If you were anywhere near Eloy in October, you felt it — that buzzing, only-happens-once-a-year atmosphere when the best skydivers around the country descend on the drop zone to show off all their hard work. We’re talking sunrise call times, skydivers greeting old friends and making new ones, and competitors walking around with equal parts confidence, caffeine, and last-minute dirt-diving stress.
As the host drop zone, Skydive Arizona threw down. Hard. The energy was high, the community was strong, and our homegrown athletes showed exactly why SDAZ remains one of the most respected training grounds in the world.
But before we hit our home turf, let’s give some much-deserved love to our friends at Skydive Elsinore…
Skydive Elsinore — Setting the Stage West Coast Style
Wingsuit Events
The wingsuit crowd came out swinging. Massive props to our own Alex Swindle and his team: Turkey Labs, for grabbing gold in Acrobatic Wingsuit Flying. The man flew like the sky owed him money. Beautiful work.
Accuracy Landing
The accuracy competitors lived on that pad all week, dialing in laser-tight approaches. Respect across the board.
USPA Nationals at Skydive Arizona – Our Desert Crew Showed Up
Here are some of the standout performers repping Skydive Arizona this year. These are the folks setting the pace, raising the bar, and making everyone else reconsider their training schedule.
SDAZ ATHLETE HIGHLIGHTS
🔥 Niklas Daniel – Speed Skydiving
AXIS Flight School | Skydive Arizona
Nick brought the heat – again!. This dude hit speeds that could make your audible reconsider its life choices.
- Earned a spot on the U.S. Speed Skydiving Team
- Threw down one of the strongest speed meets of the year
- Represented AXIS and SDAZ with serious heat
If he goes any faster, we’re checking for contraband wings.
🔥 Wendi Corbin (Team Aeroflux) – VFS Advanced
Aeroflux | Skydive Arizona
Wendi and the Aeroflux crew grabbed bronze in VFS Advanced, and if you watched them fly, you know exactly why. Tight transitions, calm under pressure, and that unmistakable SDAZ confidence. This is a team on a serious upward trajectory.
🔥 Alex Swindle – Multiple Teams
If there’s one guy you could spot in every other podium photo this year, it was Alex Swindle — and for good reason. The man was everywhere.
He kicked things off with a gold medal in Acrobatic Wingsuit Flying with Team Turkey Labs at Skydive Elsinore, putting on an absolute masterclass in precision, creativity, and control. But he didn’t stop there — not even close.
Alex then went full multi-team menace, making appearances on some of the most stacked formation teams in the country:
- 10-Way FS – Gold with GKAZ-10
- 16-Way FS – Gold with GKAZ-16
- 8-Way FS Open – Silver with GKAZ-8
- 4-Way FS Open – Silver with Arizona Airspeed
If you’re counting, that’s five podium finishes — all in one Nationals. Alex, from the wingsuit world to the biggest formation teams in the meet and making the US Parachute Team for Acrobatic Wingsuiting, you proved once again why the best skydivers in the country trust you to capture their finest moments. Killer work and huge congratulations.
Arizona Airspeed – 4-Way Open
The Icons
Airspeed took silver in the premier 4-way class. Watching them work is like watching a machine built by engineers who only speak in audible tones and dirt-dive diagrams.
Airspeed continues to be the standard — and they did it right here at home.
Flight Shop – MFS Open Gold
Skydive Arizona
Clean, confident, and absolutely dialed, Flight Shop brought home gold in the Mixed Formation Open category. This was one of the most consistently strong performances of the meet — zero fluff, all business.
Arizona Anthem – VFS Open Silver
Skydive Arizona
Anthem came ready to fight. They held their own against the reigning powerhouse SDC Core and pushed every round. While Anthem earned a very respectable Silver, the real proof in the pudding is the reduction in point spread. The last time Anthem and Core went head to head, there were 42 points between them, and this year they crushed that gap, with only 8 points separating them from Core’s gold. Silver at this level is an incredible badge of honor — and they earned every point.
Canopy Piloting
Curt Bartholomew Sweeps Gold
When it comes to canopy piloting, Curt Bartholomew absolutely dominated. The man pulled off a complete sweep, taking gold in Distance, Speed, Accuracy, and Canopy Piloting overall.
And just when you thought he’d hit the ceiling, he walked over to Freestyle and grabbed another Gold like it was just part of the morning routine, with his wife Jeannie in a close second place. Once again, a podium sweep by the amazing husband and wife founders of Team Alter Ego.
Every approach, every carve, every final turn looked like a masterclass in what’s possible under a wing when skill and instinct fuse into something ridiculous.
Another jaw-dropping performance from the GOAT, plain and simple.
Full Event Results – Hosted Proudly at Skydive Arizona
As one of the host drop zones, Skydive Arizona had the honor of showcasing some of the finest skydiving talent in the country across every major discipline. From formation skydiving to VFS, from artistry to canopy piloting, the desert skies were busy all week with world-class performances and photo-finish battles for the podium.
Below you’ll find a streamlined recap of the top medalists — with SDAZ athletes and teams highlighted throughout. For the full round-by-round breakdown, scoring details, and complete event listings, check out:
And for photos of the competitors, check out the USPA’s facebook page