Co-Ed Culture
By Larry Bagley

The Florida Skydiving Center in Lake Wales hosted the USPA National Collegiate Parachuting Championships December 27-31. Eighty-four competitors from nine colleges came for the meet, which included competitions in 4-way and 2-way formation skydiving, freeflying, freefall style & accuracy landing and sport accuracy.

The collegiate competition is divided into novice, intermediate and masters classes. Only novices can compete in the 2-way formation skydiving event, but no restrictions apply to the 4-way or freeflying events. The other three events—sport accuracy, classic accuracy and freefall style— award medals in each of the three classes.

The 2-way and 4-way events each had 11 teams. Members of Air Force Prodigy— Patrick Chapman, Joseph Down, Branden Felker and Matthew Tuchscher—won the 4-way event, having been serious competitors both on- and off-duty for several years.

In 2-way, the competition remained friendly but serious between the top three teams, all Army. After three rounds, All American ( Trevor Corrigan and John Trimble) beat The Scuds (Elizabeth Waite and Whitney Winchester) for first, and the Golden Dragons (Ky Fehlbaum and Zane Nitzel) finished in third.

In the freefly test event, A-Team (Matt Bittner and Danielle Ford) from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University held the lead through the three-round meet, but the Air Force team, Genesis (Logan Brewer and Aaron Necessary), stayed hot on its heels. Heels Over Head (Emily Harrison and Eric Miller) finished a close third.

When the meet ended, everyone gathered for an Olympic-style awards ceremony. Jumpers from each military academy took turns mounting the podium to receive their medals from USPA Board members Marylou Laughlin and Madolyn Murdock and chief judge Chris Moore.

And last but most importantly, Air Force cadet Greg Hastings received the highest award at the collegiate championships, the National Collegiate Champion title and the Jacques Istel Scholarship.

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