{"id":24205,"date":"2020-04-24T09:57:06","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T09:57:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/?p=24205"},"modified":"2020-04-24T10:49:05","modified_gmt":"2020-04-24T10:49:05","slug":"catching-up-with-cornelia-mihai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/catching-up-with-cornelia-mihai\/","title":{"rendered":"Catching up with\u2026 Cornelia Mihai"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For Cornelia skydiving and swooping proved to be a love story strong enough to break all limits…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Cornelia during the Swoop Freestyle FAI World Championships 2018
Photo by Trailturtle
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Cornelia Mihai almost needs no introduction in the skydiving world. Born in Romania, she started skydiving at the Romanian Airclub almost 18 years ago and from the first skydive until a life-long love story was just a small jump :). <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Her new passion took her first in Spain, than Portugal where she found skydiving-related jobs. Eight years ago she moved to Skydive Dubai where she started working as a Tandem instructor and a camera flyer. Having decided to train for canopy piloting she started an amazing journey, inspirational for many of us, in which she broke many barriers competing shoulder-to-shoulder with men. And the story is not over yet!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was very happy to talk with her and get this interview as I am, along with the entire Romanian skydiving community, incredibly proud of her, of her relentless determination, and of her achievements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cornelia, just to start – how many jumps, what type, how long in the sport?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I have around 14,000 jumps (my logbook needs some updating :)) and almost 18 years in the sport:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • 6000 hop ‘n’ pops<\/li>
  • 2500 tandems<\/li>
  • 2500 camera<\/li>
  • 500 AFF<\/li>
  • 2500 freefly, belly… including 20ish wingsuit jumps <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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    Cornelia over Skydive Dubai <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Which skydiving achievements do you treasure the most?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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    Cornelia winning medals at the 2017 FAI World Cup, Dubai
    Photo by Mark Norman<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
    • FAI World Cup (Dubai, 2017) – Silver Medal Overall, Gold Medal \u2013 team ranking<\/li>
    • The World Games (Poland, 2017) – Bronze Medal<\/li>
    • US Nationals (2018 & 2016) \u2013 1st Place<\/li>
    • World Air Games (Dubai, 2015) \u2013 Bronze Medal Overall, Gold Medal in Distance, Bronze Medal in Speed<\/li>
    • FAI World Championships (Z-hills, 2014) \u2013 Bronze Medal <\/li>
    • Current female distance world record:<\/em><\/strong> 176.36 m (South Africa, 2019)<\/li>
    • Current female speed world record:<\/strong><\/em> <\/strong>2.117 s (South Africa, 2019)<\/li>
    • Part of the Vertical Elite 2018 attempts at Skydive Chicago (200 way)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      How did you end\nup getting hooked up with this discipline?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      I participated at my first canopy piloting competition in 2011 (DIPC 3) and it was by chance (I really wanted to compete in\u2026 something… so I choose canopy piloting because it’s an individual sport and I always enjoyed flying my canopy). Once I experienced what a swooping competition was, I fell in love with the community. Even though we were competing against each other, people were very helpful and willing to give advice or warn you about the current weather conditions or if you were doing something that seems dangerous. I’ve never seen anything like this in any of the other disciplines so I felt it’s a community I wanted to belong to. I also loved how challenging it is and how the scores can change even in the last round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      I fell in love with the community”<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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      Training Freestyle, photo by Mohammed Jasim<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Were you coached when you started training in CP?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      When I decided I\nwill compete at DIPC my manager at the time (Joern Neefe) helped me out with\nsome pointers and once I moved to Dubai in 2012 I was given some advice by\nJonathan Tagle (he even let me jump one of his canopies at the time). In 2013\nthe Skydive Dubai Swoop Team was formed (I was part of it) and I’ve learned a\nlot from my teammates Patrick Kaye and Billy Sharman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      What\u2019s your\ntraining strategy?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      I train as much as I can. I was lucky enough to be fully sponsored by Skydive Dubai for 3 years, and training so much then shaped me into the canopy pilot I am today. In my off season (when I don’t have any competitions for a few months) I train a bit less just so I maintain my skills because I also like to learn new things and improve on other parts of skydiving (freeflying and even some wingsuit flying lately), but when I get closer to competition season I focus only on canopy piloting. When I travel to a competition I like to have at least 3 days of training (if it’s a smaller competition) or at least a week if it’s a World Meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Did you know Cornelia also has a tunnel VFS team?
      Photo by Max Haim<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      What\u2019s your\nopinion regarding talent vs work?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      I think talent (or someone’s ability to be quite relaxed when learning something) makes things easier at the beginning but I don’t think it can substitute for hard work. If you have talent and you work hard I think you have a pretty good chance to achieve whatever you put your mind to, but one without the other is not enough in my opinion and I think hard work is more important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Cornelia training in South Africa for the 2019 FAI Canopy Piloting Championships
      Photo by Peter Lawson <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      What makes you\nperform to the maximum? It can\u2019t be easy to do it competition after\ncompetition\u2026<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      It is not easy to perform to the maximum, I am still searching for the perfect combination of training, mindset and personal life to be able to perform to the maximum in a competition. I wish I could be in complete control of my focus all the time but it’s not always easy. I have my own little routine that I believe helps me to calm myself down before a competition round but I also fail sometimes. The never ending chase of ‘getting in the zone’ is what makes me enjoy competing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The never ending chase of ‘getting in the zone’ is what makes me enjoy competing”<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      What do you think of the UPT Mutant harness?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      I knew since I saw it in competition thatit is the future in some way so I’ve ordered one early. I started jumping it in 2016 but it requires quite a different technique so at the time I thought I can still be competitive with the normal harness. At the last World Cup in South Africa I decided it’s time to start training it more and I did. The plan was to take it to a competition this month in the USA to try it out but due to the current world situation (Covid19) everyone’s plans are on hold. Hopefully I will be ready when the time comes.<\/p>\n\n\n


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