SKYDIVE MIDWEST ATHLETES QUALIFIED FOR SKYDIVING WORLD CUP IN NORWAY 2023
Multiple Skydive Midwest jumpers have qualified for the 2023 World Air Sports Federation (FAI) Skydiving World Cup in Norway. Being offered a spot on the United States Parachute Team is an honor offered to very few athletes. Only 4 teams from each Formation Skydiving discipline are invited to attend this prestigious event. The World Cup is hosted every 2 years and will be taking place in Voss, Norway in August of 2023.
We are incredibly proud to be the home of 3 skydiving teams that earned the opportunity to represent the United States in this competition.
How do you Compete in Skydiving?
There are many different disciplines of competitive skydiving. There are freefall events with timed, performance goals of building formations. There are artistic events where athletes perform a series of aerial maneuvers in a routine, much like gymnastics. There are also canopy piloting events where competitors are judged based on speed, distance, or accuracy. There are even formation events for canopy piloting, where teams build a sequence of canopy formations in a timed performance. For more on the world of competitive skydiving, check out our blog detailing each discipline.
FORMATION SKYDIVING (FS)
Formation Skydiving (FS) is the most popular form of competition. In Formation Skydiving, teams of 4 or 8 perform a series of predetermined formations from a dive pool and repeat that sequence as many times as possible from the moment the team leaves the aircraft.
A dedicated videographer exits with each team to capture the performance in freefall. The video is used by judges to count the number of “points” or correct formations built in the given time (usually 35 seconds).
SDMW NEXT is a 4Way Formation Skydiving team that has been training at SDMW and competing since 2014. The current lineup is as follows:
Gorka Amian
Years in Skydiving: 7
Total Jumps: 3100
Age: 37
Profession: Director of Data Strategy and Analytics
Greg Oldendick
Years in Skydiving: 12
Total Jumps: 3600
Age: 41
Profession: Systems Programmer
Katie Healy
Years in Skydiving: 9
Total Jumps: 1400
Age: 37
Profession: Water/Wastewater Project Manager/Enginee
Brian Nassat
Years in Skydiving: 4
Total Jumps: 1100
Age: 34
Profession: Software Engineer
Tom Barr
Years in Skydiving: 4
Total Jumps: 901
Age: 49
Profession: General Contractor/Owner
4WAY VERTICAL FORMATION SKYDIVING
4 Way Vertical Formation Skydiving (VFS) the jumpers fly in a different orientation. Rather than building formations in a belly-to-earth orientation, the jumpers transition between head-up and head-down flying throughout each sequence.
SDMW Chemtrails is a 4Way Vertical Formation Skydiving team that has been training at SDMW and competing since 2017. The current lineup is as follows:
Keith George
Years in Skydiving: 26
Total Jumps: 10,000+
Age: 52
Profession: Drop Zone Owner
Colin Conway
Years in Skydiving: 11
Total Jumps: 2200
Age: 35
Profession: Union Electrician
Matt Congdon
Years in Skydiving: 11
Total Jumps: 3000
Age: 37
Profession: Journeyman Lineman
Kyle Brady
Years in Skydiving: 9
Total Jumps: 1800
Age: 36
Profession: Director of Business Intelligence
Nathan Norem
Years in Skydiving: 9
Total Jumps: 1300
Age: 40
Profession: Podiatrist
Acrobatic Wingsuiting
Acrobatic Wingsuiting is an artistic event. It is judged more subjectively, much like gymnastics. Teams are comprised of 2 performers and a videographer. Rounds consist of compulsory and free routines where performers exhibit a series of maneuvers for the judges.
Travis Mickle is a member of the Acro-Wingsuit team, FlatSpin. Travis is a full-time instructor at Skydive Midwest. He and his teammates, Nicholas Maieritsch and Jeff Harrigan will be training at SDMW leading up to the World Cup.
Travis Mickle
Years in Skydiving: 14
Total Jumps: 7000+
Age: 37
Profession: Skydiving Instructor & Restaurateur
SDMW is proud to support its amazing athletes as they train to represent the United States and their local communities. The weeklong competition begins on August 22, 2022. We wish our teams the best of luck as they battle it out with the world’s best skydivers in Norway.
Follow along and cheer on our home town teams as they compete as part of the US Parachute team in Norway. 2023 FAI World Cup Scores.