CSUEB grad wins gold at U.S. Parachute Championships

• November 23, 2011 5:00am

Michael Knight ’03 (Business Administration) flew away with the gold medal at the U.S. Parachute Association National Championships earlier this month in Eloy, Ariz. In a Mercury Times article, ” Local skydivers turn thrill ride into championship,” reporter Carl Steward wrote, “It's high art, to be sure. In a three-man freeflying competition, two of the skydivers perform a series of imaginative, synchronized stunts while plummeting through the air over a 45-second time span. The third person must stay with them from a close enough distance to capture it on video.”  Watch Knight’s video.

Competing as the NorCal Alliance, Knight along with T.J. Landgren and Aaron Johnson won the open freeflying division. An impressive feat considering that they didn't form their trio until a few months ago.

Knight fell in love with skydiving after receiving a free jump as a birthday present. "Once you go skydiving, that's pretty much it," he said. "Nothing beats it. Not bungee jumping, not race-car driving, not rollercoasters. Everything else is pretty much boring.”

What's next? Knight and his teammates have qualified for the World Skydiving Games in Dubai planned for November 2012.

KL