Brett Brunner won a gold medal in the 4-way formation skydiving event last week at the 2012 U.S. Parachute Association National Collegiate Parachuting Championships.
It is the oldest and biggest collegiate skydiving event in the world. The competition took place at Skydive Arizona in Eloy, south of Phoenix, Dec. 28, 2012 through Jan. 2.
Nearly 100 fearless collegiate skydivers from around the country put their books aside over the winter break to compete at the national championships. Divers pushed their aerial skills to the limit, while competing for the title of national champion in four spectacular skydiving disciplines. The four disciplines are formation skydiving, vertical formation skydiving, sport accuracy and classic accuracy.
In formation skydiving, the team leaps from an aircraft more than two miles above the ground and then races against the clock to form prescribed geometric formations in free fall, before opening their parachutes. Brunner, a Dolores native and Dolores High School graduate, is a senior at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, majoring in civil engineering. He has completed more than 600 skydives and is a member of the skydiving team Air Force Legacy.