About Us
Airspeed Odyssey 2010
Click a team member name below for more information.
Andy Delk
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Age: 38 Born in: Tyler, TX on August 22, 1972 Jumps: 14,000+ Container: Javelin Odyssey Reserve: PD 113R Main: Velocity 96, Stiletto 97 AAD: Vigil Jump Suit: Airtime Designs, Tony Suit - Pit Special Helmet: Cookie Composites GAS Helmet Altimeter: Audible - Larsen & Brusgaard, Optima, Visual - Viso Home Drop Zone: Skydive Arizona Reserve rides: 9 Where and when did you start jumping? East Texas Skydiving Club, May 30 1993 What made you try skydiving? My girlfriend bought a tandem jump. I didn't really want to go but the desire to not look like I was scared was enough to push me to jump. Joined Airspeed: 2005 Hobbies: Hiking, Golf, Tennis, Computers, BASE Jumping, and Wake Boarding What was your path to Airspeed? Warp Factor 1996, Alternate for Team Perris 1997, Elsinore Storm 1998, Euphoric 1999, Perris Energy 2000, Arizona Vengeance (8-way) 2002, Perris Skoolboyz 2003-2004. Countries visited for skydiving: Portugal, Japan, Russia, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and United Kingdom. Most memorable medal: World Cup 2005, Gold 4-way and 8-way What made you start competing? Curiosity. I wanted to see what it was like competing in skydiving. The people that I looked up to in the sport were all competitors. Coming from a competition background in various sports made competing in skydiving seem like a logical choice. Highest average in competition: 26.0 Plans for the future: Winning the World Meet in 4-way. Eventually get back to flying career that has been put on the back burner. Competition results: 1998 U.S. Nationals - 4th place - 4-way open (Elsinore Storm (guest)) 1998 U.S. Nationals - Silver - 16-way open (Airspeed) 1999 U.S. Nationals - Silver - 4-way advanced (Euphoric) 2002 U.S. Nationals - 4th place - 8-way open (Arizona Vengeance) 2002 U.S. Nationals - Gold - 16-way open (Airspeed Blue) 2003 U.S. Nationals - Silver - 16-way open (Airspeed Plus) 2004 U.S. Nationals - 4th place - 4-way open (Perris Skoolboyz) 2004 U.S. Nationals - Gold - 16-way open (Airspeed Plus) 2005 Malevsky Memorial International Cup - Silver - 4-way (Airspeed Odyssey) 2005 Malevsky Memorial International Cup - Silver - 8-way (Airspeed 8) 2005 USPA Nationals - Gold - 8 way (Airspeed Odyssey) 2005 USPA Nationals - Gold - 16 way (Airspeed & friends) 2005 USPA Nationals - Bronze - Open 4 way (Airspeed Odyssey) 2005 USPA Nationals - Silver - 10 way (Airspeed) 2005 USPA Nationals - Gold - Combined Freefall (Airspeed) 2005 FAI World Cup - Gold- 8 way (Airspeed) 2005 FAI World Cup - Gold- 4 way (Airspeed Odyssey) |
Craig Girard
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Age: 43 From: Phoenix, Arizona Container: Javelin Odyssey AAD: Vigil Jump Suit: Airtime Designs, Tony Suit - Pit Special Helmet: Cookie Composites GAS Helmet Other sports: base jumping, hang gliding Total jumps: 18,000+ Competition results: |
Eliana Rodriguez
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Age: 36 Born in: Passaic, New Jersey on October 8, 1974 Jumps: 10,000+ Container: Javelin Odyssey Reserve: Optimum Reserve 106 Main: Stilleto 107 AAD: Vigil II Jump Suit: Airtime Designs, Tony suit - Pit Special with XL Booties Helmet: Cookie Composites GAS Helmet Altimeter: Larsen & Brusgaard, Optima and Viso Home Drop Zone: Skydive Arizona Reserve rides: 3 Where and when did you start jumping? I made my first tandem jump at Raeford Parachute Club in Raeford, North Carolina, USA on Oct 1, 1995 and in February 1996 I started the static line course and a few jumps later switch over to the AFF What made you try skydiving? I wanted to try skydiving because, when I was younger, I used to love to go to amusement parks and ride rollercoasters and the park rides. I thought that skydiving was going to be the same, just like a ride, but I found out quickly that it was so much more. Joined Airspeed: December 2001 Hobbies: Base jumping, traveling, and scuba diving. What was your path to Airspeed? After I got off student status in Raeford, North Carolina, I left the military and moved to Florida and started jumping at Skydive Space Center in Titusville. I made about 200 jumps in two years, jumping mostly on the weekends, loved it and I got out there any chance I could get or afford. A friend that worked at the dropzone suggested that I go work at the new Skyventure wind tunnel that was getting ready to open up. I told her I thought I wasn't experienced enough to work there. I thought they were looking for people with at least 1000 jumps and people that were AFF instructors. She said that I would be great for the job and that I was doing some really good skydiving, she insisted so much that I finally told her I would go... but I still didn't go. A few weeks later I went to go jump at a different dropzone and she