US Canopy Piloting Championships

The US Canopy Piloting National Championship started at swoop week this morning. We held the safety briefing at 8:00am and made some small course modifications. We used all breakaway gates for the speed course except on the entry gate were we used airblades. In an effort to keep the air blades stationary during the meet we wrapped the airblade on itself and taped them up. This reduced the chance of the airblade blocking the electronic timing system sensors if the wind shifted directions.

The course modifications required us to add additional markers on the course to make it easier to see from above. Two large red inflatable balls (twice the size of a basketball) were put at the base of the entry gate markers and smaller yellow balls (size of a volley ball) were used to line the inside of the course between vertical markers. There were 45 competitors in all so it took us half the day to complete the speed event. 

We continued on with the Zone Accuracy event which took most of the day. The competition lasted from 9:00am to about 6:30pm. We only had one re-jump due to a malfunction and the rest of the day went on without incident. Jonathan Tagle won the accuracy event with Shannon Pilcher in 2nd and Nick Batsch in 3rd. At the time of posting the staff is still calculating the runs from the speed event. The area was full of vehicles today with a fairly large crowd at the pond. We have another 8:00am safety briefing in the morning and will start the distance event at 9:00am. 

Golden Knights sweep CPC championships!

From left to right, Christopher Moore, Greg Windmiller & Michael Eitniear

The Golden Knights Swoop Team cleaned up during the 2008 CPC championships at Swoop Week. After a challenging day on the speed course with a heavy crosswind Greg Windmiller, Michael Eitniear and Christopher Moore pulled through it victorious. 

The team came out of no where with solid and consistent runs during the competition. They told us they came to get their PST pro cards and it was one of their main goals for the Swoop Week. Not only did they win first, second and third place receiving their pro cards they also donated their $5,000 cash winnings! 50% went to the Wounded Warrior Foundation and they gave the remaining money to 4th, 5th and 6th place. Competitors were surprised to receive the cash and it was a first in canopy piloting. 

The Golden Knights performance at this year's championships is great for the Army but even bigger for the canopy piloting community. Little by little the Army Golden Knights have been making their way onto the scene fighting budget cuts for the war effort and more. Just take a second to consider what competition skydiving (RW) would have been like without the Golden Knights and what it could now do for canopy piloting. 

Congratulations to all the members of the US Army Golden Knights on their great performance at Swoop Week and we look forward to seeing them in future competitions.