posted Jun 19th, 2026 - The NSL Live Talk with the three team videographers—David Grauwels (NMP PCH HayaBusa), Skyler Romberg (Golden Knights), and Alex Swindle (Arizona Airspeed)—included a brief review of their careers and the paths that led them to their current positions behind the camera. Their stories revealed two distinctly different routes to becoming a team videographer at the highest level of 4-way competition. David Grauwels and Alex Swindle both began their careers as 4-way competitors before moving into the camera slot. However, their transitions came under very different circumstances. For David Grauwels, the camera position became something of a second chapter after an extraordinary competitive career that included four FAI World Championship gold medals (2014, 2016, 2018, and 2021) in front of the camera.

Alex Swindle's path was very different. Before joining Arizona Airspeed as a videographer, he had never competed at a world championship. The Airspeed camera slot provided an opportunity to perform at the highest level of the sport, and he quickly made the most of it. His efforts were rewarded with his first FAI World Championship gold medal at Crystal Coast 2024. His name is already engraved on the William H. Ottley Sword, awarded to 4-way world champions and often referred to as the 4-way Excalibur.

Despite achieving the sport's highest honor, Swindle remains highly motivated to continue competing. Arizona Airspeed's hopes of defending its world title ended after the USPA Nationals 2025, eliminating the team's opportunity to compete for another gold medal this year. However, Alex Swindle and his teammates have already shifted their focus to the next outdoor World Championship in 2028. In contrast, the Golden Knights have traditionally used the video slot as an entry point for developing future team members within the U.S. Army program. Skyler Romberg began his Golden Knights career as the team's videographer and is now preparing to move into the performing lineup after the World Championship in October. His progression demonstrates how the camera position can serve not only as a specialized role but also as a pathway to becoming a member of one of the world's most successful 4-way teams.

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NSL Live Talk with David Grauwels, Skyler Romberg, Alex Swindle in Laurinburg

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The path taken by Golden Knights videographer Skyler Romberg is almost the exact opposite, compared to David Grauwels and Alex Swindle. He was recruited into the team's video slot without any previous 4-way competition experience. Even so, his progression on the Golden Knights camera has been remarkable. He began with a third-place finish at the USPA Nationals 2024 and stood on top of the USPA podium just one year later.

That first-place finish in the USPA 4-Way Open Class also secured the Golden Knights' qualification for the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2026. The event will mark the end of Romberg's career as a team videographer. After Round 10/11 of this year's World Championship, he will move into the active lineup, replacing team captain Jesse Stahler.

This career path is far from unusual within the U.S. Army parachute team program. For many Golden Knights athletes, a competitive career in 4-way or 8-way formation skydiving begins behind the camera as a team videographer. Several U.S. Army competitors have first won world championship gold medals in the video slot before later earning additional medals as members of the performing lineup. In fact, the Golden Knights' 8-way lineup in 2017 included three former team videographers—David Flynn, Larry Miller, and Andrew Starr. Two of them, David Flynn and Andrew Starr, went on to win additional world championship medals as competitors in the active formation in Australia 2018. Their success illustrates the long-standing Golden Knights tradition of using the video position as a development pathway for future world-class competitors.

USPA Nationals 2017			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Open		G,22,1	9,6,2	D,7,17	8,J,C,K	Q,B,14,20	19,15,4	A,10,13	12,M,N,P	H,O,3,16	5,21,11	Total	Avg
1	Golden Knights	US	22	17	16	19	21	22	19	21	28	17	202	20.2
G	Fly-In Machine 44	BE	23	16	17	16	15	21	16	20	26	15	185	18.5
G	Qatar Falcons	QA	16	12	15	12	15	16	13	17	20	13	149	14.9
2	Arizona Airspeed	US	17	14	11	15	15	17	14	13	18	13	147	14.7
G	Amphibious Attack Tigers	US	18	12	13	10	13	18	14	16	15	11	140	14.0
6	SDC Rhythm XP8	US	12	11	12	13	11	15	12	15	14	12	127	12.7
7	Paraclete XP8	US	13	11	10	11	12	14	12	11	14	10	118	11.8
8	Spaceland Gummies 8	US	11	11	8	7	10	12	9	10	10	9	97	9.7
G	Perris Spider Pigs	US	5	7	4	5	6	5	7	5	4	7	55	5.5

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Golden Knights at the USPA Nationals 2017

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According to NSL News records, Chris Talbert was the first Golden Knights videographer to later earn a position in the active lineup. He filmed the Golden Knights 8-way team in 1998 before being selected by team captain John Hoover for a new 4-way lineup in 1999. The team consisted of Matt Davidson, John Hoover, Kurt Isenbarger, and Chris Talbert, with Sean Capegreco on camera. That Golden Knights team went on to finish second behind France at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2003. Before Sean Capegreco took over the camera slot, Brooks Weiner had filmed the team alongside Chris Talbert. When Chris Talbert did not continue with the lineup, Brooks Weiner moved from behind the camera into the active formation. However, the new team was unable to secure a place at the following world championships, finishing behind DeLand Majik and DeLand Fire in the U.S. rankings and missing qualification for the 2004 and 2006 world meets.

Larry Miller was the next Golden Knights videographer to follow a similar path. Although he never attended a world championship during his time with the 4-way team, he was later selected for the Golden Knights 8-way squad and went on to win FAI World Championship gold medals in Dubai 2012, Prostejov 2014, and Ottawa 2016. Andrew Starr's progression was equally impressive. He won his first 8-way world championship gold medal as the Golden Knights videographer in Dubai in 2012, served as the alternate in 2014, and then added further 8-way world championship gold medals in 2016, 2018, and 2024 as a member of the active lineups.

David Flynn's transition was even quicker. After serving as the Golden Knights videographer in 2015 and 2016, he moved into the active formation in time for the 2016 USPA Nationals, requiring only two seasons to make the jump from behind the camera to a competition slot. Skyler Romberg is now following the same tradition with the Golden Knights 4-way team. He began filming the team at the Shamrock Showdown 2024 and is already preparing for his move into the active lineup after this year's World Championship. If history is any indication, the video slot may once again prove to be the first step toward a successful competitive career with the U.S. Army's premier formation skydiving teams.