The PD Blog

Bad Weather Activities

The weather in South Africa has sucked for the first day.  Competitors hung out for most of the day before finally being released.  This is the most dangerous time- bored skydivers are a recipe for disaster.  Fortunately there were no injuries but we thought we'd post a few pictures of some of the people hanging around the DZ.

2008 USPA CP Champion - congrats Nick Batsch!

After 9 exciting rounds (3 rounds of Speed, 3 of Zone Accuracy and 3 of Distance), we have some new champions! 
44 competitors competed in the Open class where Nick Batsch took the Gold, Shannon Pilcher Silver and Stuart Schoenfeld won the bronze.
A handful of guests from other nations participated at this event and many of them did very well.  Amongst those were Pablo Hernandez (Spain), Christian "Wuzi" Wagner (Austria), Martin Eisner (not sure where Martin hails from!), Moritz Friess (Germany) and Kaz Sheekey (Australia).  All of those are skilled competitors and helped make for some stiff competition, in both distance and speed.

In the Advanced class "Big Steve" Haseman took the Gold and Shane Shaffer the Silver.  Pia McFarland came in 3rd, but the USPA rules state that there must always be one more competitors than medals, so Pia did not get a medal at this Nationals. 

The PD Factory team also shared some big news.  Those lucky enough to be attending the award ceremony here at Mile Hi last night are now already in the know, but the rest of you will have to wait a little longer.....    ;)

Anyway, it's time to get back to the pond, as now starts the PST event (Pro Swooping Tour)!

2008 USPA CP Nationals - Speed and Accuracy

Well, this little judge was simply too tired to post anything when she rolled home well after dark last night!
Yesterday we completed both Speed and Zone Accuracy events, 3 rounds of each.  Competition is strong but a few strong competitors have made little mistakes here and there that could really change the picture when it comes to overall standings.

Today we move on to Distance which is the last event.  Being here at Mile Hi, we expect to see some fast and far runs, so today could potentially get VERY exciting!

Anyway, time to get going - but at least I have a few more pictures for you - not a lot (did I mention the day was a little hectic??)  but I promise to do better today :)

2008 USPA CP Nationals, Mile Hi

CP Nationals, Speed Event

Here we are, at the Mile Hi pond. Round 3 of speed is well under way and so far competition is smooth and the weather is cooperating. Winds are light and Colorado offering up an absolutely beautiful day, even if it is a little smoky out.

Next event is Zone Accuracy, my personal favorite :)

We will have more pictures and news up tonight. Well, they are out now, so I better go watch!

2008 CPC Champion: Greg Windmiller

Congrats to Golden Knight Greg Windmiller, freshly crowned CPC Champion here at Mile Hi Skydiving in Colorado!!   It was a tight race and many exellent pilots showed their best performance on the pond.

GK Sargent Major Mike Eitniear came in second, and GK Chris Moore came in right behind him to snatch up the 3rd place.  The Golden Knights have now clearly established that they can do more than just turn points on their belly doing 4-way or 8-way, so it will be exciting to see how their Canopy Piloting team continues to develop.

Since the team is funded by the US Army, it's members could not accept the cash purse awarded by Mile Hi and the PST.  Instead they donated half their combined winnings to the Wounded Warrior Fund and the other half they split between the competitors that placed  4th, 5th and 6th. 
Pete Schwarz came in 4th, Edson Pacheco in 5th and Loud Dan McAllister in 6th - and as you can imagine this incredibly generous gesture made for some very happy runners up.

The Golden Knight Canopy Piloting Team won't get a lot of time to celebrate as now is time to head home to get some rest for an early start of the USPA CP Nationals first thing tomorrow!

Congrats to all competitors and best of luck for the next event!

2008 CPC Championships, done!

We have a new champion.....  !!!   But I can't tell you exactly who that is until after 8 o'clock tonight.   And no, it's not the guy in the photo, although that is Brian McNenney - who was the first CPC Champion ever, back in the day.
And trust me, it's killing me knowing and not being able to tell.

Today went very well.  We (the judges) got up with the chickens and reported to the pond at 7 AM to finalize course set up and make sure the new fancy timing system was set up and ready to go.
In past years, timing speed has been done using a video camera (frame count converted into seconds) because the available timing systems have been overly sensitive and emotional, and thus not reliable.  The FLCPA recently purchased a system to use for their league and that is the system used here - thanks FLCPA guys and gals!!!

Winds and weather cooperated for the most part so some smoking fast runs were laid down.  I can't say enough about the class and caliber of the CPC competitors and hope to see that continue into the USPA CP Nationals starting tomorrow.  Shane Shaffer from Palatka, FL deserves a honorable mention, he has been jumping for less than a year and is doing absolutely amazing on his Katana 107.   A couple of missed gates, but he is making smart decisions and staying safe. Watch out for that young one in the future!

We also have 3 Golden Knights on site and I would be very surprised if we don't see some bling bling around their necks before it's all said and done.

We have uploaded a few photos from today and yesterday and those can be seen at our Picasa web album for now - as soon as I have time I will upload them right here on the blog too :). 
Enjoy!

CPC Championships 2008

Swoop is up!

After marathon travel to Denver, Colorado, the PD reps are finally here for the Swoop Week celebrations, full force.  I will spare you the nightmarish details, but it does seem that I have inherited the dreaded "Travel Curse" from Albert.

The CPC championships are in full swing, with both Distance and Zone Accuracy completed today.  Competition is exciting and tight, overall the skill level of many of the CPC pilots is up there with the pros!  I expect to see quite a few of them compete at Nationals later this week and maybe even at the PST event as well.  Good times.
Kim (demo queen) and I are helping out with judging, and with the amount of competitors planning to attend, it looks like event staff will stay busy through the week!   
Lots of people are here to train for the big event (Nationals): the boys from Skydive the Farm are here in matching jerseys (the strapping young men they are), the PD Factory Team and team Fastrax Swoop (also very matching).    It will be very interesting to watch the selection for the team that is to represent the US in upcoming CP World Meet in South Africa this coming November.
Larry Bagley is here on behalf of the USPA to make sure everything proceeds according to plan - and a little bird whispered in my ear that he owes beer for his FIRST post on the USPA blog!  I will be sure to collect on that before the week is over ;)

Anyway, stay tuned for more updates and fun stuff on the PD Blog - those thirsty for scores and maybe some groovy video should check out the Swoop Week website, where I am sure scores will be posted as they become available.