The French Cup was held at the Beaulieu arena in Nantes, France, from March 31 through April 2, 2006.   Competitions took place in trampoline, tumbling, and acrobatic gymnastics.  The competition was open.  Trampolinists from Belgium competed, and tumblers from Great Britain, Poland, and Belgium did as well.  British acrobats from Wakefield also competed in acrobatic gymnastics.  The facility was perfect as it was a very large hall, thus allowing to give some room to the three events.  The organization was flawless thanks to team of very efficient volunteers.

In the men's trampoline event, the level proved to be very high, and thus very encouraging for the European Championships to be held in seven weeks in Metz, France.  2004 and 2005 French Champion Mickael Jala  (Sevran) won the final with a 39.6 pt routine that had a 16.2 pt tariff.  Jala had already taken the lead after the preliminaries with 68.8 pts, including a routine that scored 40.0 pts (15.6 pt tariff).  Former European Champion and World Cup Final winner David Martin (Levallois) managed to take the silver medal.  He obtained a score of 39.2 pts for a 16.0 pt tariff that proves that he has now fully recovered from his ankle injury.  Martin was in 3rd place after the preliminaries with 67.1 pts thanks to a 15.6 pt routine.  Gregoire Pennes  (Bois Colombes) delivered a well-executed routine that obtained 38.9 pts (15.6 tariff), good for a bronze medal.  The 22-year-old athlete with cornrows had finished 4th of the preliminaries with 66.6 pts thanks to a 38.2 pt routine. 

Former European Youth Champion Sebastien Laifa  (La Seyne) barely missed a podium with his 15.2 pt routine that scored 38.6 pts.  Laifa was in 2nd position after the preliminaries with 67.7 pts, thanks to a very nicely performed routine (39.3 pts).  Sebastien Martiny (Bois Colombes) took the 5th place with 37.8 pts (15.4 pt degree of difficulty).  Former European Youth silver medalist Renaud Victor (La Seyne - 6th), Mickael Gombauld (Voiron - 7th) and Guillaume Bacque (Allauch - 8th) rounded up the list of finalists.  Gombauld had performed a 15.0 pt routine in the preliminaries.  French International Ulrich Brochard (Vannes) fell off in the preliminaries.

Martiny and Pennes won the synchro competition thanks to a 14.8 pt routine. 

The women's event was also extemely disputed as the top 3 performers obtained scores within 0.1 pts.  Marina Ducroux came off the winner with a 35.4 pt routine in the final (12.1 pt tariff instead of a planned 12.9 pt).  Ducroux was already in the lead after the preliminaries with 63.1 pts thanks to a 12.3 pt optional.  Julie Perreten (Sevran) obtained the exact same score as Ducroux, but had to settle for the silver medal as her routine starting with a half out triffis tuck had a higher degree of difficulty (13.2 pts, her record in competition).  Aurelie Gratay (Cannes) also showed her ambitions with a 35.3 pts (12.8 pt tariff) that gave her the bronze medal. 

Emilie Duclay (Nevers) finished 4th with 33.2 pt (11.0 pt tariff).  She came 4 spots up in the final.  Laetitia Hauwelle (Sevran) finished 5th with 31.2 pts (10.3 pt tariff) after struggling in the final.  Hauwelle was 3rd after the preliminaries with 61.7 pts, just 0.1 pt behing Gratay, thanks to a 12.4 pt routine that scored 34.7 pts.  Emmanuelle Laidet (6th), Joelle Vallez (7th), who was 5th after the preliminaries, and Cindy Fuster (8th) also performed in the final. 

Hauwelle and Perreten won the synchronized trampoline competition. in a landslide. 

In the junior age group, Thomas Lacombe (Le Pecq) came back home with a gold medal around his neck thanks to a routine that scored 35.2 pts in the final (13.4 pt DD).  Lorris Bailet (Cannes) and Matteo Campus (Voiron) finished 2nd and 3rd with the same score (34.6 pts) and had to be split based on their respective degree of difficulty (12.1 pts versus 12.8 pts).  13-year-old Dimitri Piperakis (St Etienne) took the 4th place.  

