Skydiving and parachute jumping in San Marcos/Austin/San Antonio, Texas
Events (past and upcoming), safety tips, and more happenings around Skydive Spaceland.
I have officially turned old… well, old enough to join Skydivers over Sixty. Actually, I tried to join earlier but then it was explained to me that “sixty” was age and not IQ! Upon receiving my official SOS information, badge, and secret handshake, I noticed that the state formation record for Texas was only nine …
Continue reading “Old Farts Texas State Record Set at Spaceland”
“Nobody signs up to win the Medal of Honor. You earn it at the intersection of happenstance and hell, and you’re there because that’s what your country has asked of you.” These poignant words from the book Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty summarize the situations combat veterans know all …
Contact: Stephen Boyd, 281-369-3337, Stephen@SkydiveSpaceland.com Thirty-four skydivers set a new state record for the largest head-down skydiving formation on Sunday, Nov. 3, at Skydive Spaceland just south of Houston. Their smooth skydive eclipsed the previous state record of 31 head-down skydivers linked in a single formation, and brought the record home to Houston. Not only …
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October 14, 2013 Contact: Kirsten Hardmant, Jump for the Rose Event Coordinator, Kirsten@JumpForTheRose.org (Rosharon, Texas)—Four skilled skydiving women set a new head-up state skydiving record at Skydive Spaceland last Saturday, Oct. 12, during the Jump for the Rose PinkFest Boogie. The annual charity event has so far this year raised more than $10,000 for The Rose, Houston-area …
Continue reading “Women’s State Record Set at Skydive Spaceland”
On July 14, skydiver/Houston firefighter Chris Lee (HazMat/22-D shift) organized a memorial skydiving event at Skydive Spaceland for the fallen and injured firefighters and all others who battled a deadly hotel fire in Houston on May 31, 2013. The fire killed four Houston Fire Department (HFD) firefighters and injured 13 more, making it the deadliest …
Continue reading “Skydive Spaceland Hosts Houston Firefighters’ Memorial Event”
Rosharon, Texas (June 13)—Over Memorial Day weekend, Houstonians and Skydive Spaceland joined forces to raise funds to help victims of the enormous tornado that swept Oklahoma City recently. More than 250 people made their first jump at Skydive Spaceland over the weekend, which donated $10 for each person to the American Red Cross for a …
Continue reading “Skydive Spaceland Raises More Than $2,500 for Oklahoma Tornado Victims”
NEWS RELEASE—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 22, 2013 Contact (Skydive Spaceland): Christy West, Marketing/Communications Director, Skydive Spaceland 281-369-3337; Christy@SkydiveSpaceland.com Rosharon, Texas (May 22)—Skydive Spaceland has joined the large ranks of individuals and businesses stepping up to help victims of the enormous tornado that swept Oklahoma City Monday. This weekend (Saturday through Memorial Day Monday), Skydive Spaceland …
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On April 28, Steve Boyd, owner of Skydive Spaceland just south of Houston, Texas, celebrated the 40th anniversary of his first skydive. With his entire family present at Skydive Spaceland, he chose to spend some time in the air with his two sons Eric and Stephen (who also help run the drop zone) and several …
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For the last 13 years, Skydive Spaceland has been training skydivers to a world-class standard at its private airfield just south of Houston, Texas. Spaceland has recently entered into a partnership with a skydiving center in south Florida to provide the same top-flight level of skydiving operations to jumpers in the Miami/Palm Beach/Fort Lauderdale/Fort Myers/Naples …
On the weekend of August 31st/September 1st (Labor Day), Skydive Dallas will host a 2013 Texas Head-Down State Record camp to bust the previous 2010 record of 23. This year Skydive Spaceland is proud to host monthly head-down big-way camps in preparation for the event. Each month will be led by a different participant of …
(Rosharon, TX) December 12 –Best known for his role as Tommy Oliver in the long-running TV show Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Jason David Frank is attempting to break a Guinness Book of World Records – to jump out of a plane at 14,000 feet and break (with a bare handed knuckle punch) as many one–inch pine boards …
Continue reading “World Record Board-Breaking Skydiving Attempt Jan. 17, 2013”
We may be in southern Texas, but the weather is definitely cooling down! Skydiving in wintertime brings a few challenges we don’t have in summer, namely how do we stay warm while staying safe? The heavy winter clothes you need to avoid frostbite can bite you in other ways, especially those big, bulky hoodies we …
“What’s the weather like today? Is it good for students? What about experienced jumpers?” If we had a dollar for every time we got that phone call, text, or Facebook message, we’d all be retired. 🙂 And as you know, the answer is usually a variety of “You can’t jump if you’re not here.” In …
With the same fighting spirit that helped her successfully fight off breast cancer, Marian Sparks and her fundraising organization Jump for the Rose recently set a new record for their fundraising efforts. This effort was especially notable since it was set despite rotten weather that limited attendance at the organization’s annual main event at Skydive …
Continue reading “Skydivers Raise More than $14,000 to Fight Breast Cancer”
