iFLY Dallas - Flightmare Before Christmas

Flightmare Before Christmas brought 75 competitors from across the United States to compete in FS, VFS, and Dynamic. Over 2 days of flying, the energy stayed high as some of the country’s finest flyers showed off their talents.

Friday saw through the beginning and completion of 4 separate events. After a quick competitor’s briefing, Dynamic 4 way and 2 way FS got the fans (both human and machine!) moving. There was a clear leader right away, as the Chicago team consistently brought in fast times and almost no busts. 2 way FS featured a few incredible lady fliers flying through rounds with scores in the 60s and 70s. Next up was Dynamic 2 way and 2 way VFS – both events bringing in a large crowd and 12 and 10 teams, respectively. The pace stayed fast and dance parties broke out across the flight deck between rounds, thanks to Daniel Lovett’s great tunes. Reps from ADT, ZipCar, and VitaCoco were on hand to not only rep their wares but provide biz and support the competitors. We flew late in to the night yet still managed to knock back a drink or two at a nearby bar after the day, reminiscing on the exhilaration of the day.

Saturday morning started early and quietly but luckily, Corner Bakery provided breakfast and the judges deemed the competition back on! The first two events of the day were 3 way Scrambles and 4 way VFS, with 2 teams each. The Scrambles gave a couple of beginner flyers the chance to fly with some renowned names in skydiving and proved to be a very fair fight. Chicago team again claimed themselves as 4 way champions. Not sure what is in their snow up there, but it must be good! Up next we had 4 way FS along with NeoFreestyle and, the crowd favorite, the Kids Event. NeoFreestyle had an impressive 8 competitors battling it out over 3 rounds, showing grace and style. The Kids Events included both speed rounds and freestyle rounds as an added layer of depth and difficulty. By 3pm the meet was a wrap and competitors headed back to their hotels to nap before the awards ceremony and after party while the judges caught up with scoring.

The lovely NYLO hotel just a mile from iFLY Dallas has a glitzy, retro vibe and provided the perfect setting for Flightmare’s festivities. Almost no scores had been announced so everyone was buzzing with anticipation over who had medaled. As results were announced, every competitor showed true sportsmanship; high-fiving each other while stepping up to receive a prize of cash, tunnel time, or cool SkullCandy headphones. Champagne flowed late in to the night as we continued to congratulate each other on a job well done. Flightmare – that was fun!

 

Check out the highlight video!

 

See how the scores shaked out: