Paraclete XP

Entering 2WD

Also entering 4WD as FunFly XP, with Rafael Coudray and David Petracco

Flyer 1 – Zach Mullins USA

• 23 years old
• Start jumping when he was 11, family owns a drop zone in Tennessee
• +8000 jumps and uncountable tunnel time
• Works at Paraclete XP as Tunnel instructor
• Gold medallist at Knights of Prague Dynamic 4 way 2013
• Gold medallist at Voss Valhalla Dynamic 4 way 2013

Flyer 2 – Josh D’Annunzio USA

• 18 years old, Just graduate at High school.
• Started flying when he was 11, family owns a wind tunnel in North Carolina (Paraclete XP)
• 1 jump and between 3000 and 5000 hours tunnel time
• Gold 2 way Freefly at World Challenge Bodyflight Bedford 2013 and Silver 2012
• Gold medallist at Knights of Prague Dynamic 4 way 2013
• Gold medallist at Voss Valhalla Dynamic 4 way 2013

We interviewed Josh the day before the comp…

Why are you here with Paraclete XP as a 2WD not 4WD team?

We wanted to focus on the 2-way because you can do a lot more with the space in there, we can show off our skills to the best advantage. Also we heard there was going to be a lot of TV coverage and it’s a great opportunity not only for us but for the whole of the sport: to bring it to the public… because there are less people in there it may be easier for the spectators to relate to.

It’s our first competition as 2-way dynamic. There is lots more scope with the free round – we can be lot more artistic with the moves because there is more space. We like to throw in link tricks – near misses and close calls… we can exercise that more with 2-way. We have a pretty different style from the Europeans, who have more movement and flow, which lends itself well to 4 people – whereas our style is a lot more static tricks, so 2-way is ideal.

Also, scheduling is easier with 2-way, just 2 tickets to book. And with 4WD and everyone’s girlfriends it can get really complicated, this is just super easy to arrange. There is nothing stopping us from going back to 4-way but we wanted to give the 2WD a try.

Why do you think the styles in the States & Europe are so different?

We have a lot more restrictions in the way we learn. There is a set progression board in the US tunnel, a strict curriculum to follow – so the Europeans learn a different style. Ours is more circus tricks to throw; more acrobatic.

Do you have any new tricks to show us in this competition?

I can’t really say.. you’ll have to speak to my lawyer!

Do you prefer speed rounds or artistic?

I like both. The speed rounds versus artistic add a lot of variety. It’s cool to show our stuff in the free rounds. But I think lot of the emphasis here is going to be on is flying fast, solid speed rounds.

At World War XP, will Paraclete XP compete in 4WD?

Yes we will enter a 4WD team for sure.

Will that be the first 4WD competition in Paraclete?

Yes. It will also be the first 4WD competition in the USA! We’re the only tunnel in America that is privately owned so we can organize what we like.

Will you have a 2WD competition?

We might have 2WD too. It’s another reason to be here, to check out how this style of competition works.

Is 2WD easier to learn as an entry level?

Yes in one way, as you only need 2 people it’s easier to get a team together, and you have more room in there. But it’s harder to fly the lines in 2way, you have to be more precise.

How do you find Windoor different to Paraclete XP?

The wind is good, very smooth. It’s very hot!! The height of the glass is double that at Paraclete and the wind is strong all the way to the top – so when we go above the glass, here we have to focus more on driving it down for the layouts. At home the wind lessens at the top so coming down is easier.

Also, there is more flying area height-wise that the spectators can see, so we built our routine [in Paraclete] focusing on making higher artistic moves.

How much training did you do?

About 5-6 hours. Although we planned to come here back in April, then I had poison ivy so there was a long time we couldn’t train as much as we wanted.

Why didn’t you compete in Charlewars?

We planned to come here to the Extreme Games in Windoor instead, as we knew competing here was going to further the sport a lot more – by showing it to the public, both direct spectators and TV.

How come you only just put a 4WD dynamic team together last night?

Well, the tunnel here asked us to put together a 4WD team, so we were happy to. It’s always fun to fly with friends. It’s going to be a break from our ‘real’ competition, the 2-way.

How are you going to put a 4-person artistic routine together so late?

I don’t know! Windoor has made some extra time available on Saturday morning to train for the artistic routines, so that will help.

What are your goals for the meet?

Not to bust, to fly smoothly and make the job easy for the judges, no ambiguity in the judging. Kirk [Verner] always stressed it’s okay to go fast as long as is clean. No busts.

How does it feel when the green light goes red and you know you’ve busted?

It’s kind of like a whip. It’s not good.

Do you already know you’ve busted when it goes red?

Probably. Most times. But I think it’s more for the spectators than anything else. It lets them understand what’s going on.

How many hours have you and Zach flown together?

About 500 hours. Zach was a cool skydiver but had never flown in the tunnel, so when he came along I taught him. [”You were his mentor.” interjected Josh’s sister Lauren]

So then did Zach teach you to skydive?

Not really. I’ve only made 1 jump, and that was a tandem.

So you guys must be favorites?

Well, Rafa’s team [Windoor] looks very good, they are a force for sure.

But Paraclete XP has won every 4WD competition you entered, right?

Yes. But let’s get one thing straight. I’ve competed for 5 years. The first two I lost every competition. That made me better. I’m here to compete, and I’m not taking anything for granted, especially in our first 2-way competition.

What else do you want to achieve here?

We want to see what we can bring back home to make our competition better. World War XP will be the first time in the US for D4W. It’s the perfect kind of atmosphere for the public to watch. The X-games in the US have looked at dynamic flying. Austin ifly tunnel did an invitational night for the X-Games athletes, and we ran demos all night to immerse the American athletes into the bowl of incredible stunts indoor skydiving can be. It’s nice they can see the whole thing. They don’t have to miss the aeroplane ride or wonder what’s going on above them. Dynamic is the portal to get indoor skydiving into the sports world.