posted May 14th, 2019 - The long 2018/2019 indoor season was just concluded at the FAI Indoor World Meet in Lille, when the British national 4-way indoor and outdoor champions of NFTO got ready for their first outdoor training camp in Empuriabrava, Spain.

The team usually trains outdoors at Skydive Algarve in Portugal. This time, they scheduled the first training camp of the new outdoor season together with NMP PCH HayaBusa in Spain, as both teams work with coach Gary Smith.

It was a quick start with little time for the transition from indoor to outdoor training, as NFTO was eager to get back to work. There are goals for the 2019 outdoor season, which are set for the national outdoor championships and for the FAI Outdoor World Cup. The quick re-start and intensive training agenda are still only the foundation for the big goal at the FAI Outdoor World Meet in Tanay 2020. NFTO are tired of silver medals and plan to challenge the French national outdoor team in 4-way Women for the next set of FAI gold medals.

NFTO have won outdoor bronze in 2016, followed by outdoor silver in 2018. Then it was a 2nd place again at the indoor world meet in April. Now they want to turn silver into gold in Tanay 2020, and they are not shy of considering the French 4-way Women world champions well within reach.

NSL Live Talk with NFTO on 14 May 2019

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French national coach Mathieu Bernier has a different view of the same situation. He believes that his 4-way Women team is far enough ahead of all other teams and will be able to maintain the top spot and the performance level of the 2018 season.

The NSL News reported earlier that his plan for Tanay 2020 includes very little training for the 4-way Women team, who are also one half of the new French 8-way team, which will have the highest French priority.

NFTO on the other hand know that the French 4-way Women team has a new team member, Gaelle Giesen, who replaces 2018 world champion Pamela Lissajoux.

They know that it takes efforts and training to bring in a new team member, and the previous French lineup trained and competed a lot. NFTO probably expect that the new French lineup will not be able to increase the winning average of 2018 significantly, if at all. This offers the British challengers a good and measurable target. They have to get as close as possible to the 25.7 winning average in Australia to get into gold medal range. For a good start, the 28-average indoor level at Weembi Lille indicates that NFTO are already well beyond their own 20.2 average in Australia.

FAI Outdoor World Meet 2018			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women		21,L,B,G	22,18,17	19,7,O	J,16,12	10,A,D,15	Q,M,F,C,N	H,20,P,13	6,14,11	E,2,5	4,1,3	Total	Avg
1	Aerodyne Weembi Girls	FR	29	20	24	22	25	56	23	18	22	18	257	25.7
2	NFTO	UK	20	15	22	19	18	38	18	17	19	16	202	20.2
3	Team X	SE	17	10	18	16	14	36	15	13	18	12	169	16.9

FAI Indoor World Meet 2019			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women		M,K,D,14	Q,4,5	P,E,9,15	3,N,G,2	6,1,8	F,12,11	13,22,J	H,L,B,18	O,20,A,17	21,7,19	Total	Avg
1	Nephtys Weembi	FR	34	27	35	25	23	25	23	33	31	24	280	28.0
2	NFTO	UK	34	26	34	28	23	24	24	34	28	23	278	27.8
3	XPG4	US	34	26	33	24	21	24	24	28	25	23	262	26.2

There is enough time for NFTO to raise their outdoor average to the winning level of 2018. The 2019 season alone has 1-week training camps on the agenda each month, plus additional indoor training.

NFTO take the indoor training very serious, as well, and try to simulate outdoor competition by using indoor gear and weight belts. They used these tools at Twinwood Adventures between indoor world meet and outdoor training in Spain to get ready for the first training camp, and they plan to continue the same way.

NFTO also seem to be in a very good position with the new lineup. Newest member Kate Lindsley joined the team after the FAI Outdoor World Meet and started with an indoor gold medal at the FAI Indoor World Cup 2018. The progression of the complete new lineup has been impressive and consistent (25.4 - 26.3 - 27.8) ever since. There is no reason why it would not continue outdoors, as Kate Lindsley is very experienced with jump plane exits and sub-terminal 4-way work, as well. The first jump at the training camp in Empuriabrava was also the first one with the new lineup, after many hours of wind tunnel training and three indoor meets.

Mathieu Bernier will have to keep his eyes very carefully on the NFTO progression. His new 4-way Women lineup will probably meet the British challengers at the FAI World Cup 2019 in Eloy. NFTO will probably post the first outdoor scores earlier at the UK Nationals 2019.