posted Jan 23rd, 2019 - The introduction of the new French national outdoor teams continues with the lineup in 4-way Women. It is the first time in French Formation Skydiving history that female competitors are assigned to the national teams in 4-way and 8-way at the same time. National coach Mathieu Bernier trusts the complete 4-way Women lineup with double duties to bring home two sets of medals, gold in 4-way Women and possibly in 8-way, as well.

Mathieu Bernier is the only Formation Skydiving competitor in history so far who won two gold medals at the same world meet, one in 4-way Open and the other one in 8-way in Menzelinsk 2010. He has in fact a lot of experiences with double duties, as his whole team had tried the same two years earlier in Maubeuge 2008. France won gold medals in 8-way, and Julien Degen, Jeremie Rollett, Guillaume and Mathieu Bernier finished only one single point behind Airspeed Odyssey in 4-way.

He is going back to Jerome David's coaching strategy of 2007 - 2008 with his new 2-year plan. The situation is similar and still quite different though. France had a very strong 8-way lineup in 2006 and 2008 and had not won in 4-way Open since 2003. This time, it's the French 4-way Women team that is far ahead of the competition, and Mathieu Bernier has set priority for the 8-way outdoor comeback.

The Aerodyne Weembi Girls 4-way Women world champions are one of the best 4-way Open Class teams in the world at the same time, and it will be very difficult for any other 4-way Women teams to catch up quickly. Even after the personnel change the new lineup may not need much training to maintain the current level and focus on the 8-way project.

4-way Women medals at the FAI/IPC world meets since 2001

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Sophia Pecout was selected for a new French B-Team by national coach Jeremie Rollett in 2012. It was the first all-female B-Team, where she met Pamela Lissajoux, her team mate between October 2015 and October 2018. The new B-Team competed under Maubeuge NPC B3 at the Aerokart Indoor Championship 2012 and in 4-way Women at the World Challenge 2012, then at two outdoor meets in France, including the French Nationals 2012.

Jeremie Rollett then announced in January 2013 that Sophia Pecout was selected for the new 4-way Women lineup, together with Christine Malnis. They replaced Amelie Tirman and Stéphanie Texier after the French 4-way Women gold medals in Dubai 2012. Reigning world champions Laurence Herve and Perrine Sanchez were their first team mates in the national 4-way Women team.

Sophia Pecout (Tail) and Christine Malnis (Point) have not been separated ever since and won their first 4-way Women gold medals in Prostejov 2014. Their new lineup with Clementine Le Bohec and Pamela Lissajoux lost against the Golden Knights at Skydive Chicago in 2016, where Sophia Pecout dislocated her shoulder in the middle of Round 10.

The same lineup continued, ran away from any competition in 4-way Women in Australia last year and became one of the best indoor and outdoor 4-way teams in the world. Sophia Pecout and Christine Malnis also competed with Weembi Mix in 4-way Open and defeated NMP PCH HayaBusa at the FAI Indoor World Cup 2018.

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Christine Malnis's progression to the top of the 4-way world had only a different beginning, compared to Sophia Pecout, and before they were both selected for the national 4-way Women team in 2013. She was not in the first female B-Team lineup that Sophia Pecout trained and competed with.

Christine Malnis was Amethys Maubeuge member in 2012 and attended six meets with her team, three indoor and three outdoor events, including the same ones were Sophia Pecout competed with her B-Team, Maubeuge NPC B3. Amethys Maubeuge with Christine Malnis actually outscored Maubeuge NPC B3 with Sophia Pecout at the national championships in 2012. Amethys-Maubeuge did not continue after Christine Malnis was selected for the national 4-way Women team in 2013.

She was also showing great interest in the 8-way event early and joined one of Martial Ferre's and Damien Sorlin's Veloce 8-way teams (Bonjour Blue Sky) at the Paraclete XP Indoor Championship 2013.

Her passion for 8-way training and competition lasted while she progressed to the top of the 4-way world. She was working at the Weembi Lille wind tunnel and eventually launched the Weembi Girls 8-way project in 2016. Her new team mate Gaelle Giesen was in the first lineups, and Sophia Pecout missed only the first Weembinamic competition in December 2016.

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Clementine Le Bohec is the youngest team member, even though she was selected for the current lineup before Pamela Lissajoux. She was barely 20 years of age when she competed for the first time with the new national 4-way Women team in July 2015.

