31/07/2020
The cancellation of the 2020 United States Parachute Association - USPA Nationals was, without a doubt, a difficult decision for the leadership at Skydive City to make. We at Control Tower want to commend Susan, Cam, and the rest of the team there for making the tough, but necessary, call to protect the safety and health of participants above all else.
That having been said, USPA stated earlier today that it is still considering alternate options. We urge USPA to recognize that Skydive City's conclusion regarding the feasibility of having a large-scale competition amid a pandemic is correct. Choosing to push this event forward, despite these realities, is at odds with the USPA's goal of promoting safe skydiving.
As was been previously stated, Control Tower would not have attended at Zephyrhills unless detailed and comprehensive risk mitigation plans were established. This position has not changed and the decision by Skydive City has only underscored our belief that this is the correct decision. Zephyrhills was forced to decline to host Nationals decision despite months of planning on how to mitigate Covid-19 related risks. It is unlikely that another dropzone will be able to, with a severely truncated timeline, do better than the original host.
As such, we call on USPA to follow the lead of other major international competitions like the FAI World Parachuting Championships and the Olympics, to prioritize the safety of its athletes and cancel the 2020 Nationals rather than attempting to create a last second ad hoc event.
