posted Mar 27th, 2003 - The NSL News recently posted a previously unpublished interview with former French national coach Jerome David. He is well known for his coaching success at the FAI World Meet 2010 in Menzelinsk, Russia, where he won four gold medals in Formation Skydiving (4-way Open - 4-way Women - 4-way VFS - 8-way Open).

His NSL Profile is showing though that he began his work as the national head-coach much earlier. He had won his own FAI medals before he was promoted to the position of the national coach in 1994.

The first NSL News interview with Jerome David was an evaluation at the end of the 2002 season and after the FAI World Cup 2002, where his 8-way team won gold medals, and the 4-way Open Class team finished in 3rd place, three points behind the winner, DeLand Majik. The next interview followed almost half a year later at the beginning of the 2003 world meet season:

"As promised, the interview with the national coach of the French Formation Skydiving competition teams, Jerome David, has now been completed. David was anwering the NSL News questions online in an hour between two appointments and while his 10-month old daughter Lou was sitting on his lap."

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NSL News interview with Jerome David on 27 March 2003

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NSL NEWS: Jerome, last time we talked was after the World Cup 2002. You were happy with the results by then. Is everything still on track for your teams? JEROME DAVID: Yes, everything. I am quite happy about our two first training camps. NSL NEWS: How many training jumps have the 4-way, the 8-way and the female teams done between the World Cup and now? JEROME DAVID: 170 for the male 4-way, 145 in 8-way and 51 for the female 4-way team.

NSL NEWS: Are all team members healthy, in good shape and spirit, did you have any personnel changes? JEROME DAVID: Everybody is healthy and in a good shape. NSL NEWS: Many things happened in the meantime. Looking at the rankings of the World Cup 2002 - is the world order in 4-way and 8-way still the same, or has anything changed? JEROME DAVID: I think that the rankings in both events meant that the skills are now very close. We could have had five teams that could really have won in 4-way. This means that being good on "D-day" is now a very important factor, more than compared to the previous years. So, we are not going to change our goals now. We know that we will have to fly with excellence on the "D-days".

NSL NEWS: 315 training jumps for the combination of 4-way and 8-way in almost five months is not really that much. Was that the plan? JEROME DAVID: That is not very much because we stopped training in October, December and January. NSL NEWS: Is this your usual winter break? JEROME DAVID: Normally, we have a shorter break.

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FAI World Meet 2003			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		1,11,12	M,J,E,10	K,16,6	13,14,5	D,22,4	9,C,Q,N	F,19,21	2,20,L	18,B,3	8,P,7	Total	Avg
1	Maubeuge	FR	16	26	23	19	21	37	24	21	19	23	229	22.9
2	Golden Knights	US	17	24	22	19	18	35	22	18	19	20	214	21.4
3	DeLand Norgies	NO	13	24	21	19	18	36	19	16	19	21	206	20.6
4	Sebastian XL	UK	14	22	21	19	17	34	21	18	19	20	205	20.5
5	Sinapsi PD	IT	13	24	22	17	17	32	22	18	18	-	183	20.3
6	Endeavour	CH	13	21	19	15	17	29	21	17	16	-	168	18.7
7	NMPV	BE	15	19	19	16	15	29	19	16	16	-	164	18.2
8	EADS	DE	14	19	17	15	15	26	17	16	16	-	155	17.2
9	Wild Wind	RU	15	22	18	15	18	22	17	8	-	-	135	16.9
10	Phenix	SE	13	18	15	15	16	23	18	16	-	-	134	16.8
11	Spain	ES	12	17	14	15	17	23	16	14	-	-	128	16.0
12	Denmark	DK	6	19	14	12	14	23	17	15	-	-	120	15.0
13	Japan	JP	12	16	14	12	13	24	14	14	-	-	119	14.9
14	Netherlands	NL	11	16	14	13	13	21	15	11	-	-	114	14.3
15	Australia	AU	11	14	12	13	13	23	15	12	-	-	113	14.1
16	Bailey 5	ZA	11	10	14	11	13	19	15	13	-	-	106	13.3
16	Monkey Circus	AT	11	13	13	13	8	20	16	12	-	-	106	13.3
18	Canada	CA	11	15	13	11	12	18	12	12	-	-	104	13.0
19	Slovenia	SI	10	12	11	9	9	16	13	11	-	-	91	11.4
20	New Zealand	NZ	8	11	9	7	10	16	10	11	-	-	82	10.3
21	Skyservice	CZ	5	8	9	7	5	11	10	8	-	-	63	7.9
22	Israel	IL	1	3	2	4	4	7	3	4	-	-	28	3.5

