posted Sep 6th, 2010 - The USPA Nationals 2010 are only a week away, and a very different event caught the NSL News attention recently. Jumping was not involved, but this event was still related to the upcoming national champioinships.

8-way Intermediate Class team Intercept took the 1st place at the USPA Nationals 1996, which were held at the Blue Sky Ranch by then. Intercept (Ed Ganley, Dean Giannantonio, Brad Reed, Don Bick, Kurt Gaebel, Lee Cronk, Tim McKee, Dick Dietrich, with Van Wideman on camera) won the competition but could not take the USPA gold medals, as the team was only on guest status.

Intercept member Kurt Gaebel had competed with DeLand VNE for the US delegation at the World Cup 1996 in Belgium, however, he was not granted eligibility to win a medal at the USPA Nationals that year.

It did not bother Intercept very much, as the team was mostly out for some great jumps and a good time. In fact, the Intercept project was so much fun that the team members kept close and in touch over the years.

Most of the former Intercept members are not skydiving any longer. However, there are still other shared activities. The Intercept project eventually even triggered the launch of the National Skydiving League.

Kurt Gaebel and Don Bick discussed the need for more competition several times and threw ideas back and forth. Dick Dietrich joined those discussions and eventually formed the partnership with Kurt Gaebel, which resulted in the National Skydiving League.

USPA Nationals 1996 - 8way Intermediate Class: Team Intercept

This summer, team founder and NSL Vice President Dick Dietrich invited all Intercept members for a reunion, and all original Intercept members of 1996 followed the call. The group was larger 14 years later since all family members were invited, as well, including the children.

The atmosphere was the same as it was in 1996. The Intercept members had the feeling that time had been standing still and that the connection had never been interrupted. Watching the Intercept videos of 1996, including the jumps at the USPA Nationals 1996, brought back great memories.

All members were tempted to schedule some more jumps with the same group. Especially the solid 8-way exits, which were an important foundation for the success, were in everybody's good memory and became the main teaser at the reunion.

Ed Ganley and Kurt Gaebel had their own reunion at an even earlier occasion. Ed Ganley came to visit SkyQuest 2009 and signed up for a Teiwaz lineup for the 4-way competition. He resumed his skydiving and competition career after a 7-year break. He trained and competed with Solidair, a 4-way team from Ohio, in 1992 to 1994 and joined Intercept in 1996.

He said that a conversation with Kurt Gaebel and a day of blue skies over his home town inspired him to accept the Teiwaz inviation. The recent Intercept reuinion motivated him once again to come back for the next Teiwaz event at SkyQuest in November.

Teiwaz will have a special anniversary next week. The team won the gold medals in the Advanced Class at the USPA Nationals 2000. It will be 10 years later that Teiwaz competes again. It will be a different lineup though, with four (4 - 18 - 58 - 59) of the currently 71 members.