|
Connextion 8-way team
Phil Curtis,
Ian (Milko) Hodgkinson,
Andy (Ibbo)Ibbetson,
Marcus Beck,
Andy Pook,
Derek Thomas,
Rob Stevenson,
Dave Ruffell,
Gary (Swoop)Wainwright
(video)
We decided to finish our NRG Team after the 2004 Nationals
and try something different, so we moved onto 8 way with
a serious set of targets. We put together Team Connextion
and included Ian (Milko) Hodgkinson, Phil Curtis, Andy (Ibbo)
Ibbetson, Marcus Beck, Andy Pook, Derek Thomas, Rob Stevenson,
Dave Ruffell and Gary (Swoop) Wainwright (video).
This team qualified at the 2005 British Nationals to represent
Great Britain in the 2006 World Championships and then went
on to win the 2006 British National Championships.
The Team decided to approach Dan BC multiple World Champion
in both 4 way and 8 way to coach us as we firmly believed
he could hold the team together with such strong characters
and also allow us to realise are goals.
We decided to do 3x100 jump training camps in Perris Valley
California as this is where Dan is based and also it had
the facilities we required.
In total we made 280 jumps over the 3 training camps. We
achieved a Silver Medal at the 2005 British Nationals and
qualification to represent Great Britain at World Championships
2006. In 2006 we won the British National Championships
and came 6th at the World Championships in Germany.
Oh yes, and we had some fun along the way!
Connextion are presently taking some time out to consider
their options.
NRG 4-way team
Phil Curtis,
Ian (Milko) Hodgkinson,
Marcus Beck,
Andy (Ibbo) Ibbetson,
Gary (Swoop) Wainwright
(Video)
NRG was formed at the end of 2003. the aim to have some fun
and get current at 4-way. The result of what was achieved
was a suprise and sense of achievement by all. The team made
just under 200 jumps over 1 year. 100 jumps on training camp
in Florida coached by 4-way world champion Gary Smith and
a further 100 jumps in the UK coached by John McIver and Steve
Hamilton (British national 4-way champions).
After assessing the progress made in Florida, the team
decided to compete at the British National Championships
(2004). The team went on to take the bronze medal. This
was a fantastic achievement without a great deal of training
or time together. The team is currently on hold for the
moment... to be continued....
World Record sequential skydives 2003 & 2004
Renowned american organiser Guy Wright built back-to-back
world sequential skydiving records in which Phil took part.
Photo: Tony Hathaway
|
The World Team
Brainchild of renowned US skydiver B.J. Worth, the world
team brought together some of the World's best skydivers.
Their aim was to build the largest formation of falling
humanity the world had ever seen. Phil had the pleasure
of partaking within this team.
World Team '94
For ten days in the summer of 1994 the world team gathered
in Bratislava, Slovakia. Jumping from high altitude using
AN-6 and AN-12 aircraft provided by the Slovak military,
they built the largest formation ever seen -216 skydivers.
World Team '96
The World Team came together again in September 1996 in Anapa, Russia.
B.J. had envisaged a three hundred-way formation, -the logistics
of which had previously been thought impossible.
Photo: Henny Wiggers |
On 27 September 1996 with the beautiful Black Sea as a backdrop, the
World Team skydivers left the four gigantic Russian MI-26 helicopters
at 21,000ft. By the time the ground loomed close and the formation
broke up, a new Guinness world record formation of 297 people had
been made. Although the 300-way formation did not build, the attempt
had given skydiving more media coverage than ever before.
Another Planet
Another Planet are the UK's premier 16-way formation skydiving
team in which Phil was a member of this team for 5 years.
Since it was recently recognised by the IPC as an official
event, the worldwide standard of 16-way has improved beyond
all expectations.
With some of the UK's best formation skydivers on the team,
it is no surprise that 'the planeteers' can 'cut the mustard'
but our recent performance has overcome all expectations.
Already undefeated in the UK, Another Planet set out to
take on the best in Europe.
1998 saw the planeteers putting in their best performances
to date. At the European Cup in La Ferte Gaucher, France,
Another Planet locked horns with twelve other teams from
France, Germany, and Belgium for ten rounds of competition
over three days from four aircraft. By round five, the competition
was as hot as a heat wave in hell. The German team, Fantastic
16 jumped first setting a new German record and equalling
the World record set by the Australians earlier that year
of 9 points in time. The planeteers had to come up with
something special to stay in the running. We did. Our previous
best had been 8 points, a blistering performance gave us
13 points, 12 of which were in time. We had not only smahed
our own personal best but also the World record in the process!
Later on in the year we entered the World Cup. Against the
best in the business we managed an awesome Bronze medal.
For more information on the World Team visit their web
site at http://www.theworldteam.com/
|
