posted Oct 20th, 2025 - The story of the current lineup of the French national team in 4-way Open, Aethers Lille/Medjay, began in November 2021. National coach Mathieu Bernier continued with three members of the previous lineup (Damien Gouriou, Alban Rumolo, team videographer David Ricard) at the end of the 2021 season and added Mathieu Quizy and Tom Mattoni. He re-designed both pieces and combined experience and new talent in the front piece (Point Damien Gouriou - Outside Center Tom Mattoni) and in the rear piece (Inside Center Alban Rumolo - Tail Mathieu Quizy).

It took the new lineup three years to move from their first outdoor world championship without winning any of the three sets of FAI medals to the world's current 4-way top position and a similar dominance that Arizona Airspeed's previous lineup had between 2022 and 2024. Aethers turned from no medals in 2022 to the 2nd place behind Airspeed in 2023 and 2024, despite an interruption of several months after Tom Mattoni's injury before the Shamrock Showdown 2024.

They won their first major international competition, the Wind Games indoor event, in January 2025 and followed up with their first indoor world championship title a few months later. The new French national team in 4-way Open has never looked back ever since.

Shamrock Showdown 2023			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		14,O,7		C,9,11		4,2,F		Q,13,21		B,6,L,19		1,22,G		K,18,8		M,3,17		H,15,12		D,20,10		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	26		28		25	-1	24		27	-1	21		22		27		22	-1	22		244	24.4
2	France 4-way Open	FR	26		25	-1	23		24		25	-1	19		19		26		19		18		224	22.4
3	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	21	-1	23	-2	24	-1	19	-1	26		19	-1	18	-1	26	-1	21		20	-1	217	21.7
4	Qatar Tigers	QA	21		22		17	-1	21		23		18		17		22		17	-1	19		197	19.7
5	SDC Rhythm XP	US	20	-1	20		20		19	-1	21		14	-2	15	-2	22		15	-2	14	-1	180	18.0
6	Pour Decisions	US	18		19		16		17		19		13	-1	12	-2	18		12	-1	14		158	15.8

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Arizona Airspeed - Aethers Lille - NMP PCH HayaBusa at the Shamrock Showdown 2023

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Aethers Lille/Medjay have been undefeated in the six 4-way meets that they attended this year, and the smallest winning margin was 17 points over the Golden Knights at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025. They are not done yet, as Mathieu Bernier registered the Aethers as a guest team at the upcoming USPA Nationals 2025 at Skydive Arizona.

The USPA Nationals will be the 7th competition for the French national team this year, the third outdoor event. Coach and team have good reasons to travel to Eloy once again. The next outdoor world championship will take place at the same location next October, and they plan to wipe out the memories of the previous event in 2022, where they left Eloy after a 4th place and without a medal in 4-way Open.

Arizona Airspeed won on their home turf three years ago and defended the gold medals successfully at the next outdoor world championship at Crystal Coast 2024. The difference to the Aethers was down from 47 points in October 2022 (261 - 214) to 21 points in October 2024 (273 - 252) and the French team would take home at least the FAI silver medals. However, Mathieu Bernier had more in mind than that. He committed the same lineup for another two more years, now with new team videographer Cameron Malie in the lineup.

Shamrock Showdown 2024			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		G,5,19		7,12,15		18,21,Q		17,16,A		E,L,22,11		2,10,M		F,6,N,9		J,13,O,8		C,K,H,P,B		D,20,4		Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	27		22		23		27	-2	25		23		34		25		53	-5	23		282	28.2
2	France Aethers	FR	21	-1	18		22		24	-1	21		20	-1	29		22		42	-1	20		239	23.9
3	Golden Knights	US	23	-1	17	-2	18	-3	24	-1	21		21		27	-4	19	-2	40	-2	19		229	22.9
4	SDC Rhythm XP	US	19		16		18		22		19		17	-1	27	-1	22		39	-1	17	-1	216	21.6
5	Nephtys	FR	14		16		17		18		17		17		20	-3	20		31	-2	17		187	18.7
6	Chicken Bolts	US	17		14		12	-2	15	-3	13	-1	16		21	-1	16		29	-4	16		169	16.9
7	Thyra	NO	10	-2	9	-1	10	-1	12	-2	14		15		19	-1	16		23		10		138	13.8
8	Teiwaz	US	8	-1	11		11		13		11		11		15		8		14	-1	10		112	11.2

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Arizona Airspeed - Aethers Lille - Golden Knights at the Shamrock Showdown 2024

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The same lineup with previous (David Ricard) and new team videographer (Cameron Malie) lived up to Mathieu Bernier's trust and expectations by taking the world's top spot eventually, first at the FAI Indoor World Championship 2025, followed by the 1st places over the world's strongest opponents at the Shamrock Showdown 2025 and at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025.

Mathieu Bernier is still not ready to settle with position and progression. He is sending Aethers Lille to Skydive Arizona for the USPA Nationals not only to familiarize the team and the new videogrtapher with next year's hosting site of the outdoor world championship. He is also carefully watching the potential opponents for next year's event in Eloy. He is one of the most experienced and successful competitors in formation skydiving history, and he knows what it takes to win a world championship and be ready at the right time. The scores of his own team and the best of the U.S. teams at the USPA Nationals, using the same competition draw under the same conditions, will be highly valuable for his plans.

The French delegation with Mathieu Bernier and Aethers plan to continue with their approach until they get the next and new French names on the William H. Ottley Sword for the 4-way world champions, also knows as the 4-way Excalibur. The NSL News mentioned earlier that Aethers Lille have scheduled the Shamrock Showdown 2026 - 1st Bob Hallet Memorial in their meet calendar for 2026. The Aethers travel agenda between France and United States will be the same in 2026 as it was in 2022, 2024 and 2025.

Shamrock Showdown 2025			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		17,M,10		20,19,F		18,22,K		N,G,3,16		O,E,P,21		9,L,5		6,13,1		C,J,Q,4		D,8,A,H		12,11,14		Total	Avg
1	Aethers	FR	25		23		21		24		34		32		23		32		29		18		261	26.1
2	Golden Knights	US	19	-2	24		18	-2	24		28	-1	26	-2	20		27	-2	26	-1	15	-2	227	22.7
3	Arizona Airspeed	US	23	-1	21		18		22		27	-2	28	-1	18	-1	24	-4	26		17		224	22.4
4	SDC Rhythm XP	US	20		17	-2	17		16	-2	24	-3	24	-1	19		18	-7	21	-1	15		191	19.1
5	Qatar Cheetahs	QA	17	-2	18		14		18	-2	24		19	-2	15	-1	24		21		12	-1	182	18.2
6	Airbus 4-way Illertissen	DE	15	-4	14	-2	13		16		19	-3	19		15		23		19		12		165	16.5
7	Jen and the Double D's	US	15		13	-1	13		13	-1	18	-1	13		13		18	-2	17		9	-2	142	14.2
8	4Action	US	9	-1	10	-1	8	-1	9		13	-1	10		9		11	-3	12		9		100	10.0

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Aethers Lille - Golden Knights - Arizona Airspeed at the Shamrock Showdown 2022

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