To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (which provided women and men with equal voting rights) and the global women’s suffrage movement that swept across the world in the early 1900s, the Women’s Skydiving Network (formerly the Women’s Skydiving Leadership Network) is launching Project 19. The project is a four-stage plan that will culminate in the 100-way women’s head-down world record attempts at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois, in the summer of 2020. The mission of Project 19 is to highlight the talent and abilities of female skydivers and encourage women worldwide to dream big and live a brave life. With this project, WSN hopes to raise the general public’s awareness of the athleticism and excitement surrounding the sport and to recruit more women into it.

Organizers Amy Chmelecki and Sara Curtis have developed the training timeline for Project 19 in four phases. Phase I is basic training provided locally by regional captains around the world. Phase II is advanced training by Project 19 organizers in larger groups at key locations. Phase III is the selection phase (i.e., tryout camps). Phase IV is the record attempts. With more than a year until the attempts, new vertical big-way flyers will have plenty of time to train.

WSN will sponsor the event by paying for all registration fees and jumps at the 100-way attempts, including the support team (bench) jumps. If successful, the new record will represent a huge increase from the last record, a 65-way flown at Skydive Arizona in Eloy in 2016.

More information on the project is available by emailing Amy Chmelecki at amychmelecki@hotmail.com or Sara Curtis at sara@azarsenal.com.

Amy Chmelecki | D-24579
Eloy, Arizona