ELOY, Ariz (KNXV) — Women from twenty-two different countries gathered in Eloy, Arizona, over the holiday weekend in hopes of completing a world record skydive.
The team with Project 19 says the journey to this point has not been easy.
The first attempt at the record jump was supposed to happen back in 2020, on the 100th anniversary of women being granted the right to vote.
But at the time, the pandemic had gripped the nation and put a stop to their plans.
Last Friday, the group got another shot at completing an all-women formation vertical dive over the Arizona desert.
The goal was to beat the previous record of 65 skydivers set back in 2016. The group broke the record on their very first jump with 71.
Later that day, they leap-frogged that number again with 80.
“In less than 60 seconds, these women challenged themselves to perfectly and safely hold hands, falling at 200 mph, in a head-to-earth orientation with incredible balance and skill,” said Melissa Nelson. “It’s been an incredible ride to see us pull this off.”
Project 19’s team says the idea behind the record-setting jump was to use their platform to inspire girls and women to live bold, brave lives of their own design, even if that entails something other than skydiving.
“If our skydiving inspires you to do something you've always wanted to do, whatever that may be – becoming a chef or a doctor or doing some amazing project that is meaningful to you – that's what we hope this kind of record brings to women,” said Nelson. “It's getting women to think outside the box. We didn't plan to become skydivers, then we realized what we could accomplish.”
This story was originally reported by Cameron Polom on knxv.com.
