quade 4 #1 August 18, 2003 http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/08172003/news/45309.htm Do we have any military jumpers here that can comment about this event? Quote N.H. parachutists compete in LeapFest By Nancy Cicco ncicco@seacoastonline.com WEST KINGSTON, R.I. - Hundreds of spectators and more than 150 military parachutists gathered at Peckham Farm here on Saturday for the 21st annual LeapFest. The event brought together 36 military teams and 11 military teams from foreign countries for two weeks of competition and camaraderie among the world’s soldiers. It is the world’s largest parachuting competition. Competing in the event was a team of five parachutists from the New Hampshire Army National Guard. Witnessing their jumps, and those of dozens of others, was Maj. Gen. John Blair, the New Hampshire National Guard’s adjutant general. "Fantastic," the general answered when asked to describe his day. "Isn’t it great to have fun and do something serious? They were all charged up and that charges me up." During the competition, parachutists jumping from 1,500 feet in the air aimed for a large orange X in the middle of a field. Judges scored the competitors based on how long it took each of them to travel - parachute in hand - from the place each hit the ground to the spot marked X. Jumpers with the least amount of cumulative time elapsed over the course of three jumps are named the winner. Soldiers were cited for first-, second- and third-place finishes, both as individuals and for team performances. A list of winners was not available at press time. Foreign soldiers in the competition hailed from Canada, El Salvador, Germany, Honduras, Ecuador, Germany and South Africa. Of special interest to New Hampshire military personnel was the performance of the team from El Salvador, the Guard’s sister nation in the State Partnership Program. "El Salvador is one of our coalition partners in Iraq, so I’m here to support our team and their team as well," Blair said. In the program, New Hampshire National Guard soldiers work with members of the El Salvadoran military to demonstrate military procedures, develop critical infrastructure in the country and promote cultural exchanges between the two nations. quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