was there, and so was an instructor and the general manager of the tunnel. Since I had told her I would go apply for the wind tunnel job, she took me over and introduced me to them. The general manager asked me to bring a resume by the next day and that he would interview me. I was hired that same day! While working in the tunnel I got the opportunity to watch a lot of teams train from all over the world. It looked really cool to me and I knew I wanted to do it for fun someday! A girls team from Skydive Zephryhills was looking for a fourth member and asked me if I could join them. They said they just wanted to have fun and not be too serious about getting medals but they wanted to learn, they told me they planned on hiring coach, Kurt Gaebel, for all the training camps. At the time I had never been coached and had no idea what a coach was going to do for us, but I accepted their invitation. After our first training camp I was so thrilled to be in the team and to be coached, I was instantly addicted to 4-way and was hungry for more information and more coaching! Unfortunately half way through our training year my mother got very ill and so I quit the team, school, and I took some time off of work at the wind tunnel to take care of her, a few months later she passed away. After my mother passed away I went back to work at the wind tunnel and got enrolled in school again, a few weeks later I had another offer to join a new team. I wanted to do it, but I declined at first because I hadn't been working for months and I couldn't afford it. By the first competition of the season the team still needed another person so they asked me to fill in for one day for the competition. I accepted to fill in for just one day but after competing again I was hooked, so I joined the team. We made a few personnel changes and added my coworkers from the tunnel. The team became Deland Tunnel Rage, in Sept 2000 I went to my first competition at the US Nationals. We won in the intermediate class with a 15.1 average! My plans after this competition was to take some time off from 4-way training and try to catch up financially and to focus on school and getting my degree. Later that month, I got a phone call with an offer to join a girls team that were looking to become the USA women's team to compete at the World Cup in Arizona, the competition was in one month. There was going to be a women's event at the World cup for the first time but there were no women's team from the US that were going to attend, they wanted to form one. I couldn't turn it down, I felt like this was a great opportunity for me and that the chance to go to the World Cup of formation skydiving wouldn't come by very often so I should take it. We did about 30 jumps together and won the world cup with an 11.8 average in the women's class! Winning the World Cup gave us the opportunity to be the US Women's team at the World Meet in Spain in 2001, we decided to stay together and decided we were going to do more training for this event. We hired Joey Jones as our coach, did about 300 jumps within 6 months, and did lots of tunnel time! We won the World Championships in June 2001 with a 14.7 average. Up until this point I had never considered to be a professional skydiver. In my mind I was planning on graduating from school and to continue with skydiving as a hobby. But this competition changed everything for me. After this competition I realized that this is what I wanted to do, I felt like I had to find someway to do this. I wanted to train and compete more. Although my finances showed that I should quit 4-way and work more to pay off my debt, my heart wanted to do more 4-way. I wanted to take it to another level! I didn't know how I was going to do it but I wanted to find a way to make it happen. Countries visited for skydiving: Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, England, Russia, Mexico, Uruguay, Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, Thailand, and Croatia World Records: 300-way(2002), 357-way(2004), 400-way(2006) Most memorable medals: Since I started competing I've been so lucky to have won many medals but some of my favorite are my silver medal at the World Championships in France with Arizona Airspeed 8-way team. We had a fantastic meet and we tied with the Russians after 10 rounds, we went on to an 11 round jump off and then tied that too! According to the rules the gold medal goes to the team who had the highest single score and that was them, so we got silver, but it was a silver medal that I value more than some of my gold medals. Another very memorable meet and medal was the World Championships in Croatia 2004. I became the first woman to ever win a gold medal at the world championships in the open class. I was competing in 8-way with Arizona Airspeed. The World Cup in Arizona in 2005! My team won both the 4-way and the 8-way. We had a