March 15-17 was a memorable weekend at Skydive Arizona in Eloy, as the Rookie Round-Up brought novice skydivers from around the country to learn from local professional teams. Members of formation skydiving team Arizona Airspeed, freestyle team AZ Dream and vertical formation skydiving teams Arizona Anthem and Arizona X-Force provided coaching in the sky, as well as the onsite SkyVenture wind tunnel. On Saturday, the rookies had lunch in one of the DZ’s Skyvans as the chief pilot discussed safety precautions and taught them how to open the door of the tailgate aircraft. After a full day of jumping and tunnel time, the rookies and pro teams grilled hot dogs and talked shop together. Saturday night also included a raffle, and every rookie went home with a prize.

Sunday’s weather was absolutely perfect, and the rookies and coaches jumped from sun up to sundown. Skydive Arizona originally planned to host one Rookie Round-Up this year; however, due to the many requests the DZ has received for a fall-season repeat, it’s very possible another one may be in the works.

George Hargis | D-36681
Flagstaff, Arizona