Here is what he had to say:
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Wind tunnels have made it possible for people to “skydive” who wouldn’t have been able to do it before. Mostly kids and those who don’t think jumping out of a plane is a good idea. For the former, this new sport has opened a door to a whole new wave of athletes. Some of the best dynamic teams in the world consist of kids.
While it is an inherently costly hobby, body flight is growing more and more. And with that growth, we’ve seen every aspect of it evolve as well. Kids are progressing faster than ever because of more advanced coaching techniques and gear improvements. Here in NYC our rising superstar is Ryan Casserly. She has been flying for a few years and trains about twice a week.
Because of their small size and weight, kids can utilize a bigger range of space and windspeeds than adults. If a 10-year old can fly head down at 82%, then when they fly at 95% they’re going to be able to move way faster than an adult that can barely hold head down at 92%. This means that in dynamic competitions the kids are zipping around at breakneck speeds compared to their adult counterparts. Since the tunnel is also bigger for them, their margin for error when learning is also bigger. And if they’re fearless, even better.
With the little ones making such leaps in how fast we can fly, some people are suggesting having weight classes or a separate tier for kids in dynamic competitions. In freestyle, they’re already divided into a junior category (even if some of them are better than most adults). Brands such as iFly now offer special prices through kids’ oriented tunnel clubs. Contact your local tunnel for more information. It is never too early to start getting the kids in the wind!
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Nico has been an indoor skydiving coach and instructor since 2014. He placed first in open freestyle at the Woodlands IBA Competition in 2016 and competes year round. He also runs an amazing podcast dedicated to indoor skydiving: ostrichflight.com
