Russ Armbruster, coming down in the November dusk.  Photo by Don Hinton.

Tony Gonzales clicked this shot of Valerie Thal (top) and Wayne Snyder flying a biplane in front of the water jet during a demonstration jump at Fountain Hills, AZ.

The official emblem and design for this year's National Championships was created by a non-skydiver, artist Butch Thorne of Washington, D.C., who was asked by USPA to suggest the "flavor" of skydiving—which evidently he did successfully, since official 1980 National Championships T-shirts were part of every competitor's daily uniform in Richmond, IN this summer.  (These official championships T-shirts are available to all members, for personal wear and as gifts, through the USPA Store.  To order see page 50.)

Official National Championships photographer Haney Martin caught 1980's new Individual Champions Matt O'Gwynn and Cheryl Stearns as each was presented with medals and trophies:  Matt holds the "Big Shot Glass", emblem of men's supremacy and Cheryl the sterling silver-and-crystal women's championship award.  The presentations were made at the individual awards banquet in Richmond, IN, on June 30th.  Both O'Gwynn and Stearns are now training with the 1980 U.S. Team, preparing for the World Championships in Bulgaria later this month.

The Golden Knights build an 8-way Frisbee in the skies over Yuma, AZ.  USAPT photo.

Thundering into the pea gravel at the Tahlequah, OK drop zone is George McCandless  Photo by George Frey.

Photo by Carl Nelson, courtesy Roger Nelson.

A flying carpet of jumpers over Limerick, PA.  Photo by Tom Dunn, courtesy of Jerry Irwin.

Rick Ellwanger, D-3634, tracks off into the sunset after a skydive over the Coolidge, AZ Parachute Ranch.  Rick, by the way, holds a PhD in Chemistry and is Technical Director for American Cyanamid in his hometown of Tuscon, AZ.  Photo by Tony Gonzales and courtesy of Adventure/Travel magazine.

Artist Paul Bond is a skydiver and commercial artist in Des Plaines, IL.  He first envisioned this 12-way "planet" after seeing films on TV of the first 50-way at Elsinore, CA.  Bond has spent much free time since then drafting, sketching and painting this artwork, an appropriate symbol of skydiving in the decade to come.  He feels this dive "is the next logical step in freefall formations," and adds "I hope people have fun trying to figure out how to do this one in freefall."  For related story see page 19.

Braving a sub-zero wind-chill factor, Eastern Conference Director Dave Waight gets his "knees in the breeze"  over Maytown, PA.

Vic Logan in a head-down dive over Elsinore, CA.  Photo by Paul Grimshaw of Santa Barbara, CA.

Gary Young of Tustin, CA unintenionally demonstrates the importance of a pre-flight pin-check during a 16-way exit over Elsinore, CA.  Fortunately nothing was injured except his pride.  Photo by Norman A. Kent.

All ten members of Mirror Image "pose" for a group portrait over Tecumseh, MI while training for the World Championships in Chateauroux, France.  "The Mirror" went on to burn a 5.16 second ten-way star while in France setting a new world record in the event.

Mike Mount captured this split-second of Visions' ten-way exit at The Nationals.  With eight jumpers out the door this quickly, it's no wonder Visions went on to win the Gold in ten-way.

Presented for the first time at this year's National Championships in Richmond, IN was this newest of USPA perpetual trophies—the Eight-Way Team Championship Award.  Design and Production, Inc.—craftsmen associated with the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC created this trophy, an octagonal block of anodized aluminum and lucite standing on a mahogany base banded with removable silver plates on which the names of the members of the winning teams will be engraved each year.  28 inches high, it is the largest trophy in USPA's collection and is valued at more than $2,400.  It is on permanent display at USPA headquarters in Washington, DC.

Jim Lucas of Williamsport, MD flies some unusual Canopy RW at the Southern Cross drop zone in Downsville, MD.  Jim's "extra" canopy belongs to Jose Rodriguez of Crofton, MD  who intetionally cutaway after forming a biplane canopy hookup with Jim.  Playing it smart and safe, Jose wore an extra reserve for this jump.

P.S. That's Russian for "Sport Parachuting."  The full report begins on page 27.

Carl Boenish caught this 20-way formation during a break in the weather at the Deland Invitational Meet.  For more on the meet turn to page 46.

Carl Boenish shot this cut-away main over Elsinore, CA.  The jumper under reserve is Jim Handbury.

Kathy O'Brien swooping over Longmont, CO.  Photo by Alf Humphries.