Team Future's Justin Tinucci Shares his Story

 Every child dreams of flying, and until recently, this dream could never come true, but when I was seven years old, I experienced flight through the sport of indoor skydiving.

I made flying a continuous hobby, and got more comfortable maneuvering my body in free-fall. Soon after, coaches and instructors began to notice my interest in the sport. They helped me to excel and pick up flight skills at a swift rate. After putting in countless hours of training, my sister and I became the youngest kids in the world to compete in indoor skydiving at a professional level.

At first, my hobby was just a curiosity, but over time it turned into so much more. As I competed for more prestigious titles I began to sculpt a determined work ethic and passionate drive for excellence. My sister and I broke and re-broke the Guinness world record for longest indoor free-fall, flying in the tunnel for one hour, 34 minutes and 40 seconds straight. We traveled worldwide to compete against international skydiving champions and have competed against and defeated over 200 of skydiving’s best adult flyers. We opened the door for kids to be able to taste flight at a competitive level. To this day, we are known as “Team Future.”

My drive for indoor skydiving helped open doors to many other opportunities.  Before the path was paved for other kids to compete, we got quite a bit of attention from all sorts of media for being the only kids to challenge adults in such a unique sport. We made appearances in The Wall Street Journal, ABC World News, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and iCarly. Being on iCarly was my first taste of what acting was like. As my mentors became my competitors, I realized that with drive and passion, age isn’t a factor in pursuing what you love. In 2009 I moved out to Los Angeles with my family to become an actor, and some jobs I have worked have been Trophy Wife, Modern Family, Big Love, and the feature The Muppets Movie. In 2010 I picked up a guitar for the first time and discovered my love for music.

I'm now fifteen years old, and juggling AP Classes, acting, skydiving, charity work, and music. My band Breaking Tempo is a recognized group in the Los Angeles music scene; we have played shows at The Troubadour and House of Blues and opened up for artists such as The Dirty Heads, Parachute, Before You Exit, Midnight Red, Cherri Bomb, and Stitched up Heart. I would never be where I am today if it weren't for the opportunities that tunnel flight gave me as a child. I applied the hard work and dedication that I learned from the skydiving competition atmosphere to all aspects of my life. In the future, I look forward to continuing my passions of skydiving, acting, and music. After I graduate high school, I hope to attend UCLA film and music school to further my skills, and later start my own record label. With the confidence that skydiving has given me, I have no doubt I will achieve my dreams and overcome any challenges the future has to offer!