posted Sep 27th, 2008 - The NSL News story on 21 August 2008 included the video a live interview with the French 8-way team shortly after the last competition jumps at the World Meet 2008. France had just won the 8-way gold medals for the second time in a row.

Several different team members answered the NSL News questions, and national coach Jerome David was with his successful group of Formation Skydiving competitors, as well. The NSL News completely ignored one person in the interview who had contributed a lot of work to the French project in the past years.

Jerome David noticed that his technical 8-way coach, team member Erwan Pouliquen, did not receive any recognition during the interview, and he eventually pointed the attention of the NSL News and the whole group to the 8-way member. The NSL News apologized and promised to get to Erwan Pouliquen's position later.

Six weeks have already passed since the conclusion of the World Meet 2008, and it is about time to get back to the topic and take a closer look at Erwan Pouliquen's career.

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He became a member of the French national 4-way team in 2000 when he replaced Thierry Boitieux, who won the 4-way gold medals for France at the World Meet in Australia 1999, together with Marin Ferré, Martial Ferré and Davide Moy. Jerome David had already become the national coach in 1999 after his own successful 4-way career.

Marin Ferré and Davide Moy continued with the new members Erwan Pouliquen and Julien Lo Santos and finished in 2nd place with a 20.8 average at the World Cup in Eloy 2000, four points behind Airspeed Vertical (Craig Girard, John Eagle, Mark Kirkby, Neal Houston).

Erwan Pouliquen continued with exactly the same lineup and coach Jerome David in 2001 and ended up with a 21.2 average at the World Meet in Spain, once again in 2nd place and only two single points behind Airspeed Vertical this time.

The same lineup made new plans with coach Jerome David for two more years, and there could be only one goal: the gold medals in 2003. In fact, a new and even more challenging goal was added. National coach Jerome David obviously thought that his 4-way lineup of the last two years was strong enough to train and compete in 8-way at the same time. Goal for the World Meet in Gap 2003 was the first double-gold for France.

Erwan Pouliquen, Marin Ferré, Martial Ferré and Davide Moy had a good start into the project. The French 8-way team beat Russia and both US 8-way teams, Golden Knights and Majik Airspeed, at the half way point, the World Cup in Spain 2002. The 4-way lineup finished with a 22.1 average, this time only one single point behind the same Airspeed Odyssey lineup - but still behind.

The 4-way competition was even harder in Spain 2002 since the French 22.1 average was only good enough for the 3rd place this time. A new US world class team had appeared in the 4-way world and taken the 1st place two points ahead of Airspeed with a 22.4 average: DeLand Majik.

However, the situation of the best two US 4-way teams at the World Cup 2002 in Spain was irrelevant for the World Meet in 2003. Neither DeLand Majik nor Airspeed Vertical would be the opponent for the French team. The Golden Knights, only in 5th place at the World Cup, had won the USPA Nationals a few weeks earlier and would compete in Gap next year. France Maubeuge compared their scores in Spain with the ones of the Army team, and the 8-way team was in a good position by then.

Erwan Pouliquen's 4-way and 8-way lineups then had one year to prepare for the World Meet 2003 on French home turf in Gap, and his 4-way lineup used the time very productively. The first 4-way gold medal, with a 22.9 average and 15 points ahead of the Golden Knights, was the peak in Erwan Pouliquen's 4-way career. The 8-way account remained open when France missed the double-gold with a 3rd place behind Russia and the USA.

National coach Jerome David decided to separate 4-way and 8-way after the World Meet in 2003. The 8-way lineup was completely overhauled, while Erwan Pouliquen continued for another year with the same 4-way lineup.

His team was not able to defend the 4-way gold medals successfully a year later at the World Meet in Croatia 2004. DeLand Majik (Solly Williams, Gary Smith, Joey Jones, Doug Park) had taken over the 4-way world at this time and did not leave France a chance to win. Erwan Pouliquen finished in 2nd place with a 21.9 average and eight points behind DeLand Majik. His career would change from here on and focus primarily on coaching.

The new French 8-way lineup did well in Crotia and already won the silver medals with an 18.8 average and only three points behind Airspeed. Maybe Erwan Pouliquen's open 8-way account was the reason why national coach Jerome David now assigned Erwan Pouliquen as the technical coach for the promising French 8-way lineup.

Jerome David almost completely dropped the efforts in the 4-way Open Class competition at the same time. He wanted to win 8-way gold medals and also focused on the female 4-way category.

Erwan Pouliquen helped lifting the French 8-way team's scoring level to the 20.2 average at the World Cup 2005 in Eloy, which again won the silver medals three points behind Airspeed. France did not even have a national top team in the 4-way Open Class. Erwan Pouliquen competed there with three members of the French B-Teams.

Jerome David's plan and Erwan Pouliquen's work produced great results for the French 8-way team at the World Meet in Germany 2006. France won 8-way gold medals for the first time in the history of modern Formation Skydiving competition, with a 20.5 average and four points ahead of Airspeed.

Erwan Pouliquen also competed in 4-way in Germany and won the silver medals with a 22.2 average and hardly any training at all. The lineup was almost identical with the one that won the 4-way gold medals in Gap 2003. Paul "Polo" Grisoni competed in Marin Ferré's slot in Germany.

The 8-way project continued after the success in 2006, and plans for two more years were made. However, there were significant changes.

Gold medal coach Erwan Pouliquen became an active 8-way member and now player coach when Damien Sorlin left the team at the end of the 2006 season. He had already won the missing 8-way gold medal as coach and alternate - now he would get his chance to also win 8-way in freefall.

The other significant change in the 8-way department of the French Formation Skydiving delegation was a new 4-way plan for Guillaume Bernier, Mathieu Bernier, Julien Degen and Jeremie Rollet. They would now compete in both 4-way and 8-way at the next World Meet in 2008. Erwan Pouliquen would be able to forward his own experiences with double duties in 2003 to his new 8-way team mates.

The first year with double duties was promising. Erwan Pouliquen won the 8-way gold medals as the player coach with a 20.4 average at the World Cup 2007 in Russia. The 4-way lineup ended up in second place after a jump-off with Hayabusa Defence at the same event.

It only got better for his French 8-way team in 2008. France won the gold medals again at the World Meet in France, this time with a 21.6 average and 11 points ahead of the US team after seven rounds, and Erwan Pouliquen completed his own personal quest for gold medals in both categories at FAI World Championships of Formation Skydiving. The four 8-way members who did the double duties ended up in 2nd place, one single point behind Airspeed Odyssey.

Erwan Pouliquen's active career and his work for the French FS delegation has surely been impressively successful. National coach Jerome David had a good reason to direct special attention to his 8-way coach during the NSL News interview in Maubeuge.

It would be a surprise if Jerome David does not continue with Erwan Pouliquen in charge for the new French 8-way lineup. The 8-way gold medalists of 2006 and 2008 have now disbanded. The 4-way lineup will focus only on 4-way from here on, and the new and again very young 8-way lineup of former B-Team members has already been selected. Most likely, Erwan Pouliquen will introduce the new French 8-way team at the USPA National 2008.

The only question is whether he will be able to direct the team completely and only from the bench from here on. It seems to be very difficult for the passionate competitor to really retire...