posted Sep 27th, 2019 - It was in June this year when I took the freedom to give the French plan for the next World Championship of Formation Skydiving in Tanay 2020 some special thought. I called it the next "French Mission Impossible" and related to the FAI World Meet 2010 in Menzelinsk, where the French Formation Skydiving delegation swept the four FS events (4-way Open, 4-way Women, 4-way VFS and 8-way Open).

In Russia in 2010, Mathieu Bernier, who is now the French national coach, became the only FS competitor in the history of the sport to win gold medals in 4-way and 8-way at the same world meet. He and his national coach at the time, Jerome David, accomplished the "French Mission Impossible 2010" successfully.

Mathieu Bernier surely remembered from his own experiences that nothing is impossible and he developed a plan for the FAI World Meet 2020 in Tanay, again in Russia and exactly a decade later, that somehow resembles the situation in Menzelinsk in 2010.

I tried to look at the new French plan from all angles in June and shared my thoughts as well as possible. Again, it surely looked like a new "French Mission Impossible" and the chances for success were about the same. Well, I think I concluded that it will be even more difficult ten years later. A whole team, the French national team in 4-way Women, has to do double duty to win two sets of gold medals this time.

TURNING POINTS - FRANCE IN TROUBLE?

The earlier TURNING POINTS column was written and published after the FAI Indoor World Meet 2019, which was quite successful for the French delegation. Neither the French national outdoor team in 4-way Women nor the new national 8-way team competed for France at Weembi Lille. However, the French indoor lineups, packed with members of the new national outdoor teams, finished with impressive results for a promising outlook before the starting point of the new 2-year period until Tanay 2020.

Then it was time to switch to outdoor training and competition for the new national teams and I surely kept my eyes on the development of the new "French Mission Impossible 2020".

Reality kicked in and it turned out to be a pretty rough start for the 4-way part of the mission.

The results for the national team in 4-way Women at two events in France (Coupe de France - French Nationals) were far behind the 25.7 average in Australia 2018. In fact, the two 20.4 averages were on silver-medal level, where the British team NFTO had posted a 20.2 average at the event in October last year.

---

French Outdoor Nationals 2019		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open	14,9,P		K,5,16		D,13,Q,7		1,21,O		22,E,18		N,G,10,B		19,8,17		M,15,11		Total	Avg
1	Aerodyne Cypres Lille-Bondues	20	-2	20		25		21		15		23		18		21		163	20.4
2	Aerodyne Cypres Maubeuge	21		19		21		15	-1	16		20		15		18	-1	145	18.1
3	Odin Parachute System	15	-1	15	-1	13	-3	14		14		18		13		15		117	14.6
4	Airbivores Annecy Pamiers	13		16		13		13		9		16		13		15		108	13.5
5	Espoir-Metz-Lille-Bondues	15		14		12		16		11	-1	13		12		14		107	13.4
6	ExponenCiel ASPU Maubeuge	12		9		13		12		10		11	-2	9	-1	10	-1	86	10.8
7	FlyPonots	11		11		12		12		10		11		8		8	-1	83	10.4
8	ViveLaChute - A Bloc !	7		3	-2	9		7		6		6		5		6		49	6.1
9	Last Minute Call	5		4		6		6	-1	6		4	-1	5		4		40	5.0

---

Of course, there is a long list of reasons why the first French scores in 4-way Women were below par. On top of that list are the facts that the team has a new member in the tail slot (Gaelle Giesen) and the three returning members (Clementine Le Bohec, Sophia Pecout and Christine Malnis) are all in new exit slots with new piece partners. It does not help much that the two 4-way teams hardly train at all. Their top priority is the 8-way event.

There may be a lot of reasons that explain the current scoring level, which still do not make it any better. NFTO is exclusively focused on 4-way training and competition, while the new French Girls need 4-way exit and sub-terminal training desperately. The 8-way exits are not very helpful for the most important part of 4-way competition.

NFTO will post the first scores of the outdoor season at the national championships in August, before both teams will meet each other at the FAI World Cup 2019 at Skydive Arizona in October. It would not be a surprise if NFTO came to Eloy with the higher previous meet average this year.

The previous scoring numbers still do not mean much, to my understanding, and I am sure that Mathieu Bernier would agree. The French Girls are extremely talented and highly experienced, and new member Gaelle Giesen has been filling the tail slot smoothly and without any troubles, as the 2019 videos are showing. I think I have to agree with Mathieu Bernier that the team does not need much training.

---

UK Nationals 2019			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		2,H,7		17,M,J,4		F,13,A,P		20,15,Q		10,21,1		12,22,C		9,E,11		D,K,L,8		O,18,B,16		6,5,19		Total	Avg
1	NFTO	UK	21		22	-1	28		17		15	-1	15		18	-1	18	-1	20		19		193	19.3
2	Chimera	UK	20	-2	20	-1	26	-2	15	-1	15		13	-1	22		20		17	-1	19		187	18.7
3	Eros	UK	21		20		25		17		15		14		19		19		18		17		185	18.5
4	4mula	UK	19		18	-2	24		16		14	-1	14		19		18	-1	18		15	-1	175	17.5
5	Pajama Pumas	UK	16		17		19		12		11		11		16		16		14		12	-1	144	14.4
6	H40	IE	13	-3	15	-1	17		13		11		10	-1	14	-2	16		11		11		131	13.1
7	Game of Clowns	UK	15		11	-5	17		9		11		10		13	-1	14		11	-1	12		123	12.3
8	Quadriga	UK	13		14		17		7		10		11		14		14		5	-2	11		116	11.6
9	Draconis	UK	11		12		16		8		10		8		16		11		11		11		114	11.4
10	Alola	UK	12	-1	12	-1	17		8	-1	9		8	-1	14		12		12		9	-1	113	11.3
11	Team	UK	13		11	-1	11	-4	7		10		8		12		11	-1	10		10	-1	103	10.3
12	Barely Grown Ups	UK	12		11	-2	14		8		0		8		9	-3	9		0		0		71	7.1
13	Free Burds	IE	0		0		0		0		0		0		9		9		5		7	-1	30	3.0

---

However, the impact of lack of training for exits and sub-terminal maneuvers might be stronger than expected and no wind tunnel in the world can make up for this part of the skydive.

Mathieu Bernier will have to find the perfect balance between 4-way and 8-way training to keep the French Girls on 4-way Women top level while getting the 8-way team ready to oppose the U.S., Russia and Qatar.

I have no doubt that the French Girls will show up to Eloy on a completely different scoring level. They will not post an above-25-point average as in Australia 2018, however they will probably match the NFTO 2019 numbers, which will be revealed in a week. From then on, it could become a neck-and-neck race towards Tanay 2020 and throughout Round 10 in Russia next year.

The results at the FAI World Cup 2019 in Eloy will probably have a psychological impact on all sides. NFTO will gain a lot of confidence if they can keep up with the French Girls now.

There will be pressure on the French delegation and the new "Mission Impossible 2020" if the FAI gold medals in 4-way Women don't go to France.

On the other hand, Mathieu Bernier will find reassurance if the French Girls live up to the expectations and win easily at the FAI World Cup in October.

After that, there is still the 8-way question mark. France has not posted any outdoor scores and only a few videos and photos of the new 8-way team. The performance at the World Cup will be the first showing. To be honest, I am expecting a very strong French 8-way team in Eloy and a convincing finish would also be a confidence booster for both French 4-way teams.

Mathieu Bernier would be a good step closer to accomplishing the "French Mission Impossible 2020" if the 8-way team can keep up with the U.S. team and hold off Russia and Qatar.

The FAI Outdoor World Cup 2019 will also serve as a serious test of the double duties for the French teams and coach Mathieu Bernier. FAI competitors know that the days can become very long with double duties. The event schedule usually separates 4-way and 8-way competition and the teams have enough time to rest and prepare for the desired peak performances. That changes dramatically with double duties.

The logistical situation for the French delegation at the world cup or the world meet could become even more complicated, as the team members compete in three different events: 4-way Women, 4-way Open and 8-way Open. The schedule of the combination between the three events is in the hands of the meet director and it cannot be predicted. The French delegation will have to be ready for any situation. The FAI World Cup 2019 is only two months away and I can hardly wait to get there and see it ...