posted Apr 25th, 2005 - The 2005 season opener of the Carolina Skydiving League was pushed backward by high winds. Rhonda Roper wrote the meet story of the event at Skydive Coastal Carolinas, the pictures were provided by Chad Wilcox.

Skydive Coastal Carolinas hosted the 1st CaSL meet of the 2005 season. We would like to thank the DZ owners, Brian and Nikki Strong, and their staff for making us all feel very welcome. There was a total of eight teams that attended the competition, which consisted of six AA Class teams and two Introductory/Rookie Class teams. Of the eight teams, five were newly formed this year. The six AA Class teams were Carolina Ice, Fox Force 4, Raeford Fury, Insane, MTS and Scotty Doesn't Know. The Introductory/Rookie Class consisted of Raeford Skycatz and Daycare.

The weather on Saturday was forecasted to be rain, wind and a chance of thunderstorms. We were able to get one load off the ground and two teams completed round one, however due to high winds, this was the only load for the day. With wind gusts greater than 30 mph, the weatherman was partly correct.

While grounded, a swoop competition seminar was held by Chuck Blue and Lyle Presse. Chuck and Lyle are part of the Canopy Piloting Circuit and are planning swoop meets in conjunction with the CaSL meets. The CaSL competition was called at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday due to the weather, and all had hopes that Sunday would be a full day of jumping.

Dinner was served by the famous Dale Bragg from Acceleration Station at 5:30 p.m. and included 1/2 of roasted chicken plus several side dishes. It was an incredible meal, and we all thank Dale for his hard work and his amazing ability to cook. If jumping isn't possible, skydivers find other activities to have fun and keep them preoccupied. Someone suggested go-carts, and within 15 minutes, everyone was racing go-carts and breaking all the rules at the racetrack! The next day, I have to admit, my right leg was sore from trying to press the gas pedal too hard to go faster!

The forecast for Sunday was for partly cloudy skies and high winds. However, the winds were not supposed to hit until after lunchtime, and teams and competitors arrived at the DZ and hoped to at least get a few rounds off. Load one was on a 15-minute call, and we all geared up. It was about 8 a.m., and after walking outside of the hangar, we all immediately noticed the high winds. A wind gust was measured with 26 mph, and that was enough for teams to drop off the load and prevent round one from completing.

Later that morning, some brave jumpers filled a load and built a 16-way. The winds were not expected to slow down, so the meet was called at approximately 11 a.m. It was really great to see everyone, even though weather didn't allow for us to compete. I would like to end by thanking the league director, Randy Garman, for organizing the meet and the DZ owners for making us feel so welcome.

See you at the next meet!