter	FR	14	16	18	17	18	16	12	16	14	14	155	15.5
11	Witbiz	FR	13	17	12	16	18	14	16	13	14	13	146	14.6
12	Veloce QRF 4	FR	14	14	13	15	17	13	14	14	17	14	145	14.5
13	Veloce QRF 3	FR	12	17	15	17	18	15	14	12	12	12	144	14.4
13	IN'huit	FR	12	15	18	14	16	15	13	12	15	14	144	14.4
15	Le Grand Huit	FR	13	12	15	14	12	13	9	12	14	11	125	12.5
16	Rojuhafacribensé	FR	9	8	11	10	10	10	10	7	7	10	92	9.2

However, it could be a new start for a French national 8-way team, and Mathieu Bernier will announce later what the next plans will be like.

First of all, he had to select the lineup for the French national 8-way team that will compete at Weembi Lille in April. The NSL News mentioned on January 7th that a strong and adequately trained French 8-way team could help to lay the foundation for the first potential FS Indoor Sweep at Weembi Lille, even though 8-way is only an unofficial FAI/IPC event.

The French 8-way indoor lineup for the world meet is a very colorful combination of different French generations and previous national teams in other Formation Skydiving competition categories.

Martial "Jaguar" Ferre, one of the most experienced 8-way competitors in the sport, has a comeback as the captain of the new national indoor team. He is a former 4-way world champion of 1999 and won 8-way bronze medals for France in 2001 and 2003. Then he came back in 8-way for the 2010 lineup that won the 8-way gold medals in Menzelinsk, Russia. The French 8-way gold medals became a part of the first FS Sweep in all four categories (4-way Open - 4-way Women - 4-way VFS - 8-way).

Weembi Girls and Veloce QRF at the Weembinamic 8-way competition

Martial Ferre is now coming back when the French delegation might have a chance for the first FS Indoor Sweep in history. He has been focusing on 8-way indoor competition with his Veloce project and has been training and competing with the Veloce QRF international signature lineup, as well as with many other 8-way indoor teams.

He has a lineup with several highly talented and experienced members of French national 4-way teams for the indoor world meet. Kévin Mansion, Damien Gouriou and Charles Rommel have been 4-way Open Class team mates since 2015 and won two sets of bronze medals at the world meets in 2016 and 2018. Kévin Mansion and Charles Rommel were also team mates in the French bronze medal 8-way team of 2014.

Paméla Lissajoux is a reigning world champion in 4-way Women with Aerodyne Weembi, one of the four best 4-way indoor and outdoor teams in the world last year. Gaëlle Giesen, Aurélien Lemaire and Alban Rumolo are three 4-way B-Team members who have already delivered world class performances behind the French national teams.

This 8-way lineup will complete approx. eight hours of indoor training before the indoor world meet, beginning in January after a delayed start. However, the immense potential and indoor experience of the team and its members sets France up as a top contender for 8-way medals at Weembi Lille in April...