Marine Latour (Antibes), who is coached Sebastien Jarry, took the gold medal in the women's junior age group with 33.0 pts (9.8 pt tariff), edging Fanelie Gigoux (32.1 pts - 10.1 pt tariff) and Andrea Vierne (30.5 pts - 9.7 pt tariff).  Elia Gomez, who had the lead after the preliminaries finished 5th, and Marine Jurbert, who was in 3rd position, fell off. 

The competition also featured a team event in a format similar to the team competition at the World Championships.  In the men's final, Bois Colombes prevailed with Pennes, Martiny and Alexis Eouzan who totaled 104.3 pts. They were followed by Sevran with Jala, Kevin Lesueur and Luc Robertet.  Levallois led by Martin, Julien Piekolek and Cyril Rassinier finished 3rd.  Laifa's crash after his opening half out triffis pike comprised La Seyne's chances.  In the women's team event, the competition was very close.  Cannes won the gold thanks to Gratay, Joelle Vallez and Noela Guillo.  Sevran had to settle for the silver as in the men's with Hauwelle, Perreten and Adeline Ferreira.  Mazamet reached the 3rd step of the podium with Jurbert, Gomez and Cecile Benazeth. 

In tumbling, 2005 World bronze medalist Jozef Wadecki  (POL) finished with the highest total of the final with 75.7 pts (11.7 pt and 10.3 pt passes).  This great performance showed his ambitions for the European Championships to be held in Metz.  Wadecki was only 6th in the preliminaries due to a missed second pass.  The 18-year-old leader of the Polish team beat Damien Walters  (GBR), who was 5th at the past two Worlds.  Walters obtained a total of 70.5 pts (9.1 and 10.3 pt passes).  Walters had failed both passes in the preliminaries.  Charlie Burrows (GBR), the 2006 British Champion, finished 3rd with 70.3 pts (two 9.6 pt passes). 

Former World Cup Final winner Nicolas Fournials  (Albi) finished 1st French tumbler and 4th overall with 70.0 pts (9.3 pts and 10.1 pts).  Fournials had the lead after the preliminaries.  He was followed by 18-year-old Oskar Lipa (POL), Michael Barnes (GBR), who was 2nd after the preliminaries, Jonathan Duyols (BEL), and Sebastian Sondel (POL), who was 4th after the preliminaries.  Sullivan Bourne (Les Clayes sous Bois) and Michael Arnaud finished 2nd and 3rd among the French tumblers.  Yves Tarin  (Chenove) struggled in the final. 

In the women's, Melanie Avisse (Rennes) won the final with 62.6 pts, ahead of An de Win (BEL) and Zoe McLean (GBR).  They were followed by Laura Houston (GBR), Marion Limbach (Rennes - 2nd among the French tumblers), Nieke de Vriendt (BEL), and Elisa Faure (Melun - 3rd among the French).  2006 British Champion Samantha Palmer (GBR), who had finished 1st of the preliminaries with 65.3 pts, did not compete in the final. 

In acrobatic gymnastics, the Wakefield acrobats dominated overall with three 1st places in the men's group, women's group and the mixed paid events.  The women's pair event was taken over by the Antibes duo with 81.720, followed by the Wakefield pair (80.720) and a Rennes duo.  There was only one pair (Talence) competing in the men's pair event.  The mixed duo event was dominated by the gymnasts from Wakefield (82.350), dominating pairs from Rennes and Elbeuf.  The women's group event displayed a very good level with a Wakefield trio finishing 1st with 83.430 pts, beating trios from Antibes (83.130) and Rennes (81.610).  The Wakefield quatuor was the only one competing in the men's group event. 

Thanks to Robert Ducroux, head of the development of judges and coaches at the French Gymnastics Federation, for the pictures of the event and his comments.  Thanks to him and Michel Bontemps for providing the results. Thanks also to Gabriel Souclier for sending the videos of the event.

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