SINGAPORE – Visit iFly Singapore at Sentosa on a Saturday morning, and you may see a group of indoor skydivers performing synchronised racing in its wind tunnel.
They are pro-flyers practising dynamic flying, a competitive speed discipline that requires the flyers to perform several sequences together in a two-way or four-way team.
Pro-flyers who have reached Static Flying Level 3 of the International Bodyflight Association can register for the weekly training coached by the Singapore indoor skydiving athletes.
They are Vera Poh, 13, Kai Minejima-Lee, 13, Isabelle Koh, 15, Jordan Lee, 18, Kyra Poh, 20, and Choo Yi Xuan, 21.
Last month, 18 pro-flyers from Saturday Dynamic Training showcased what they learnt at Skydivers Night, a friendly indoor skydiving competition organised by iFly Singapore. The competition, which first started in 2012, resumed on Feb 24 after two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Saturday Dynamic Training and Skydivers Night are two avenues in which the Singapore indoor skydiving athletes have been engaging, growing and giving back to the community.
This is all while they prepare for their upcoming competition, the 4th FAI World Indoor Skydiving Championships to be held in Slovakia from April 19 to 22. The six Singapore indoor skydiving athletes aspire to win, or at least be in the top three places in every category they are participating in.
What is indoor skydiving?
In indoor skydiving, there is no jumping out of planes. Instead, skydivers are held up by gusts of wind generated in a large, vertical wind tunnel, making it seem like they are flying.
The tunnel’s wind speed can be adjusted to accommodate different types of flyers.
“Skydiving makes your body feel as if you’re floating, and you’re free to do whatever you want, manoeuvre however you please,” said Lee, who started when he was seven.
Beginners of the sport typically start with belly flying, which is a skydiving position where their bellies face the ground while they float in the tunnel. Over time, and with consistent practice, they are able to fly in a sitting position or perform tricks upside-down.
For Kyra, an undergraduate in ESSEC Business School, skydiving allows her to do the “impossible”.
She said: “On the ground, there’s no way I can do one twist flip or somersault. But in the tunnel, we can do five or 10 or 20 different twists at the same time.”
Often touted as Singapore’s darling in the sport, Kyra has won 60 medals since she started competing in 2012, 45 of which are gold.
“It feels like our superpower,” added Singapore’s only indoor skydiving athlete who is sponsored by Red Bull.
