DELAND - If you drive by the DeLand airport on a regular basis, you've probably noticed skydivers performing acrobatics overhead a time or two, but you may not know the city is home to a championship team.  Five members of team Genesis took first place in the state championship of the Florida Skydiving League without even attending  their final meet last month.  The final event took place in Zephyrhills Aug. 22, concluding the state skydiving season.  Team member Shannon Pilcher said Genesis did well enough during the league's eight-month season, winning five out of nine events, to clinch the title on its second to last meet in Titusville on Aug. 8.  Therefore, instead of participating in the state meet, the team decided to jump in the America's Cup Tour in New Jersey, an event connected with the national circuit.  "Because we won the Florida league, we'll compete in the National Skydiving League Championship on Nov. 6-7," said Pilcher.  "DeLand will be the host of that event.  It's open to the public with no admission charge."  Genesis reigns as the defending champion, after it won the national championship in DeLand last year.  The team is hoping for a repeat performance in the fall.

The Florida league typically runs January through August and takes place at drop zones around the central and northern portions of the state.  Competing teams are hosts of the events.  The national event is also conducted in Florida each fall because of the state's favorable weather conditions.  "In each event, we make six jumps from 10,500 feet," said Pilcher."  "We have only 35 seconds to perform a sequence of formations and maneuvers as we're free falling."  One of these maneuvers is called the doughnut.  It's a circular formation where members of the team grab onto each other's left feet with their left hand while forming a sort of doughnut.  A few of the other sequences include the hook, star and zipper, each closely resembling their namesakes from the eagle eye of the cameraman who is filming them from above on every jump.  And for Genesis, the team photographer is Eric Taylor.  The team originated at Georgia Institute of Technology in 1993, and some of its past accomplishments include winning the  Collegiate Nationals Competition three years in a row.  "We competed in the Florida league in DeLand in 1998 and decided to relocate here after finding jobs within the skydiving industry," said Pilcher.  "So, now we have work and train about half-and-half.  At least that's the plan.  Sometimes, we have to worry about the weather and things like that."  According to Pilcher, Skydive DeLand has always been a popular training facility with skydivers because of its wealth of resources.  "Not only does DeLand have skydiving resources such as aircraft and a landing area, but it offers a lot of other things," he said.  "There are accommodations, restaurants, banks, and it's also centrally located to a lot of attractions."  The other members of Genesis are Ian Bobo, Kyle Collins and David van Greuningen.