Kickstart your freefly education with one of the world’s best! Freeflying ladies and germs, we have a great opportunity here! Heath Richardson, veteran of 8,000 jumps and 7 years with two of the country’s top freefly teams in the early 2000s, as well as a 3-year member of the Performance Designs Factory Team, has rejoined …
NEWS RELEASE—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact (Jump for the Rose): Marian Sparks, Marian@JumpfortheRose.org Contact (Skydive Spaceland): Christy West, Marketing/Communications Director, Skydive Spaceland 281-369-3337; Christy@SkydiveSpaceland.com In one of the most exciting fundraisers possible for fighting breast cancer, Jump for the Rose (a 501(c)3 organization) aims to set a new women’s Texas State Skydiving Record while raising funds …
Continue reading “Skydivers Aim to Set Records and Battle Breast Cancer (Jump for the Rose 2012)”
Skydiving + free car giveaway = a very fun Saturday, Sept. 1 at Skydive Spaceland! Sarah Pepper from Hot 95.7 FM will be doing her first skydive around lunchtime onto a grid of 126 five-foot squares, and whoever has the square she lands on wins a brand new Mazda 3! Drop zone manager Jason will …
NEWS RELEASE—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 16, 2012 Contact (Jumps for Hope): Alana Wilson, 507-458-7905, jumpsforhope@yahoo.com Contact (Skydive Spaceland): Christy West, Marketing/Communications Director, Skydive Spaceland 281-369-3337; Christy@SkydiveSpaceland.com Rosharon, Texas (Aug. 16)—Have you or any of your family/friends been affected by cancer? Fight back with freefall! On August 31, 2012, first-time skydivers at Skydive Spaceland (just south …
Continue reading “Skydiving to Fight Cancer with Alana Wilson of Jumps for Hope (8/31/12)”
It’s back, bigger, better, faster, and with another blade on the prop! Our Cessna Grand Caravan recently returned from its Supervan 900 conversion and we are LOVING IT!!!! It’s not every drop zone that can call its Caravan the “fast plane” with everything else we have on the field. The Supervan is hauling jumpers to …
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Have you ever landed your parachute just a little closer to an obstacle than you would have liked? Of course you have. All of us do as we begin to learn how to skydive and fly parachutes. So how do we NOT land too close to or on top of obstacles? We need to understand …
On March 17, 16 jumpers at Skydive Spaceland near Houston, Texas, joined an elite club—that of U.S. National and Texas State Record holders—by skydiving from 22,250 feet. These jumpers, informally being called the Four-Mile-High Club, now hold among them five high-altitude skydiving records including the following: National Records: Feminine and Collegiate Skydivers Texas State Records: …
Continue reading “High-Altitude and Head-Up National/Texas State Records Set Over Skydive Spaceland”
Being completely weathered out at the drop zone is rotten… unless it’s Safety Day at Skydive Spaceland. At this year’s Safety Day, there we no skydives but plenty of education and prizes to be had. More than 50 skydivers got a jump (yes, pun intended!) on their 2012 skydiving seasons with nine seminars on topics …
Editor’s note: “From the Fishbowl” is a series of short articles by U.S. National Judge Randy Connell, and it is intended to educate competitors about commonly misunderstood or little-known rules of formation skydiving. References will often be made to the Skydiver’s Competition Manual (SCM). At the USPA Board Meeting in February, the USPA Competition Committee approved …
Many of you have asked for archived scores, team rosters, blog coverage, and more from the 2009 USPA National Skydiving Championships held at Skydive Spaceland (originally posted on USPAnationals.com). Here you go! www.skydivespaceland.com/2009-USPA-Nationals
As of January 1, 2012, the USPA B-license requirements will change for the first time in decades. In addition to the B-license application, a completed and signed USPA Canopy Piloting Proficiency Card will be required. More information from USPA…
Want a few free skydives? Grab a bunch of the Skydive Spaceland referral business cards we just printed up and hand them out to prospective new jumpers at work, at social outings, or distribute them at local businesses. For every new tandem skydiver that brings us one of those cards with your name on it, …
We have a little remodeling going on in the packing area! We’re building bench lockers along the west wall so more people can store their gear here at the drop zone. The lockers will be $100/year, same as the tall ones on the south side, and they will be 24″ tall x 24″ deep x …
Congratulations to our home teams! Skydive Spaceland teams seriously cleaned up last week at the 2011 United States Parachute Association National Skydiving Championships! Congratulations to everyone who won medals and competed; there was a lot of hard work showcased on the podium this year. Skydive Spaceland is extremely proud of all of our jumpers who …
Continue reading “Skydive Spaceland Teams Rock the USPA National Skydiving Championships!”
Congratulations to Nick Reyes, winner of last weekend’s raffle for a jump with the Deguello 17 16-way team. Nick did a fantastic job, flying his slot for a slick 6-point 16-way jump. Not bad at all for 51 jumps! Let’s see, first 16-way, first jump with Deguello, first jump with weight… too bad he’s too …
On Oct. 9 at Skydive Spaceland, in Rosharon, Texas, two amazing events occurred together—a new women’s skydiving Texas State Record was set, and nearly $13,000 was raised for The Rose, a Houston-based nonprofit breast cancer screening, treatment, and awareness organization. Two women’s state skydiving records (2010 and 2011) and nearly $25,000 raised for The Rose …
Continue reading “Women’s Texas State Record/Jump for the Rose: New Record!”