posted Jul 11th, 2013 - The first 2013 competition in Texas was hosted by Skydive Spaceland, as the Sun Path Products NSL News reported on 3 July 2013. Skydive San Marcos is next with this year's Summer Showdown on the July 27 weekend.

One San Marcos home team, the Glitter Girls, made the trip to Spaceland for the season opener and will now compete on home turf, which copies the team's competition schedule of last year. The Glitter Girls then also attended the Dallas Super Cup in September 2012.

The Glitter Girls have the same lineup for the second year in a row: Center Outside Angelee Jones, Center Inside Kara Latimer, Point Nikie Lundy and Tail Jen Illingworth. This year, DZO Paul Illingworth is filling the role of the team videographer.

Team member Jen Illingworth said that an all female team is not especially surprising, however, finding four ladies who have the same attitude, energy, commitment and zest for life and 4 way is refreshing and motivating. Glitter Girls is Nikie Lundy’s first ever team, whereas the others have been members of various Texas teams since around 2005.

The Glitter Girls truly are an amateur team competing in the AA Class. Due to family commitments, jobs, other hobbies, and running their own businesses, the team members only meet to practice one day a month. Jen Illingworth explained that this doesn’t mean that they aren’t dedicated, focused and organized – in fact, they choose dives, walk, talk, creep and debrief like pros.

The attraction to 4 way and the quest to become better formation skydivers started for every one of them under canopy on their first tandem skydive. They were all hooked after jump number one.

June 29th, 2013			Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Total	Avg
Rank	AA Class		6,M,G	14,D,B	13,J,Q	E,N,11	O,20,15	P,18,22	Total	Avg
1	Spaceland SPX5 (US)	TSL	12	12	9	13	10	10	66	11.0
2	Spaceland Tsunami (US)	TSL	10	9	6	10	4	7	46	7.7
2	Plug It In Anywhere (US)	NPSL	9	7	9	7	7	7	46	7.7
4	Spaceland Toxic (US)	TSL	6	5	4	6	5	6	32	5.3
4	Glitter Girls (US)	TSL	10	7	6	4	5	0	32	5.3
6	Those Guys (US)	NPSL	7	1	4	5	4	2	23	3.8

The path that led to 4way competition was random and varied. Kara Latimer liked the ability to learn the names of formations and blocks and to explain it to non-jumping friends and family. Nikie Lundy was attracted by the organized nature of the sport.

Jen Illingworth and Angelee Jones were lured into competing as substitute team members in the first instance. Nowadays, the team members wholeheartedly support 4way competition in Texas by traveling to Dallas and Spaceland to compete amongst their peers.

All four Glitter Girls are as happy to encourage newer skydivers to try 4way as they are to work on improving their averages and making each jump better. One of the highlights of the 2012 season was being selected for the "Best Attitude Award" at the Texas Shootout meet.

September 2012			Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Total	Avg
Rank	AA Class		G,7,2	8,9	A,6,22	J,F,E,Q	14,P,O	K,18,C	Total	Avg
1	Glitter Girls (US)	TSL	7	8	6	13	8	8	50	8.3

July 2012			Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Total	Avg
Rank	AA Class		18,19	9,K,15	H,D,2	22,N,A	21,14	P,11,O	Total	Avg
1	Glitter Girls (US)	TSL	7	5	6	8	3	8	37	6.2

May 2012			Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Total	Avg
Rank	AA Class		P,2,20	D,B,19	14,1	F,Q,E,O	N,6,C	Total	Avg
1	Glitter Girls (US)	TSL	6	8	6	9	9	38	7.6

The discount voucher for a Spaceland Lite tunnel camp was much appreciated too, but unlike the majority of teams nowadays, Glitter Girls have no team tunnel time. It’s not that they are against the principle of utilizing the tunnel, but finding the time to commit to a camp has proved difficult.

Still, with Angelee Jones celebrating her 21st sky birthday this month (even though she had a 10-year break to get married and raise a family), Kara Latimer and Jen Illingworth holding AFF Instructor ratings, and all four being members of Sisters In Skydiving, it is guaranteed that there will be a lot more Glitter Girls fun and mentoring to come.

Jen Illingworth sent a warning to the 4way and skydiving world: "So if you see a sparkly team of girls looking as though they are out having the time of their lives at a DZ near you – it’s probably the Glitter Girls..."