Thanks to the internet the latest generation of indoor skydiving competitions can be help globally. What? How on earth can you have it so that teams compete from around the world?
Well, it’s easy. The format of the competition is such that people taking part can be at locations all over the globe.
This is because the routines are filmed and shared online before being judged centrally.
And if haven’t seen the competitors in action, check out this video from the World Championship a few years back. So cool.
How does this work?
Well, first up you need a wind tunnel. It’s a huge silo-like structure with fans powerful enough to create winds of up to 150 mph. At this speed it’s possible to simulate the conditions of freefall and get team events running.
There are tunnels around the world. To run an international championship all need to be linked together online with all routines filmed. From here pictures get beamed to centralised judges who make the grades.
What Categories are there?
Individuals can compete in Neo-Freestyle (mix of Freestyle and Freefly), pairs in either 2-way Freefly (FF) or 2-way Vertical Formation Skydiving (2-way VFS), and teams of 4 in 4-way Formation Skydiving (FS) or 4-way Vertical Formation Skydiving (VFS).
How can I get involved?
If you are interested, check out the International Bodyflight Association (IBA) who will be able to help.
And if you find any more cool videos like this one, let us know!
