{"id":58070,"date":"2025-01-22T14:35:14","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T14:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/?p=58070"},"modified":"2025-01-23T15:55:14","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T15:55:14","slug":"demo-training-courses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/demo-training-courses\/","title":{"rendered":"Demo Training Courses\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Exciting news for those of you that love all things canopy \u2013 there are some new courses on the horizon for 2025. We\u2019re bringing you the lowdown, straight from the mouths of Maxine Tate and Kaz Sheekey, professional demo pilots and Flight-1 instructors.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Some Highlight Pro team members after doing a demo into OL Reign women’s football club, Seattle
L to R: Maxine Tate, Kaz Sheekey, Amy Chmelecki, Melanie Curtis and Keri Bell \u2013\u00a0photo by Highlight Pro Skydiving Team<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve been seeing more and more demos happening all around the world, our chance to showcase skydiving to the general public and share our passion for what we love. In 2024 a new type of course came out in USA for anyone looking to get into this space. Created and taught by Maxine Tate and Kaz Sheekey of the Highlight Pro Skydiving Team, we sat down with them to find out more about their \u2018Intro To Demos\u2019 courses\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Maxine Tate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Kaz Sheekey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Why design a course around parachute displays?<\/strong><\/h4><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Maxine Tate: I just love demos! It\u2019s some of the most rewarding and purposeful skydiving I have ever done \u2013 it\u2019s a privilege to be able to share what we do with a wider audience, and to bring a positive message of joy and empowerment to the general public. It\u2019s not just about putting on a good show for everybody – we feel it’s important to be able to represent the sport in a safe professional manner, and performing in front of a crowd comes with responsibility. It\u2019s a high-pressure environment, one and done, no ‘do-overs’. There\u2019s no room for complacency even for the most experienced canopy pilots, and that\u2019s why we train.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a lot of skydivers, the first time they ever experience a demo is when they are asked to jump on one. The logistics, risks and consequences aren\u2019t often considered, and training is at best an afterthought. That\u2019s not always the case for sure, but after a particularly bad run of \u2018demos gone wrong\u2019 videos appearing on social media, Kaz and I decided to create an opportunity for potential and existing demo jumpers to think ahead, learn, train and be prepared to represent skydiving in the best way possible.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kaz Sheekey: Whether you’re the jumper or part of the ground crew, there’s so much to learn about putting on a great demo show, from planning and training to identifying risks, managing variables, and connecting with your audience. We designed this course to demystify these components, enabling jumpers to make informed decisions about participating in a demo and preparing for the show.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Putting on a great show for the public requires precision flying and teamwork \u2013 photo by Highlight Pro Skydiving Team<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Drawing from over twenty years of demo experience, including the last few years with the Highlight Pro Skydiving Team, we’ve come to realize that much of our learning has been through word of mouth and trial and error. There has been no single source to gather all the crucial information until now. Over time, we’ve gathered extensive knowledge on how to run spectacularly safe demos for our team. We identified a significant gap in how new demo jumpers can effectively learn and train with equipment and wanted to bridge that gap for those exploring demo jumping.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video \u2013 Softball Stadium Demo <\/em><\/strong><\/h4><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Highlight Pro Skydiving Team jumps into the NCAA Softball Women’s College World Series<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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