However, she started her 4-way career even earlier coming from a 4-way family. She is Martial and Marin Ferre's niece. Artemis Saumur Flyzone was her first team in 2013, where she connected with Pamela Lissajoux for the first time in one of the French B-Teams. She spent another year with the next B-Team lineup, again together with Pamela Lissajoux, and this time also with her new 8-way team mate Aurelien Lemaire, who has also been selected for the new 4-way Open Class team.

Then it was her time for a slot in the 4-way Women lineup of 2015 - 2018, where she comes back this year with Sophia Pecout and Christine Malnis, and without Pamela Lissajoux.

In the meantime, she got married to NMP PCH HayaBusa member Dennis Praet. The NSL News had reported the bridegroom's very special proposal on 12 October 2018. The married couple have not competed against each other at FAI/IPC events yet, while Sophia Pecout and Christine Malnis defeated HayaBusa in Bahrain last year. They will still avoid the direct confrontation in the next two years, unless the Belgian 4-way world champions resume their 8-way project.

Wind Games 2018 - Top 10			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		K,5,4	12,8,M	19,2,17	P,C,F,16	D,B,9,N	22,21,13	3,14,11	G,L,E,Q,10	6,20,H	A,O,18,1	Total	Avg
1	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	31	26	27	46	54	23	24	38	31	32	332	33.2
2	Arizona Airspeed	US	29	26	27	41	51	24	24	35	31	28	316	31.6
3	Realfly Sion	FR	29	24	27	42	45	22	23	35	29	28	304	30.4
4	Qatar Tigers	QA	27	25	25	42	41	19	20	30	28	27	284	28.4
5	French Weembi Girls	FR	27	23	25	39	47	19	20	30	27	25	282	28.2
6	IFS-Moscow	RU	25	22	23	39	44	21	23	30	28	24	279	27.9
7	Gavroche Weembi	FR	25	21	24	40	42	17	20	31	27	27	274	27.4
8	Echochamber	SE	28	22	23	40	41	17	21	26	27	22	267	26.7
9	Amnesya	IT	24	22	20	40	40	17	20	29	28	26	266	26.6
10	Airheads	CH	26	22	24	37	47	17	19	26	22	22	262	26.2

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Gaelle Giesen is the new member in the French 4-way Women lineup. She started skydiving in 2008 and has a total of approx. 1000 jumps, plus 60 hours of wind tunnel time. As all other team members, she has been waiting patiently for her opportunity while training and competing with the French B-Teams.

She was still competing in the AA Class of 2014 with Kindair Le Blanc before the team moved up. She completed her first AAA Class year with Kindair in 2015.

Then she was selected for the French national all-female B-Team, Espoir Maubeuge Weembi, who she trained and competed with in 2016. It turned out to be the next stepping stone, as she became also the alternate for the French Girls at the FAI World Meet 2016, where she connected with Sophia Pecout, Christine Malnis and Clementine Le Bohec, her new team mates as of now. She spent 2017 and 2018 with the French B-Team Espoir Saumur Weembi, where she met her new 8-way team mates Aurelien Lemaire and Alban Rumolo and traveled to Australia last year, once again as the alternate for the French national team in 4-way Women.

She lived up to her slot as the alternate for Aerodyne Weembi Girls when she had to step in for Pamela Lissajoux on a very short call at the Wind Games 2018. Aerodyne Weembi Girls finished with a 28.2 average with Gaelle Giesen in the point slot, and the Wind Games 2018 lineup has now become the new French national 4-way Women team a year later. Only the final slots in the front piece have not been assigned yet for Gaelle Giesen and her piece partner Christine Malnis.

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Julie Fournier is not new on camera for the French national 4-way Women team. She covered for team videographer Michel Laynaud when he was not available. She was filming the world champion lineup at the Shamrock Showdown 2018 and also at one of the Coupe de France events last year.

Julie Fournier started skydiving in 2013 and has approx. 1100 jumps. She was also filming one of the French B-Teams (Espoir Maubeuge Weembi) at the FAI World Cup 2017 and then again at the French Nationals 2018.

She joined the Weembi Girls 8-way team at the last two meets, where she turned points with three of her new team mates. The Weembi Girls are the official French indoor 8-way champions of 2018, and they placed 2nd behind the Qatar Falcons at the Weembinamic 2018. Julie Fournier goes back to the camera slot for the new French national 4-way Women team, while Michel Laynaud switches to the 8-way camera.