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NSL NEWS: Why was it a longer break this year? JEROME DAVID: Because I think that we now need more rest between the camps after all the work we have done last year, and of course because of financial reasons. NSL NEWS: Let's look at the current 8-way situation first. France scored 18.6 average at the World Cup. The new Airspeed 8-way team scored 16.2 average at the Valentine's Meet in February. Did your team jump the same draw in training?

JEROME DAVID: Yes, we did. And it was not a surprise to be easily ahead. However, I have got so much respect for Airspeed and for what they did in the past that I know they will be very strong. If we want to win, we have to do it in the sky. And we are in the same situation with the Golden Knights in 4-way. We've never lost against them, but we know that we could at any time. And the Norgies will be at the summit of their adventure together, they will be perfectly ready to win and reach their legend.

NSL NEWS: Can you tell us the point average your 8-way scored after the six rounds of the Valentine's Meet? JEROME DAVID: We finished 12 points ahead for an 18.2 average. NSL NEWS: Thank you. In 4-way, you mentioned the Golden Knights and the Norgies. How do you think about the Italian team after their 21.3 average at the FSL Shamrock Showdown last weekend? JEROME DAVID: It's great!!! I am very happy about their performance because I like them very much. We were training side by side together in Perris Valley in 2000 and 2001. I am also very happy for Davide Moy who has been their coach for a very long time now. I think that the Italians are also very fast from the Pilatus Porter.

NSL NEWS: They told us after the meet and in their recent interview that they are grateful for Davide's work with them. Davide has helped creating competition for his own team. Or do you see Sinapsi not as a serious threat like the Golden Knights or the Norgies? JEROME DAVID: Not for this year - but they can win later if they stay together.

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FAI World Meet 2003			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Open		1,11,12	M,J,E,10	K,16,6	13,14,5	D,22,4	9,C,Q,N	F,19,21	2,20,L	18,B,3	8,P,7	G,O,17,H	Total	Avg
1	Evolution Pro	RU	23	19	24	16	26	21	19	18	21	15	19	202	20.2
2	Arizona Airspeed	US	23	19	24	17	23	20	19	17	24	16	19	202	20.2
3	Maubeuge	FR	25	17	21	13	25	20	16	16	24	16	-	193	19.3
4	Ex3mo	IT	15	14	19	12	15	14	13	12	17	13	-	144	14.4
5	VNE	UK	11	14	18	11	13	14	14	12	16	-	-	123	13.7
6	Australia	AU	16	14	16	11	13	11	14	8	15	-	-	118	13.1
7	Germany	DE	14	12	11	8	12	10	10	9	12	-	-	98	10.9
8	Austria	AT	0	5	7	6	7	5	7	4	8	-	-	49	5.4

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NSL NEWS: They beat the Golden Knights in DeLand. Do you think that this cannot happen again? JEROME DAVID: Of course I think that it could happen again. These are just my deeper feelings. NSL NEWS: Thanks, I appreciate your open mind. Did your 4-way team jump the Valentine's Meet and the Shamrock Showdown competition draws already? JEROME DAVID: We have done the Valentine’s Meet and finished seven points ahead of Airspeed and the Golden Knights. We have not done the Shamrock Showdown draw yet.

