posted Sep 11th, 2007 - The 8-way competition at the USPA Nationals 2007 got stuck after Round 5. The rain front went through last night, but it was a strong wind that made it disappear so quickly. The jumping conditions were reasonable in the morning. However, the wind picked up speed, and it was only a matter of time when it would be too strong for a skydiving competition.

First there were only a few weather holds on and off until the meet director eventually stopped the operation. The winds didn't slow down in the later afternoon, and no more 8-way rounds were completed.

The NSL News used the time for several interviews and collected more competition videos. Teams and competitors had to find different ways how to get through the weather hold.

The NSL News found the members of the French delegation playing a computer game that simulated soccer games of the French national soccer team, silver medalist at last year's FIFA World Cup of soccer in Germany.

Three members of the French delegation in Ottawa were in Germany last year, as well. Emmanuel Sarrazin and Clement Martin-Saint-Leon won the 8-way gold medals at the World Meet 2007, Erwan Pouliquen was their coach.

The French world champions didn't hesitate to accept the NSL News invitation for a live interview in front of the NSL-TV camera. They speak English well enough to answer NSL News questions and provided a lot of great information. The video of the live interview at Skydive Chicago can be viewed by clicking here.

Erwan Pouliquen explained how the team found the funny team name for one of the line-ups at the USPA Nationals 2007. He also added the reasons why he joined the 8-way line-up after the World Meet 2008 when one slot became available.

The French holiday delegation visited the USPA Nationals to observe the US teams at their qualification event for the World Meet 2008 in France. The younger members of the line-ups with less competition experience also have the opportunity to learn more about high-pressure events.

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Erwan Pouliquen confirmed that France is primarily focused on the 8-way competition next year. He does not expect the French 4-way line-up, which is a part of the 8-way team, to be in contention for the gold medals next year. He is also aware of the strength of any US 8-way line-up that may rise out of the USPA Nationals 2007.

The French 8-way team seems to be far ahead of the rest of the world at the moment. However, a strong and experienced US team with more training will probably be able to close the current distance to France. It is Erwan Pouliquen's obligation as the national 8-way coach to observe the competition and have his own team be well prepared in September 2008.

Finally, the French 3-way at the NSL News interview also provided information about the profiles of the national A- and B-Team members. It is a very young group of competitors with an average age of 26 in the B-Team and 28 in the A-Team. Erwan Pouliquen is the oldest member with his 36 years of age. The jump numbers of the French competitors is accordingly relatively low compared to the Airspeed line-up.

National 8-way coach Erwan Pouliquen also provided video footage of his teams in Ottawa. The video of Aerokart's Round 5 is linked to the 26-point score on the leaderboard. Aerokart also features the sequence of Round 7. Round 4 of the French 8-way line-up can also be viewed on NSL-TV.