posted Jan 25th, 2015 - The situation right behind the two top teams at the Wind Games 2015 was very similar. Gavroches from France won clearly by seven points, although the extended leaderboard shows a different picture.

NMP-PCH Hayabusa still won the meet before and after penalties, while Thunder ISR actually completed more formations in the total working time than Gavroches. The nine point deductions were too much for Thunder to outscore their French rivals for the first time.

Both teams have met each other every year at the World Challenge since Thunder ISR first appeared on the 2011 leaderboard, and the French 4-way fans and 8-way world champions have won all of those internal battles so far. However, Thunder is obviously getting closer, and the World Challenge 2015 could bring the first turn.

Wind Games 2015		Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open	C,17,6	3,4,M	F,11,15	D,2,5	J,13,N,K	Q,1,O,P	19,22,B	10,7,9	14,G,H,16	L,E,8,12	Total	Avg
3	Gavroches (FR)	29	22(-1)	27	26	27	32	23	26	26	23	261(-1)	26.1
4	Thunder ISR (BE)	25(-3)	25(-1)	27	26	26(-1)	31(-1)	22(-1)	26	24(-1)	22(-1)	254(9)	25.4

Gavroches has competed with different lineups in the past years. Only Clement Martin Saint Leon and Julien Olek were in all lineups that outscored Thunder ISR since 2011. Both teams competed with exactly the same lineups at the Wind Games who also placed 4th and 6th at the World Challenge 2014. Gavroches had Thomas Perrin and Emmanuel "Manu" Sarrazin in the Gavroches lineup at both events.

The Sun Path Products NSL News recently introduced the new lineup of the Golden Knights with the story on 23 January 2015, and the Wind Games indoor competition doesn't seem to have much in common with the US Army's 8-way team.

However, the Gavroches lineup actually draws a straight line between the two stories and the two teams.

World Challenge 2014		Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	17,18,19	5,16,6	4,N,13	P,F,12,M	J,D,10,K	G,3,O,C	H,22,14	20,2,8	1,21,11	15,7,L	Total	Avg
4	Gavroches (FR)	23	25	24	33	31	31	20	18	21	28	254	25.4
6	Thunder ISR (BE)	20	24	21	30	27	27	21	21	21	29	241	24.1

Videos: Gavroches and Thunder at the World Challenge 2014

Earlier Sun Path Products NSL News updates from France had explained that some of the French 8-way world champions of 2006/2008/2010 like to entertain themselves with 4-way training and competition when they are not busy with their prime event. That was especially the case when half of the 8-way team members were also competing for France in 4-way.

Clement Martin Saint Leon, Thomas Perrin, Emmanuel Sarrazin and Julien Olek have always been 4-way fans at the same time, while they collected 8-way medals for France. National coach Jeremie Rollett has now called them back to 8-way duties for the coming two years.

That's where the two different stories connect. All four Gavroches members were 8-way world champions between 2006 and 2010, and they will try to win back the 8-way Excalibur for France that the Golden Knights have owned since 2012. Four more 8-way world champions will join them for the next two years: Guillaume Bernier, Mathieu Bernier, Thomas Perrin Gachadoat, Julien Degen. Gavroches will probably still add as much 4-way fun as possible whenever time allows...