Event report by Amanda Lavis

What’s better than flying wingsuits on a summer’s day around little puffies with a group of mates? Nothing obviously, but it turns out doing it without wingsuits is also fricking awesome! 

I’ve been skydiving for 10 years but have never learned to fly angles. I guess I should be confessing this to a room full of people and then embarking on a 12-step program…  Anyway, I took the first step last weekend at the chicks only Angles Camp at Sydney Skydivers chief coached by the amazing Bella Smart and partially funded in part by the NSW government ‘her-sport-her-way’ initiative.  The initiative is designed to increase female participation and leadership in sport, and we need to thank Bella and Helen Perry from the NSW/ACT Parachute Council for finding this pot of gold and doing the necessary to secure it! 

Heaps of awesome women showed up.  Some, like me, had very little experience at angle flying, and some were already extremely badass.  But whatever the level of experience, space was made! 

Honorary chicks Jacob Mulder and Philipp Kemper coached alongside Bella and did an amazing job. (They have been slandered in the press I hear as washed-up drag queens, but I reckon they pass!) 

The small groups and skilled and enthusiastic coaches got the best out of everyone. 

So much froth and progression! 

So much fist pumping at break-off! 

And so much landing off.  Okay.  Just one jump.  But man it was far.

I can’t wait for the next camp.  Any skydiving chicks reading this who want to get on it contact Bella Smart or Jump Junkie.  You don’t even have to be from NSW, Perrottet wants to share with you! 

Aside from the support of NSW Sport, the event wouldn’t have been possible with the support of Phil, Cindi and everyone at Sydney Skydivers so massive props to them as well as that legend Jump Junkie for doing all the organization and admin in the background.  Oh.  And the NSW/ACT Parachute Council too!!!

And if you are a skydiving chick with 300 jumps, a D licence and a deep-seated burn to start wing suiting, contact Fiona Jansen. 

The #hersportherway initiative will be able to fund events for female wing suiters including first flight courses. We will start by getting the baby birds going (we can help you out with gear and suits) before running some bigger events for bigger suits later next year.

Blue skies everyone!