I am looking forward to attending the World Games later this month in Birmingham, Alabama. The 2022 event will feature 30 official sports—including canopy piloting, which takes place July 9-11—at 30 venues around the Birmingham area. The event is slated to bring approximately 3,500 athletes from 100 nations to the United States for the first time since the inaugural games held in Santa Clara, California, in 1979.
This world-class sporting event always takes place the year after the summer Olympics. It first featured skydiving at the 1997 games in Lahti, Finland, with the inclusion of accuracy landing, formation skydiving and freestyle. In 2005, at the World Games in Duisburg, Germany, canopy piloting made its first appearance (and has been included in each of the games since), as did freeflying. Various skydiving and non-skydiving events have come and gone from the Air Sports category of the World Games over the years—including canopy formation and non-skydiving sports such as paragliding, paramotoring and aerobatics—and this year, drone flying makes its debut appearance in the category alongside canopy piloting.
Since the 2013 World Games in Cali, Colombia, canopy piloting has been the sole representative of sport parachuting at the quadrennial event, likely due to its tremendous spectator appeal. Spectators love being able to watch the competition unfold in front of their own eyes; it brings the event to life. Formation skydiving may be the most popular event at skydiving competitions, and artistic freestyle may be one of the most beautiful things in the world, but for spectators, nothing beats watching the water spray and hearing the lines of a high-performance canopy scream through the air at 90-plus miles per hour right in front of them, not on a screen.
The World Games website tracks the most successful countries of air sports, and I’m proud to say that with nine gold, five silver and three bronze, the United States of America holds that title. We’re followed by France with two gold, three silver and three bronze. The most decorated air sports athlete is our own Mark Kirkby, with three World Games gold medals. Fred Fugen, Craig Girard, Jay Moledzki and Vince Reffet each have two golds, while Curt Bartholomew, Nick Batsch, Stephane Fardel, Shannon Pilcher and Stefan Wiesner each have one gold and one silver. Three World Games gold medals is certainly an impressive showing for Kirkby, a formation skydiving legend, but I have a feeling if he wants to stay on top, he may need to take up canopy piloting.
It is a huge honor to have our sport as part of the World Games. It is also a great place to showcase our sport and its amazing athletes to the world. Best of luck to Curt Bartholomew, Jeannie Bartholomew, Nick Batsch, Robin Jandle, Travis Mills, Justin Price, Matt Shull and Greg Windmiller, the members of the canopy piloting team who will be representing the USA at these games. We’re all rooting for you.
Jumpers can find more information about canopy piloting at the World Games and buy tickets to the event at twg2022.com.
Blue Skies,
Albert Berchtold | D27832
USPA Executive Director