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One by one, the jumpers hopped out of the helicopter. As each one left the aircraft, a parachute opened. Then the jumpers floated down toward a target on the ground. This is part of a contest in Rhode Island called Leapfest. The 2024 competition took place on August 3. There were 212 jumpers from 18 countries!
The Rhode Island National Guard hosts Leapfest. It started doing that in 1982. However, 2024 was a bit different. For the first time, there were more teams from other countries than from the United States. And the contest featured its first all-female team. That was the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade based in Italy.
The paratroopers arrived at a military base. They gathered under their national flags. They checked each other’s gear to be safe. Then they boarded a huge helicopter called the CH-47 Chinook. The aircraft climbed to 1,500 feet (457 m). Finally, it was time to go!
Jumpers in Leapfest don’t pull their own parachute cord. Instead, a cord attached to the aircraft automatically opens their chutes. Their parachutes deploy within seconds. Then paratroopers steer toward a target on the ground in Exeter, Rhode Island. After they land, they race to that spot!
Leapfest gives awards for individuals and teams. There were 55 teams in 2024. That includes 31 international teams. Some came from Algeria, Armenia, Canada, Czech Republic, Egypt, Georgia, Germany, Greece, and Hungary. Others came from Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe.
Danny Ligthart had the best individual jump. He is from the Netherlands. The U.S. Army Special Operations Detachment – Pacific won the team award. However, Leapfest means more than the prizes.
Abigail Riemer is in the 173rd Airborne Brigade. She called Leapfest “an opportunity to get together with the airborne community and celebrate what we love about being paratroopers.” Riemer said she was “really excited” to join the contest.
“These events are not just for the fun,” added Angela Lance. “Although, the fun is the selling point,” joked the army paratrooper. “The message is to connect with your international partners — and with our U.S. counterparts ,” explained Lance. “In the future, if we ever needed to work together,” she added, “the integration would be that much smoother.”
By Russell Kahn (Russ)
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