Dozens will leap into the wild blue yonder over Innisfail on the first weekend after Canada Day as skydivers gather for the 2010 Alberta Provincial Skydiving Championships.
About 100 to 150 skydivers from across the province are expected to show up at the Big Bend Airport to participate in a range of sky-high skills competitions.
Stephen Rochefort, a member of the airport’s Big Sky club, said the adrenaline rush is what drew him to the sport a year ago.
He quickly learned, though, that there was more to skydiving than revelling in the sensation of falling at 200 km/h.
“A lot of people think it’s getting into a plane and jumping out and landing under a parachute,” he said.
“There’s a huge amount of things that you can learn and do in the sport,” said Rochefort, who owns Red Deer’s Lime Green Realty with his wife Susan. “That’s what really attracts me. In the last year, I’ve put in about 280 skydives.”
In that time, he got his coaching rating and is working on his instruction rating.
“What else I can do just seems endless. That’s what really attracts most people; the adrenaline first, and all the opportunities that come after.”
For skydiving enthusiasts, the sport offers a range of skills that can be practised and measured against the competition. There are group jumps where four skydivers leap together and create a series of formations while they plummet to earth from about 3,900 metres (13,000 feet).
There are manoeuvre series that can be compared to a “ballet in the sky” and other events that challenge skydivers to come as close to a quarter-size target as possible.
Another event called “swooping” sees skydivers control their parachutes to swoop above the ground just before landing so they can be judged on speed and the distance they are able to skim above the ground before touching down.
The weekend championships may also feature a world record-breaking attempt. A 10-woman team is expected to take a shot at the record for leaping out of a plane at the same time and creating a star formation in a set period of time.
The sky diving action begins on Friday, July 2, and runs through Saturday from about 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday will be used as an extra day in case the weather is poor the other days. The public is welcome and admission is free. Organizers recommend bringing binoculars.
Big Bend Airport is about six km northwest of Innisfail on Hwy 54.
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com