NSL NEWS: That's impressive, makes it a 22.8 average. Is the Shamrock Showdown up next for Maubeuge? JEROME DAVID: Yes, next week. NSL NEWS: The NSL audience will be waiting for the scores. Are any real meets on the teams' agenda before the world meet in September? JEROME DAVID: Yes, we will attend the French Cup in Maubeuge on July 14-16 and the French Nationals in LaPalisse on August 15-17 in both 4-way and 8-way.

NSL NEWS: What are you expecting for this year's winning averages in 4-way and 8-way? JEROME DAVID: I really don't know!!! This will very much depend on the draw - especially with the Pilatus Porter exit. NSL NEWS: What are you currently working on with your teams? Is it becoming more difficult to find room for improvements? JEROME DAVID: This may surprise you, but I would say no. It is easier compared to the previous years. The group is brilliant with a lot of open minds. The work is very smooth and creative every day - we are now able to find solutions and answers on skills problems faster than ever before. Everything is coming faster, we don't need so many jumps to transform or make adjustments for a block technique.

NSL NEWS: The group has known each other for a while now. Jerome, I remember that even the top teams used to take a long lunch break in France to sit down, eat, and relax, almost like a real dinner in a nice atmosphere. Are your lunch breaks still two hours long? JEROME DAVID: Yes, they are in Gap since the DZ is closed from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Normally we stop only for one hour.

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FAI World Meet 2003			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women		1,11,12	M,J,E,10	K,16,6	13,14,5	D,22,4	9,C,Q,N	F,19,21	2,20,L	18,B,3	8,P,7	Total	Avg
1	V-Max	UK	11	19	15	15	14	28	17	15	16	15	165	16.5
2	Norgie Girls	NO	11	20	17	15	14	24	19	12	12	18	162	16.2
3	Synchronicity	US	9	19	14	14	12	22	17	14	16	16	153	15.3
4	Kewara	IT	11	15	14	14	14	22	16	14	13	15	148	14.8
5	France	FR	11	17	15	13	12	22	17	13	11	-	131	14.6
6	Chicas	DE	9	12	10	10	11	16	12	10	10	-	100	11.1
7	Belgium	BE	9	14	10	10	12	8	7	7	7	-	84	9.3
8	Finland	FI	7	7	9	8	8	12	7	9	8	-	75	8.3

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NSL NEWS: Will the drop zone be closed for the same lunch break at the world meet, as well? JEROME DAVID: I don't know. I don't think so; the timing should be from morning till night without any break. NSL NEWS: Back to the 4-way business. At the World Cup 2002, the Norgies and the Golden Knights both had slightly faster random times than Maubeuge. Is the random work on the French training agenda? JEROME DAVID: Yes, of course.

NSL News Are you using the wind tunnel in Paris? JEROME DAVID: Not with the male teams yet - but we use it with the girls. NSL NEWS: What is the performance and scoring level of the French Women's team? Will they be in medal contention this year? JEROME DAVID: The goal is to reach the third place. And this will be very hard.

NSL NEWS: Your goals for this year’s world meet are two gold medals and one bronze medal? JEROME DAVID: Exactly. NSL NEWS: How are the farm teams doing? Are any new and promising talents knocking on the door? JEROME DAVID: Yes, we have six very good young skydivers who are waiting for a slot in the "A" teams - all around an 18-point average performance level.

NSL NEWS: Will the farm team members get a chance after the world meet? Will Maubeuge continue? JEROME DAVID: Impossible to say at this point. After each World Championship, I set a time period of two months before any strategic decisions are made. The farm team members will be the first to fill the free slots in the "A" groups.

NSL NEWS: Jerome, you have not jumped much last year. Are you still too busy with job and family to get in the air? JEROME DAVID: Yes, every day it seems to become even busier. Next Monday, I am getting into a training session of 11 weeks in Gap without any break. I will just have the Sundays for my family.

NSL NEWS: Jerome, good luck with everything and thank you very much for the interview.