• Michael McGowan
• WP Indifference

Remember when winter break meant spending time with the relatives, watching the same old movies and eating too much? These days, kids have a more exciting option, and it's just up I-10 at Skydive Arizona. But if your college days are behind you, spectators are welcome. Read on for more details:

College Students to Spend Winter Break Leaping from Airplanes at 2011 National Collegiate Parachuting Championships!

WHO:
Nearly 100 collegiate skydivers from colleges and universities across the country will compete in multiple skydiving disciplines, bringing their youthful energy and thirst for adventure to the exhilarating, high-flying sport of skydiving! These are skydiving’s ultimate collegiate aerial athletes, competing for gold, silver and bronze medals in both freefall and parachute landing events.

WHAT:
The 2011 U.S. Parachute Association (USPA) National Collegiate Parachuting Championships — skydiving’s most youthful, friendly competition — hosted by Skydive Arizona, one of the world’s largest skydiving facilities, located midway between Phoenix and Tucson.

The championships are FREE and open to the public. Spectators are invited for an up-close view to catch the adrenaline-pumping action happening thousands of feet above the drop zone on video monitors, as well as view hundreds of colorful canopies filling the sky and thousands of dramatic landings as competitors swoop swiftly, gracefully back to earth. The drop zone also offers a restaurant and bar for lunch and relaxation.

WHEN:
December 28, 2011 to January 2, 2012
*Sunrise to sunset each day*

WHERE:
Skydive Arizona, 4900 N. Taylor St., Eloy, AZ 85131
(located midway between Phoenix and Tucson)
Map/driving directions: here.