© 2024 WFAE
90.7 Charlotte 93.7 Southern Pines 90.3 Hickory 106.1 Laurinburg
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

U.S. Parachuting Championships Come To NC

National Parachuting champions will be crowned in North Carolina this weekend. The U.S. National Parachuting Championships are being held in Raeford, about 100 miles east of Charlotte.

Some 150 divers will compete in events that focus on landing accuracy, aerial formations, and what’s called “canopy piloting.” Nancy Koreen of the U.S. Parachuting Association calls it "the most exciting, dynamic, high-speed event.”

“They can glide horizontally across the ground, and they have to fly through the course on the parachutes, and they’re sometimes going 90 mph across the ground.”

Divers are battling for spots on the U.S. National Team that will compete at parachuting’s World Cup in August.

The championships are at a facility called Skydive Paraclete XP. Admission is free.