Sweet Home Alabama, Where the Skies …

The fear of falling is hardwired into human-beings. Even a crawling baby will not proceed over a precipice. Skydiving’s popularity, therefore, cannot be explained rationally.

Ostensibly, leaping from an aircraft and plummeting earthward is a thrilling business. Viewed through the lens of monies spent on its pursuit, skydiving is a BIG business.

Lacking rationale and commanding both passion and vast sums of money, skydiving most closely approximates a religion—the high-sacrament of which will be held in Birmingham, Alabama on Saturday, 09 July, when elite skydivers from more than 15 countries will come together and compete in the Air Sports World Games Canopy Piloting Competition. 

Held the year following the Summer Olympic Games, the World Games—of which the Canopy Piloting Competition is part—is an 11-day international multi-sport event organized with the support of the International Olympic Committee.

The 2022 World Games will see 3,600 elite athletes from more than 100 countries compete for gold in more than thirty of the fastest-growing sports in the world—including skydiving.

The games’ principal purpose is to provide a platform to those athletes whose disciplines aren’t recognized as Olympics sports.

Canopy piloting requires considerable degrees of skill and experience. Parachutists must accurately control their canopies at speeds of up to one-hundred miles-per-hour. At this year’s World Games, canopy pilots will receive scores in speed, zone accuracy, and distance. During a separate, freestyle round, participants will be awarded scores based on technical difficulty, presentation, and landing.

The U.S. will be represented by skydivers: Curt Bartholomew, Jeannie Bartholomew, Nick Batsch, Robin Jandle, Travis Mills, Justin Price, Matt Shull, and Greg Windmiller. The aforementioned individuals qualified for the competition by turning in successful performances at the 2021 Fédération Aéronautique Internationale World Parachuting Championships in Kemerovo, Russia—from which the U.S. team brought home 13 medals.

The 2022 World Games mark the event’s 40th anniversary.

FMI: www.twg2022.com