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Skydivers descend on Rosharon
Published October 12, 2009
ROSHARON — About 500 skydivers from across the country will fall out of the Rosharon sky starting today for the National Skydiving Championships.
The two-week competition will include several events such as swooping, landing and free-fall competitions, said Eric Boyd, manager of Skydive Spaceland, which is hosting the event.
“This will be the first time ever in Texas,” for the competition, Boyd said.
The event will be a good chance for spectators or those thinking of participating in the sport to see what skydivers do, he said.
“You can get as close as you want to the sport,” he said.
There will be 12 competitions total during the event, said Ed Scott, executive director of the U.S. Parachute Association.
One of the most interesting is the landing competition, where skydivers have to land on a target the size of a quarter. The target is electronically monitored so judges know if the skydiver actually lands on it, Scott said.
While that might seem hard, skydivers have perfected this feat, he said.
“They do it jump after jump,” Scott said.
The competition works like a spelling bee because skydivers are eliminated when they don’t hit the target, he said.
Another popular competition is the swooping competition, in which skydivers go through a virtual slalom course close to the ground before landing, said Robert Arends, spokesman for the U.S. Parachute Association.
“It’s really visual,” he said. “They are doing this at 70 mph.”
Skydive Spaceland, on FM 1462 just west of Highway 288, has hosted several competitions and events at its Rosharon drop zone, but the national competition stands to be the biggest, Boyd said.
“We are really excited,” he said.
The event is free to the public during the two weeks, and food vendors will be set up at the site, Boyd said.
John Tompkins is senior reporter for The Facts. Contact him at 979-849-8581.
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