posted Feb 29th, 2008 - The NSL News has covered Team Aeon several times last year. The stories were mostly focused on one person, even though high-profile competitors and former world champions as Gary and Emma Beyer are team members. Ellie McCoy was the youngest competitor that the NSL News ever covered when the first story was posted on May 1, 2007 (Archives > 2007 > News > search for "Aeon").

Ellie McCoy was 14 years of age by then and trained with three other children at the SkyVenture Colorado windtunnel. Gary Beyer, former Airspeed world champion and player coach for Arizona Directe, his wife Emma Beyer, reigning 4-way world champion in IPC's female category, and former Arizona Divewerkz member Paul Gatling were coaching the team.

The three skydivers eventually formed their own 4-way team, Aeon, with the tunnel flyer and continued with the training. Aeon finally attended the first tunnel competition at SkyVenture Arizona in November 2007, and Ellie McCoy finished with an 18.2 average and a $2,000 check for her team.

The end of the 2007 season was not the end for the hybrid team. In fact, Team Aeon made plans for the 2008 season and focused mainly on one of the major events this year, the World Challenge 2008. The lineup is the same as last year. However, the challenge is on a much higher level compared to the first tunnel competition for the teenager in November 2007.

Ellie McCoy is a year older now, and the 15-year old windtunnel expert will take on the AAA Class teams at the competition in Bedford in four weeks.

Most likely, Team Aeon will perform on a higher level than last year, and the 18.2 average of November 2007 will make other AAA Class teams wonder what the team will come up with half a year later.

The Aeon teenager will not be the youngest competitor at the World Challenge 2008 though. More and more children use the numerous windtunnels to fulfill the human's dream of flight much earlier. Team Future is another windtunnel team that was formed at SkyVenture Colorado. 11-year young Kayla Tinucci and her 8-year young brother Justin train freeflying and 4-way competition both.

Team Future has signed up its 4-way lineup for the AA Class competition at Bodyflight Bedford and will challenge several British skydiving teams in this category. Tunnel instructors Brad Cole and Daniel Perry have trained with the children and will compete with the sibblings in 4-way.

Videos at Team Future's website show what the kids are capable of as individual flyers. There are no videos of 4-way training. However, the skill level indicates that the 4-way lineup will probably be able to keep up with the other skydiving teams to a certain degree.

The NSL News looks forward to meet the new generation of skydivers in person at the World Challenge 2008. It will be very exciting to see how well potential future skydivers can prepare themselves for a possible career in skydiving competition. Team Aeon and Team Future will surely receive special attention by the NSL News in Bedford.