posted Jun 23rd, 2020 - Mastering the impact of the corona virus crisis alone brought more than enough additional challenges and difficulties to all sports, including Formation Skydiving training and competition. The NSL News has covered the impact and implications of this unexpected worldwide pandemic comprehensively.

France was one of the European countries that were affected severely. Indoor and outdoor training and competition have been on a halt for several months, and the national teams have been waiting for their restart.

National coach Mathieu Bernier had a well defined plan how to bring his national 8-way team back to the top position in the world, after the French skydiving federation did not even send an 8-way team to the last world meet in Australia 2018. The NSL News provided details of Mathieu Bernier's challenging plans on 12 June 2019.

His plan included double duties for the complete 4-way Women lineup in 4-way and 8-way, and he was aiming at two sets of gold medals for the French delegation at the FAI Mondial Tanay 2020.

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FAI 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	-1	20		24		22		25		56	-1	23		18	-2	22		18	-1	257	25.7
2	NFTO	UK	20	-3	15		22	-1	19		18		38	-2	18		17		19		16		202	20.2
3	Team X	SE	17	-3	10	-3	18		16		14		36	-3	15	-3	13		18		12	-1	169	16.9
4	Phoenix XP	US	17	-2	12		17		14		15	-1	37		16	-1	12	-2	14	-2	13		167	16.7
4	Boomerang Betty	AU	19	-1	11	-1	18		14		15		32	-2	15		13		17		13		167	16.7
6	Fuzion Voltige	CA	17	-1	9	-2	18		14		15	-1	34	-2	14	-2	13	-2	14	-2	13		161	16.1
7	Skynamite	DE	19		12		16	-1	14		14	-1	27	-1	13	-3	12	-1	15		12	-1	154	15.4

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It seemed like Mathieu Bernier was perfectly on track with his master plan after the conclusion of the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2019. The new 4-way Women lineup, with Gaelle Giesen in the tail slot, won the gold medals quite easily with a 12-point advantage over NFTO, and the new and young 8-way team finished in 2nd place, only five points behind Russia.

Mathieu Bernier could make new plans for 2020 and had full support by the French skydiving federation after the very promising results in Eloy in October last year. The NSL News covered the French situation after the world cup on 13 October 2019.

Mathieu Bernier and the French Formation Skydiving delegation were still on track at the beginning of this world meet year. The same lineups were ready for a very intensive 2020 season, which started with a winter training camp at Skydive DeLand in Florida leading into the Shamrock Showdown 4-way and 8-way competition at Skydive City in March.

Then the corona virus crisis hit, and things changed dramatically for the French teams, as the NSL News reported on March 13th.

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FAI World Cup 2019			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women		13,11,16		P,22,4		O,7,21		9,20,G		18,15,L		K,10,3		6,14,C		1,M,A,17		F,D,Q,8		2,5,E		Total	Avg
1	Aerodyne Weembi Girls	FR	17		19		25		20		20		19		20		23		25	-1	21		209	20.9
2	NFTO	UK	17		17		23		19	-1	17		17		19		21		23	-1	20		193	19.3
3	Phoenix XP	US	13		13		17		14		13		12	-1	14		17		18	-1	14		145	14.5
Rank	8-way Open		13,11,16		P,22,4		O,7,21		9,20,G		18,15,L		K,10,3		6,14,C		1,M,A,17		F,D,Q,8		2,5,E		Total	Avg
1	Tanay 8	RU	19		26		18		20		23		21	-1	20		24		20		16		207	20.7
2	France	FR	20		24		18		19	-1	21		22	-1	19		23		19		17		202	20.2
3	Paraclete XP8	US	21	-1	24	-1	16	-1	18		21		20	-2	19		22	-1	19		18		198	19.8

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The corona virus break did not only turn the whole Formation Skydiving world upside down and changed every plan that was made for this year, including Mathieu Bernier's for the French national teams. The new situation has also brought an unexpected change for the French 8-way lineup.

Clementine Praet, formerly Le Bohec, will not be able to continue with training and competition in both events and stepped back from her 8-way slot. She will be available only for training and competition with the 4-way Women team, and Mathieu Bernier will have to find a new member for the 8-way lineup.

It's a heavy loss for the national coach, as Clementine Praet is one of the youngest and most talented Formation Skydiving competitors that France has ever generated. She was selected for the national team in 4-way Women in 2015 and is now a reigning indoor and outdoor world champion in this category.

Mathieu Bernier himself is a 3-time world champion in 8-way (2006 - 2008 - 2010) and the only Formation Skydiving competitor in the history of the sport who won gold medals in 4-way and 8-way at the same event (Menzelinsk 2010). He is filling in for now and until he has a final solution for the open 8-way slot.