Barrington teen medals in World Cup of Indoor Skydiving
By being there, 15-year-old Gianna Keuer, of Barrington, made some "girl power" history. Her team, Volare, is the first all-female 4-Way Dynamic team selected to compete at a World Cup of Indoor Skydiving event. They finished second in their event's junior division to a team from Singapore at the 4th FAI World Cup of Indoor Skydiving event April 5-10 in Charleroi, Belgium. In addition to their silver medal, Gianna's team appears to have set a North American Dynamic 4-way junior record, which is pending formal ratification by the FAI (World Air Sports Federation).
Volare took second place overall at the USA Nationals last November in El Paso, Texas to qualify for the World Cup event. Since the USA Nationals do not yet have a junior division, Gianna and her teammates - Kiana Adamson, 15, of Colorado; Bella Capra, 13, of Oregon; and Jill Knutson, 16, of New York - competed at the adult level, beating some adult male teams in the process.
Gianna is a sophomore at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart, an all-girls college-prep day-and-boarding high school in Lake Forest. The entire school community - from current students to alumnae is boisterously cheering her on.
"We are so proud of Gianna," Head of School Dawn Nichols, Ph.D., said. "She exemplifies our commitment to providing our students a personalized experience where each girl can cultivate her own unique gifts and talents while gaining a world-class education."
And Gianna credits the all-girls education she's receiving at Woodlands with helping her achieve one of her team's goals - to inspire girls to work hard and follow their dreams.
"Being in an all-girls school has helped me build self-confidence in a community where I feel welcome and accepted. This confidence has enabled me to accomplish so much more than I could have imagined."
Team Volare is coached by Mike Wittenburg, a world-renowned professional skydiver from Naperville.
"It's been really great to see these girls progress and grow, not just as fliers, but also as strong, beautiful young women over the last two years," he said.
Wittenburg also was in Belgium as a proud parent. His two children, Kaleigh and Noah, won gold in the 2 Way Dynamic World Cup event. Both have assisted Wittenburg in coaching team Volare from the start.
As for her recent experience in Belgium, Gianna describes it as a dream come true to represent the USA on the world stage of indoor skydiving.
"I've had the opportunity to meet so many amazing athletes from around the world," she said. "It is so exciting to be the world's first all-female 4 Way Dynamic team selected to compete for an FAI World Cup, and I feel very fortunate to be able to experience this with three of my closest friends on team Volare."
As for the future, Gianna said the team "absolutely plans to continue training and competing."
"However, our biggest challenge is the cost of our training,"she adds. "Most of our competitors from around the world are sponsored by their countries or by private companies and have their training expenses reduced or covered. We hope to find some wonderful sponsors who are excited to support team Volare in our efforts to continue inspiring girls in sports."
In addition to her weekly training at iFly in Naperville, Gianna participates in more intense sessions with her teammates at Michigan, Texas, Virginia, and Florida facilities. She says costs for travel and air tunnel training time can add up for a team whose members live in different states.
Gianna discovered indoor skydiving at age 10 during a school field trip to iFly Naperville. While there, she witnessed the physics of wind movement, which is indoor skydiving's driving force. Participants wear a tight flight suit and helmet as they maneuver through winds that can approach 160 miles per hour inside a vertical tunnel 14 feet wide. They spin, flip end over end and soar into the air before plummeting face-first toward the floor, trying to avoid contact with the wind tunnel's glass wall.
When competing in the 4-Way Dynamic event, Gianna and her three teammates zip through a series of three-dimensional patterns in a tight formation. Winners can be separated by fractions of a second in this event where veering outside a pattern or touching the wall results in a 5-second penalty.
Gianna says she has truly been inspired by her mother, Courtney Desmond, who has made more than 200 jumps from airplanes. While Gianna hasn't done that kind of skydiving yet because she is too young, it's something she really wants to do after turning 18. Gianna envisions the experience as something like the free-fall part of what she's doing now.
And what she is doing now could be destined for much greater recognition. Indoor skydiving, which has been gaining popularity in recent years, is being promoted as a future Olympic sport. Gianna would like to see that happen.