posted Feb 28th, 2011 - The NSL News mentioned a few times during the coverage of the Valentine's Meet 2011 that the new lineup of the French national 4-way team in the female category was also in Eloy for the team's first training camp but did not enter the competition.

Aerodyne Cypres/aka Deep Blue Defenders have the Shamrock Showdown 2011 on the team schedule for the first competition this year, while the French Open Class lineup competed at the Valentine's Meet after opening the 2011 competition season at the Dubai Championship 2011.

The reigning 4-way champions in the Open Class have not won a meet yet with the new lineup. NMP-PCH Hayabusa took the 1st place in Dubai, and Arizona Airspeed defended the Eloy home turf successfully. France plans to show everything that the new lineup can offer at the Shamrock Showdown. The Deep Blue Defenders have two reigning 4-way world champions in the new lineup, as the NSL News reported with earlier stories. Sophie Deremaux and Amélie Tirman won the gold medals in Menzelinsk with a new 23.6 record average.

World Meet 2010		Round1	Round2	Round3	Round4	Round5	Round6	Round7	Round8	Round9	Round10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women	10,7,12	3,11,5	J,M,Q,P,L	19,1,13	N,18,20	K,17,8	2,15,H	4,D,6	O,E,9,G	22,B,16	Total	Avg
1	France Aerodyne Cypres	20	19	47	18	19	20	21	21	32	19	236	23.6
2	UK Team Bodyflight	16	17	44	17	17	19	18	19	30	19	216	21.6
3	USA Spaceland Blue	17	14	38	15	16	15	17	15	29	12	188	18.8
4	Germany ISB Air	16	15	39	13	13	15	16	14	28	11	180	18.0

The new French lineup accepted an invitation of the NSL News for a live NSL Talk at the end of the Valentine's Meet, which was just the end of another training day for the Deep Blue Defenders. Coach Marin Ferre introduced his new lineup, and the NSL News audience has the opportunity to meet the new team members for the first time, Laurence Hervé and Perrine Sanchez, plus new videographer Remy Grandcler.

The video clip first shows the team during a training session at SkyVenture Arizona, with coach Marin Ferre observing the French flying from outside of the chamber. The NSL Talk took actually place before the tunnel training, and the French Open Class team had exactly the same schedule: first the NSL Talk and then the tunnel training.

Arizona Airspeed's Mark Kirkby was in the tunnel at the same time and took a closer look at the French flying, as well. His team will meet France for the second time this year at the Shamrock Showdown, and then a few weeks later for the third time at the World Challenge 2011.

The first competition of the new French female lineup at the Shamrock Showdown 2011 will be very exciting since the first serious challenger of the reigning world champions is eager to show that the distance has shrunken.

ISB Air from Germany competed in Menzelinsk 2010, as well, and finished in 4th place, miles behind France (23.6 - 18.0) after ten rounds. However, the German team has trained a lot with the new team member Petra van Overveld in the Point slot, and observers of the German training sessions were impressed with the performance level.

The Deep Blue Defenders obviously have the goal to defend the French gold medals in 2012. Perrine Sanchez is the new Center Inside and starts from scratch, as she explained during the NSL Talk. It's a big job, but she is ready to do her best and live up to the high expectations. Most importantly, the fun loving philosophy of the previous lineup seems to continue, as there was once again a lot of laughter during the NSL Talk.