posted Jul 13th, 2011 - The competition in the female 4-way category of the World Cup 2011 is probably the one where the winner can be predicted quite easily. There are not many doubts that the French Aerodyne Deep Blue Defenders will successfully live up to their team name.

The main question for the Defenders is only how close they will get to the scoring level of the Deep Blue lineup. Sophie Deremaux, Amélie Tirman, Bérangère Duplouy and Françoise Simons-Hamouchi won the gold medals for Deep Blue at the World Cup 2009 in Prostejov and at the World Meet 2010 in Menzelinsk.

Sophie Deremaux and Amélie Tirman now try to defend those gold medals with Laurence Hervé and Perrine Sanchez in the new lineup. Remy Grandcler has taken over the camera slot from Christophe Chekroun (2009) and Stephane Mistrot Di Pachet (2010).

World Cup 2009

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Total

Avg

Rank

AAA Class

8,19,A

7,L,12

10,14,9

22,N,J,G

C,6,5

D,O,4,Q

15,13,18

21,2,20

1,H,17

3,B,M,K

Total

Avg

1

Aerokart Deep Blue Maubeuge

19

19

19

21

22

25

15

16

21

27

204

20.4

Shamrock Showdown 2009

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Total

Avg

Rank

AAA Class

12,P,10

17,5,16

Q,8,O,F

18,22,M

13,21,4

B,L,1,H

2,14,20

6,11,J

19,15,G

K,7,C,3

Total

Avg

1

Aerokart Deep Blue Maubeuge

16

20

20

17

15

23

15

17

16

20

179

17.9

World Challenge 2009

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Total

Avg

Rank

AAA Class

17,10,4

19,Q,8

G,7,D,9

A,C,E,H,K

14,M,J,3

N,16,6

20,F,12

15,21,L

13,22,18

11,2,B

Total

Avg

1

Aerokart Deep Blue Maubeuge

17

21

28

35

23

21

20

20

16

19

220

22.0

Aerokart Indoor 2009

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Total

Avg

Rank

AAA Class

Q,19,J,10

2,M,E,17

15,A,B,D

16,21,12

5,18,G

N,8,14

O,C,6,4

P,9,11

7,F,H,L

K,3,20

Total

Avg

1

Aerokart Deep Blue Maubeuge

21

25

28

18

21

22

24

25

35

22

241

24.1

National coach Jeremie Rollett needed two new team members since Bérangère Duplouy and Françoise Simons-Hamouchi both planned to have babies after winning the gold medals in 2010. They also accomplished this goal and were pregnant when they won the competition at the Dubai Championship 2011. Now they follow the 2011 action as proud mothers. Congratulations to France.

The new lineup seems to be on track to catch up with the Deep Blue scores of 2010 very soon. The NSL News compared the 2011 scores with the ones of 2009. The Defenders attended the same events this year that Deep Blue competed at in 2009 to prepare for the competition at the World Cup in Prostejov.

Deep Blue finished the 2009 season with a 20.4 average and then moved on to win the gold medals in Menzelinsk 2010 with a 23.6 average after a very fast competition draw for the ten rounds.

Shamrock Showdown 2011

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Total

Avg

Rank

AAA Class

N,H,3,1

J,4,C,13

7,17,19

B,20,15

12,22,M

F,18,2

E,16,9

G,8,21

P,A,11,14

10,Q,D,L

Total

Avg

1

Aerodyne Deep Blue Defenders

18

18

19

19

13

18

22

19

21

23

190

19.0

World Challenge 2011

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Total

Avg

Rank

AAA Class

10,C,5

20,P,2

H,M,Q,K,A

L,J,16,12

E,7,15

O,11,22

14,B,17

6,13,9

4,3,21

1,G,8

Total

Avg

1

Aerodyne Deep Blue Defenders

21

21

44

20

27

19

25

21

19

19

236

23.6

Aerokart Indoor 2011

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Total

Avg

Rank

AAA Class

G,H,11,C

L,17,E,20

D,22,J,10

16,19,O

K,M,2,18

B,15,9

N,4,3

Q,P,8,12

5,F,A,6

14,7,21

Total

Avg

1

Aerodyne Deep Blue Defenders

28

26

23

23

24

28

22

23

28

23

248

24.8

The numbers show clearly that the new lineup is well prepared to defend the Deep Blue honors successfully. In fact, the Defenders outscored the 2009 scores of Deep Blue at each of the three events before the World Cup, and the reason does not seem to be faster competition draws.

It would be no big surprise if the Defenders also beat the 20.4 average in three weeks that Deep Blue posted to win the World Cup in 2009. This would move the new lineup beyond the 20-average benchmark at an outdoor meet for the first time and over a year before the next World Championship of Formation Skydiving in Dubai 2012. The Aerodyne Deep Blue Defenders may not have tough direct competition in Saarlouis this year, however, they surely have their internal goals that will motivate them more than enough to keep pressing forward.

Also, two of the potentially strongest contenders will miss the World Cup 2011. The US lineup will probably get together for the first time at the USPA Nationals 2011 or be finally recruited even later. The talented and promising German 4-way team ISB Air had bad luck with an injury early this year and is not ready for a comeback yet.

ISB Air began training with new Point Petra van Overveld in October 2010 and advanced very quickly from the 15.6 average at the German Cup 2010 with the previous lineup to the 22.7 average at the indoor competition of the ISR Grand Prix 2010 with the new team member. Plans were made for the 2011 season, and the team was highly motivated to move on.

The video shows how the German team trained in DeLand in February/March 2011 to get ready for the Shamrock Showdown 2011. The event was promising the first direct competition between the new French and German lineups.

ISB Air had to call off the meet when Center Outside Sarah Hajooze got seriously injured in an off-day accident in Orlando shortly before the Shamrock Showdown. The team is waiting for Sarah Hajooze's full recovery before resuming the training. The NSL News will take a closer look at the rest of the 5-team field in the female 4-way category later.