{"id":34570,"date":"2021-06-15T14:39:31","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T14:39:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/?p=34570"},"modified":"2021-06-16T10:19:35","modified_gmt":"2021-06-16T10:19:35","slug":"bold-and-brave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/bold-and-brave\/","title":{"rendered":"Bold and Brave!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The All-Female Highlight Pro Skydiving Team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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More than a century ago, bold, brave women across the United States fought for their right to be heard and counted, ultimately winning the ratification of the 19th<\/sup> Amendment to the US Constitution, which secured women\u2019s right to vote<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Amy Chmelecki flies the Ruth Bader Ginsburg flag as Highlight team members flank her at Skydive Spaceland Dallas in Texas. Flankers: Kaz Sheekey, Allison Reay, Maxine Tate, Melanie Curtis, Melissa Lowe
Photo by Daniel Angulo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Now another group of tenacious women are honoring those pioneers by following their example of living bold, brave lives of their own design and inspiring other girls and women around the world to do the same…<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

So was born the Highlight Pro Skydiving Team<\/a>, a group of 12 highly experienced female skydivers who are carrying their inspirational message by performing stunning demonstration skydives at sites across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplished professional skydivers Amy Chmelecki and Melanie Curtis cofounded the Highlight team last year to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the ratification of the 19th<\/sup> Amendment. As Chmelecki and Curtis learned more about the fierce women who led the women\u2019s suffrage movement in the U.S. a century ago, they wanted to celebrate the centennial by using skydiving in a momentous way to capture attention and carry on the message of those pioneering women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Keri Bell accurately threads the needle, landing through a narrow gap between her teammates at their training camp in Lost Prairie, Montana, 2020
Photo by Thomas Grana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The team began with the idea of performing one big demonstration jump into Nashville, Tennessee, on August 18, 2020, 100 years to the day that passage of the 19th Amendment came down to a single vote. In August 1920, Tennessee was the 36th<\/sup> and final US state needed to ratify the 19th<\/sup> Amendment, and Nashville is now home to the Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This original idea then expanded with fire and purpose to become the elite all-female skydiving demonstration team that exists today. The 12 women of the Highlight team have nearly 200,000 jumps among them, and the members average 20 years in the sport each. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What began with the goal of inspiring women and girls and sparking conversation about gender equality has grown into so much more. The initial idea quickly gained momentum, and by last August, the team had not only accomplished its initial goal of jumping into Centennial Park in Nashville, they had also performed several other high-profile demos across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Keri Bell and Maxine Tate fly smoke lines at a demo in Nashville, Tennessee, 2020
Photo by David Wybenga\/DSquared<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Highlight in Action<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Highlight Pro Skydiving Team held its first full training camp last summer at Meadow Peak Skydiving in Montana, where the 12 team members honed the challenging skills they would need to perform their ambitious demo jumps. All team members hold US Parachute Association PRO ratings, a certification to perform high-level demonstration skydives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The jumps they had in mind required more than perfect accuracy. They planned to fly flags weighing up to 50 pounds, trail multiple smoke canisters, and fly and land in formation. The training camp allowed them to get used to the cumbersome equipment, work out rigging kinks and become more comfortable landing on target in challenging conditions with different kinds and sizes of canopies. The camp also gave them time to come together as a team and share their passion and excitement for their mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team kicked off their campaign with their first demonstration jump July 18 in Seneca Falls, New York. There, more than a century ago, leading suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony first met and started the women\u2019s suffrage movement. The first official forum on women\u2019s right to vote took place in Seneca Falls, and Highlight members Keri Bell, Melanie Curtis, Kaz Sheekey and Maxine Tate performed the team\u2019s first demo jump with smoke and flags onto the historic site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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