Amanda Mandrafino always knew she wanted to do freestyle, right from the beginning of skydiving. A trained ballerina, it wasn’t long before she started her own team, going to Nationals, and soon winning medals. Bronze in 2009 led to silver medals in 2010 and 2011, and gold this year, making Animare US Champions and the official US Freestyle Team!
How did Animare start?
Animare started as the dream of a skydiving student. When I was learning how to skydive, one of my instructors happened to be Hungarian National Freestyle Champion. She showed me some footage from a World Meet and when I saw freestyle I knew I was made for it. Before I even had my A license I was thinking about competing some day. It was right about this time that I met [Brian] Festi. I began apprenticing under him while working on my riggers ticket and he brought me to DeLand. Festi has always been a huge part of the team and eventually took on the position of camera in 2011, forming what is now Animare. We were married in 2012 and are very much looking forward to seeing where this road takes us next.
How many jumps have you done as a team, with Brian?
Since 2011 we have done over 600 jumps dedicated to training and competition. We train at Skydive DeLand, who have been fantastic.
What did it take to win the US Nationals?
To win Nationals we needed
1, to attend Nationals (this was my 5th Nationals)
2, to overcome fear of failure
3, to set goals for ourselves as individuals
4, to set goals for the team
5, money
6, time
7, patience and dedication
What are Animare’s goals now?
To continue to push the team forward. Our next goal is to compete at the first ever DIPC [Dubai International Parachuting Championships] for Artistic events at Skydive Dubai, 27 November to 10 December 10. After that we will begin working to improve our scores and average at the next World Championships in 2014.
What are you looking forward to the most in Dubai?
I am very much looking forward to competing with the best in the world and the opportunity to grow as an athlete for the US Parachute Team. We are excited to have this opportunity to show what the team has been working on while we learn and experience new things that will help prepare us for the World Championships in Czech, 2014.
How do you feel about the World Championships?
We are so excited to have the opportunity to compete as Team USA at the World Championships. This will be a huge step forward for the team and we have a lot of growing and learning to do. We look forward to taking on this new challenge and seeing where this road takes us.
How important is the relationship between you and Brian?
It takes a lot of trust in the other person to fly at the very edge of your ability and to push your team mate to go beyond their best. This trust is ridiculously important for a freestyle team. The fact that Festi and I are teammates in life as well as in competition I think helps this trust, but there are times when we need to put the husband and wife thing aside and just be team mates working together for a common goal.
How hard does he work to keep you in frame?
I don’t make that easy sometimes! =) The camera person has the hardest job on the team. Pretty doesn’t always go straight down; sometimes it tracks, sometimes it rapidly changes fall rate, it keeps it pretty exciting when you are trying to film it. When you start to get more advanced in this discipline there is a lot of interaction between the performer and the camera flyer. In addition to all of the flying they need to do, the camera needs to keep everything sighted and remember to use any of the natural light and settings to enhance the look of the routine.
Does it make you closer or more frustrated with each other?
Sometimes our relationship outside the team can add some heat to the team debates but overall I think it just adds to the love that we have.
Why do you like freestyle?
I get to do what I love most, with the person I love most, in the place I love most. What appealed to me the most about freestyle when I was getting into it was the opportunity to show the skydiving world something that they’ve never seen before.
Do you need thousands of jumps to do freestyle?
If only I knew then what I know now!… I waited until I felt like I had enough skydives to attend a competition before I went to my first nationals. I immediately regretted this decision. Freestyle is more accessible than most people think. Over the years we have seen several teams come to competition with 200-300 jumps. Every time these teams surprise themselves and blow us all away with their beautiful routines. Freestyle is anything you want it to be and you can start sooner than you think.
What advice do you have for anyone wanting to start?
Never be afraid to try new things. Nobody is perfect the first time they try something new so you have to be willing to accept that there will be some things that you might struggle with – just like any other discipline. Keep at it and moments of awesome will become more frequent.
The best advice I have is COME TO COMPETE! If everyone who thought they weren’t going to win didn’t show up, there would be no competition. Regardless of your current level, and regardless of what you might want to do in competition, you will learn so much by attending a nationals meet.
How did Animare become US Freestyle Champions? This compilation outlines their road to success.
Do you feel as beautiful as you look?
The hardest thing about freestyle is making something really difficult look effortless. I am usually too focused on my team mate and flying with him to feel pretty.
What do you do for a living?
I am an R&D Engineer at Performance Designs, Senior Rigger, Skydiving Coach and Instructor. When I am not working for Performance Designs I am teaching people how to pack, coaching, flying video, or rigging. I feel super grateful to be able to work every day doing something that I love so much in my life. I like to think I am a skydiver =)
Anything you’d like to add?
I would like to stress the importance of donating to your national team. It is something most all of us overlook. If everyone in your organization could donate 5 bucks it could have an EPIC impact on the athletes. Many athletes trying to find their way to Worlds are self funded; they sacrifice so much and put everything they have into their training. When you make the national team, it’s no longer about you; it’s about your country. It requires even more sacrifice and everything you’ve got. It makes a huge difference for these athletes to find support at home from their peers.
