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We Love the UK Nationals
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Over the weekend, we were proud to host the UK National Skydiving Championships in 4-way. The sun was shining all weekend, without a single weather hold and some 32 teams turned up to compete across the 4 different categories of 4-way (Rookie, A, AA and AAA).
Hibaldstow has always had a long love affair with the competition scene and this weekend reinforced why we love hosting these type of events. There were so many new faces making their first competitions and of course, long-established ones too!
Giving Back to the Next Generation
Skydiving has always had a strong line of high-level competitions giving back to the community to bring on the next generation of skydivers and this year was no different. The likes of Cath Leather, Sian Stokes, Kate Lindsley, Mick Doherty (and others) could be seen offering their FS coaching knowledge to various teams.
Having a decent coach makes such a difference and it was obvious on the podiums, the value that they added.
Our First Nationals
Rather than just write a few paragraphs of who won and with what average, we thought it would be much more interesting to hear from you the competitors about your own experiences…
Natalie Henry – Black Phoenix – A Class
I have absolutely loved nationals this year. It’s amazing to see all skydivers coming together to appreciate all forms of progress be it small or large. The passion that is shared for the development of this sport is is awe inspiring. Last year, we came as the first team from our center in some years and certainly the first ever all female team, however this year we brought three teams to nationals. This was similar for other centre’s and shows how the love of this sport is passing down through to new generations of skydivers. Which feels amazing to be part of.
We are absolutely carrying on. This year was learning the basics of those blocks and next year we are going to fly them properly!!!
Credit: Alan Higgins
Tano Parker – Brits On Grits – AA Class
This was my first ever outdoor competition and it has been one of the best experiences of my life. The competition was very well organized by Hibaldstow, which made it a brilliant atmosphere to be able to jump in.
In terms of winning medal or podium places, our team didn’t have any expectations going into the competition. We were looking to have fun and just fly how we did in training; so winning the AA was really amazing for us.
I loved the camaraderie between the teams and I was able to meet so many new people who made me feel welcome. I hope to be at many more nationals in the future.
Tom Dent – Wavey Wackers – A Class
Nationals is always a nervy experience for me. It can be the culmination of the years work and an opportunity to see the fruits of your labour under the spotlight of a competition, but also when the pressure is on, tensions go up and teams and friendships alike can collapse. Thankfully though after a lineup change and a compressed training schedule due to weather we were able to give a really good account of ourselves and walk away with a medal. There’s not much better than the feeling of getting down from the last jump and celebrating with your team mates on the landing area before a big old party.
Credit: Sandy Spence
Mick Doherty – FS Coach
I brought 3 teams to the UK Nationals this year – Cloud 9 (Rookie class), Rookie Fall Fast Finish Last (Rookie class) and Rookie Black Phoenix (A class).
Talking about team Cloud 9. They did 25 jumps and 5 hours tunnel prior to the comp and they have between 100-300 jumps each, with one of them having their 100th during the comp and another one having his 300th.
It was their first time ever at a Nationals and Hib for that matter, so they’d never seen anything like it. As you can imagine, they were completely overwhelmed and in total awe! They absolutely loved every single minute of it and showed some amazing tenacity and metal! Especially in light of losing 12 seconds on Dornier lift 1 / Round 1 due to a funnel, but still managed to fly a 14 – bust to 11, putting them 6pts behind Kaleidoscope But they chipped away at it and finished round 6 only 2pts behind.
Then came the round 7, where nerves / adrenaline got the better of them and some glitches left them 6 behind going into the last round. They rose to the challenge and flew the best they’ve ever flown and smashed out a 24!. But sadly it wasn’t enough as Kaleidoscope got 21.
My other teams equally had some great experiences and I am massively proud of every single team member. There really is nothing quite like the competition scene. Bring on 2024!
Radek Zielski from team Cloud 9 has just put this compilation video together of their experiences at the competition and we think it really reflects everything which is special about the competition scene.
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