Skydive Warwick off to a flyer at National championships

The British Collegiate Parachuting Association (BCPA) end of year ‘Nationals’ event was held in the first week of September at Cark Dropzone in Cumbria. Skydive Warwick sent a fifteen-strong party to compete in the final competition of the year, and beat nearly thirty other skydiving clubs from across the UK to bring home all three league trophies. The team also picked up an individual contribution award:

– Achievements League – 1st Place
– Competitions League – 1st Place
– Individual League – 1st Place (Sam Lee) AND joint 2nd Place (Phil Tzourou)
– Award for Contribution to the BCPA – Sam Lee

Sam Lee, the President of Skydive Warwick, was also elected as Chairman of the BCPA, and as a result will take charge of organising all BCPA events and competitions over the coming year.

Due to the complex nature of the sport, the Inter-University leagues are broken down into three categories. The first category is ‘Achievements’, for which points are awarded for club members receiving skydiving qualifications and for progression through the sport.

The next category is ‘Competitions’, which consists of Monthly ‘Formation Skydiving’ and ‘Freeflying’ competitions, for which an entry is undertaken at Warwick’s own home dropzone, filmed on camera, and then submitted to be judged, as well as 6 competition events held at dropzones around the country.

The final category, ‘Individual’, is a combination of Achievements and Competitions points but collated on an individual basis.

Skydive Warwick, a highly active and award winning club, now has a fantastic mix of beginners working towards their skydiving licenses, and experienced skydivers developing their skills through competition and entering new disciplines. Now they have even qualified ‘wingsuiters’ within the club, who come as close as possible to human flight using specially designed suits that transfer vertical speed into horizontal speed, and can fly through the air at speeds in excess of 70mph.

The club has significantly developed their competitive element over the past twelve months, with a new Warwick team set-up for the coming year with plans to enter National and European skydiving championships, on top of competing in the inter-university leagues.

However, this does not mean that skydiving is just for the competitively inclined, as this is just one side of the sport. Many skydivers do not compete and simply undertake ‘fun-jumps’, skydiving with friends from all over the country just for fun!

If you might be interested in sampling the rush of skydiving, the club organises frequent taster sessions in a vertical wind tunnel in Milton Keynes, and Accelerated Free-Fall (AFF) courses at Weston Dropzone near Oxford.

They also cater for those wanting to follow the Ram Air Progression System (RAPS), also held at Weston, and their infamous Easter tour is getting bigger and better every year!