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The first obstacle occurred when new member Shaline Dincher broke her wrist in May and could not train with the team. Airbus had completed their spring camp at Oceanside in California with her, and the accident happened when the team continued with the training in Germany.
There was still no sign of any serious 8-way opposition and no pressure for Thomas Spielvogel to fill the open slot. The team trained with seven members and used substitutes whenever possible, while considering the options. There was a chance that Shaline Dincher could recover and be back early enough before the national outdoor championship, while the team still needed to find a substitute for a Plan B.
The situation changed dramatically when the new 8-way team, Operation Adler, announced their plans to compete at the German Outdoor Nationals.
FAI Outdoor World Championship 2010 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Total | Avg | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | 8-way Open | 3,21,N | 6,20,9 | E,G,17,5 | K,16,2 | 12,C,22 | B,D,M,1 | 7,15,J | 13,L,P,11 | 4,18,O | 10,14,19 | Total | Avg | |
1 | France | FR | 25 | 19 | 16 | 21 | 22 | 25 | 18 | 19 | 23 | 15 | 203 | 20.3 |
2 | Golden Knights | US | 23 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 27 | 20 | 17 | 21 | 11 | 196 | 19.6 |
3 | Barkli | RU | 20 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 14 | 185 | 18.5 |
4 | Norway | NO | 8 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 72 | 7.2 |
5 | Kazakhstan | KZ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0.4 |
Thomas Spielvogel knew that he would need all the support that he could muster, as he knew about the capability of the new 8-way team. All team members were his own 8-way or 4-way team mates at some point in time.
He had already hired French 8-way coach Damien Sorlin to work with the new Airbus lineup. Damien Sorlin has won two 8-way gold medals with the French national 8-way team at the FAI world championships of 2006 and 2010.
The Airbus 8-way team is now getting even more help from France. Gaelle Giesen, member of the French 8-way team at the FAI Tanay Mondial in August 2021, agreed to step in for Shaline Dincher, and she was in training with the team at the most recent outdoor camp.
FAI Tanay Mondial 2020 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Total | Avg | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | 8-way Open | O,19,Q,5 | 17,B,E,P | H,15,12 | M,N,7,F | K,L,C,4 | J,18,16 | 1,9,A | Total | Avg | ||||||||
1 | Airspeed XP8 | US | 20 | 23 | 22 | -1 | 23 | 31 | -1 | 23 | 24 | 166 | 23.7 | |||||
2 | France National 8-way | FR | 20 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 26 | -1 | 25 | -1 | 22 | -1 | 165 | 23.6 | ||||
3 | Tanay 8 | RU | 18 | 21 | -1 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 23 | 22 | 153 | 21.9 | ||||||
4 | Qatar Falcons | QA | 17 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 22 | 19 | -1 | 19 | 131 | 18.7 | ||||||
5 | Kazakhstan | KZ | 5 | 9 | 6 | -2 | 10 | 7 | -1 | 12 | -1 | 12 | 61 | 8.7 | ||||
6 | Belarus | BY | 4 | -1 | 6 | 4 | -2 | 5 | -2 | 7 | 8 | -1 | 2 | -1 | 36 | 5.1 |
His strategy included the two French national teams in 4-way Open and 4-way Women, who joined forces for the new 8-way team. Mathieu Bernier was aiming at two gold medals in Russia, one with the 4-way Women lineup, the other one with the 8-way team. Gaelle Giesen was one of the 4-way Women members, after her position as an alternate when France won 4-way Women gold in Australia.
Mathieu Bernier's 8-way team was one single point behind Airspeed XP8 after Round 7, which turned out to be the end of the competition, due to bad weather. The 4-way Women team was two points behind after Round 6, which was the end of the meet, as well.
The French 8-way project did not continue, and Gaelle Giesen came back with the new lineup of the French national team in 4-way Women, who finished again in 2nd place in Eloy last October. She has not committed to a new French national team and was available when Thomas Spielvogel was asking for the French help from her and coach Damien Sorlin. She may have to compete at the German outdoor championship, as well, if Shaline Dincher cannot return to her slot timely.