great competition in both events! We matched Airspeed's highest average ever at the time with a 22.2 in the 4-way and won by 10 points and the 8-way event was very exciting and a very close race until the last round. The tunnel competition last year at the World Challenge in Bedford is another favorite meet for me. We pushed ourselves harder than we ever had before. And we learned so much about ourselves and competing, this competition took us to another level. We were behind throughout the whole competition but won by one point on the last round, with a incredible performance! What made you start competing? I started competing because it looked fun, I really had no idea what I was getting into or journey I was getting ready to go on. I started with a fun intermediate team and after I received some coaching a did one meet, I was hooked on competitive 4-way. Highest average in competition: 26.0 in 4-way and 20.2 in 8-way Plans for the future: My plans for the future are winning the US Nationals and becoming the US 4-way team that competes at the World Championships next year and then winning the World meet in 2010! Being on the team has also given me the opportunity to travel a lot and I want to do more, I love going to new places. |
Mark Kirkby
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Age: 42 Born in: Kendal, England on May 9, 1968 Jumps: Undetermined... I like to guess! Container: Javelin Odyssey Reserve: PD 113 Main: PD Velocity 90 AAD: Vigil Jump Suit: Airtime Designs, Tony suit - Pit Special Helmet: Cookie Composites GAS Helmet Altimeter: Pro-track and Viso Home Drop Zone: Skydive Arizona, and Cark in England Reserve rides: Around thirty, I had about twenty in my first 3,000 jumps Where and when did you start jumping? I made my first jump with the British light infantry display team A.K.A the "trailblazers" at the Thruxton DZ in the UK in 1985, then all the others were at Cark where I truly started jumping, my first jump was a static line round parachute jump from 2000 ft, and I sprained my ankle. What made you try skydiving? I was taken to a demo when I was about six years old and I decided then that I would be a jumper, my family asked what I would do when I grew up and I always answered, "a parachute jumper". Joined Airspeed: I was the tail for the original Airspeed four way team that was formed in December of 1993. Hobbies: I like to train for and run Marathons, running gives me a chance to train and perform as an individual, also I am curious to find out what the limit of my endurance can be. What was your path to Airspeed? I found my path in California with a team called Juggernaut in 1992 a variant of the Gumbys, then I joined the 1993 Airmoves team, and then the Airspeed team was formed in 1994. Countries visited for skydiving: England, Belgium, France, USA, Mexico, Australia, Japan, Russia, Italy, Spain. World Records: 4 way 1994 - 29 points, 4 way 1999 - 39 points, 300 way 2002, 16 way 2002 -19 points. Most memorable medal: The overall medal for the 2000 US Nationals when we swept all events, this win showed what versatility the Airspeed project had built over the years, also the high skill of the Airspeed alumni, that the teams at that time could fall back on. What made you start competing? I have competed in all my other previous sports and found it satisfying, and I also love to perform in the moment, I'm really addicted to the challenge of competition. Highest average in competition: 26.0. Plans for the future: Start a family. What is the most positive influence on your skydiving? The positive effect of a real team environment has allowed me to grow and realize my full potential as a competitor. |
Steve Nowak
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Age: 50 Born in: Evergreen Park, Illinois on October 12, 1960 Jumps: 16,000+ Container: Javelin Main: PD Stilleto Reserve: PD Reserve AAD: Vigil II Jump suit: Tony Suit - camera suit Altimeter: Larsen and Brusgaard Optima Home DZ: Skydive Arizona Reserve rides: 6 Education? I have a BS in Marketing from Southern Illinois University. What made you try skydiving? Skydiving was something that I always wanted to try. When I saw an advertisement for a 1st jump course in the newspaper, I called a friend and we went and took it. When and where did you start skydiving? My 1st jump was at Deer Grove, Illinois in April 1980. When did you start competing? I started competing at the Collegiate Nationals in December 1980 in style, accuracy and 4-way. I also have competed in accuracy at the US Nationals 5 times. What was your path to Airspeed? John Leming and Kirk Verner paved the way for me to join Airspeed in 1996. Countries visited for skydiving? France, Japan, Australia, and Belgium. Other work? I work for Abbott Laboratories in Casa Grande, Arizona as a Senior Batch Records Auditor. |
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