Spaceland Hosts Sixth Annual 3-Way Formation Skydiving Competition
By Christy West
2020 Skydive Spaceland Transitions 3-way Formation Skydiving Competition winners Maksym Oblogin (left) and Sean Moorhead (right) pose with Skydive Spaceland–San Marcos Transitions Program Leader Elizabeth Pitts following their victory. Photo by Sean Elliott.Coronavirus slowed but did not stop the Skydive Spaceland 3-Way Formation Skydiving Competition! All five Spaceland locations (three in Texas, one in Florida and one in Georgia) usually offer this annual competition, which pits 3-way teams with video against each other in a competition setting. Teams consist of one mentor and two mentees with 100 skydives or fewer apiece. The three-round competition is open to anyone with up to 100 skydives, regardless of what drop zone trained them, and the coveted grand prize for mentees is a day of free lift tickets at the Spaceland of their choice.
This year’s competition, held on June 27, featured a smaller turnout than usual, but the participants had just as much fun and learning than ever! This year, teams from two of the Texas DZs—Skydive Spaceland–Houston in Rosharon and Skydive Spaceland—San Marcos in Fentress—participated. Josh Schirard served as competition judge in Houston, and Elizabeth Pitts and Shawn Coughlin judged in San Marcos. San Marcos team My Couch Pulls Out, But I Don’t (mentor Adam Madore, Sean Moorhead, Max Oblogin and camera flyer Boris Grozev) won the grand prize with a solid total score of 14 points (4.67 average). Houston teams Acme Anvils and Saharan Storm tied with four total points each (1.33 average). Saharan Storm (mentor Miguel Zapata, Tyson Porter, Jenna Macigeski and camera flyer Melissa Brown) broke the tie by virtue of having the highest score in any one round (three points) and won 60-percent off lift tickets for a day. Acme Anvils (mentor Mike Romero, David Raucher, Ron Lavoie and camera flyer Dustan Duterio) won 40-percent off a day of lift tickets.
“The really great thing about this competition is that the mentees learn so much about planning successful skydives,” said Schirard.
Spaceland holds monthly themed Transitions events for newly licensed jumpers, the next of which is a sport accuracy event with free canopy coaching on October 3. More information is available on Spaceland’s Facebook page.
Christy West | D-21464
Missouri City, Texas