Posted May 13, 2023 5:15 PM ET
Calgary hosted the West Canadian Indoors Skydiving Championships at iFly Calgary on Saturday
Athletes from across Canada strapped on their helmets and got fit in Calgary on Saturday to compete in the West Canadian Indoor Skydiving Championships.
The event, held at iFly Calgary in Deerfoot City, welcomed some of the most talented skydivers and tunnel flyers who competed in a variety of disciplines including solo freestyle, vertical and team building disciplines.
Calgary general manager Amanda Fahlman said 38 teams entered this year, which equates to about 76 participants of all ages.
“One of our biggest concerns is that we want to share the dream of flying with everyone and all abilities. It’s an afternoon of flying fun,” she said.
“This is the second competition we’re hosting and we’ve been training people for events like this for a long time. A lot of people come to our facility very often, they fly weekly and now they compete.”
One of these younger athletes is 19-year-old Kate Bayda, who only started indoor skydiving a few years ago.
She now dreams of competing internationally and winning championships on the world stage while continuing to improve her freestyle skills.
“I really love that this is such a young sport because there is so much to achieve unlike other sports that have been around for a very long time.”
“This sport is so new, it’s fresh. You create your own thing every day. You can really express what you want to do there, which is really nice.”
Other athletes like 15-year-old Matteo Fontana are also new to competition, but he has found that the sport gives him more confidence as he gets older.
“It’s about believing in yourself. I know it sounds cheesy, but then you can definitely do your best in the tunnel,” he said.
“Your routine definitely needs some kind of space, and once you get there, it’s the best feeling in the whole world.”
Some contestants even came to Calgary from California this weekend to compete.
Traveling from Los Angeles, Neal Bryant said he found a new appreciation for the growing community of indoor skydiving well beyond his own country.
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