Setting a world record with a team of only Italian skydivers may seem impossible, but that’s just what a group of nine jumpers did on July 15 in Cumiana, Italy.

At Skydive San Diego in Jamul, California, instructor Patrick Woodruff takes Rachelle Babler for a tandem skydive to release the ashes of her father, 28-year Navy veteran Stanley Ljosdal. Ljosdal never got to make a jump, and Babler said, “That’s why I had to do it for him.”

Jared Miller, D-22031, is the chief instructor at Skydive Arizona in Eloy, one of the busiest drop zones in the world. He started skydiving in 1995 and now has more than 22,000 skydives and multiple ratings.

It’s an age-old story: Boy is out having a blast; a young lady (many years younger) tickles his fancy and—wouldn’t you know it—they’re married.

His name is also Kevin. He didn’t even tell me until the end of the phone call. I had to ask.

“Behind the Lens”
Colored pencil and felt-tip pen

Hannah Borg-Oré | B-52582
Miami, Florida
orehannah@gmail.com

It’s safe to say that nothing about 2020 has proceeded according to anyone’s plans. Whatever was planned in January was tossed out the window by March.

As of August 14, USPA’s board of directors has committed to holding its scheduled meeting of September 18-20 in Nashville, Tennessee.

USPA is still determining whether a 2020 USPA Nationals can be conducted safely and if so, how. USPA is exploring options while trying to ensure competitors in all disciplines/events have an opportunity to compete.

The results are in for the special election to fill the vacancy for the Pacific Regional Director seat on the USPA Board of Directors.

The USPA Board of Directors is seeking a USPA member to fill an upcoming board vacancy that will be created when Albert Berchtold resigns his national director seat this fall to assume the executive director position at USPA Headquarters.

Visualization is the ability to create clear, detailed and accurate images in your mind of something that you want to reproduce as physical reality. In essence, quality visualization is much like a very well-trained imagination.

We’re in an unforgiving sport. We’re made aware of this each time we sign a liability waiver, every time we read an incident report.

The camaraderie, the spirit of competition and the drama keep jumpers returning to Nationals year after year, but it’s also more than that. The reasons people attend Nationals are as varied as the disciplines showcased at the event.