Blue Bell resident Jack Ronalter won a gold medal last week at the 2017 U.S. Parachute Association National Skydiving Championships at Skydive Perris in Southern California. Ronalter and his team took gold in the advanced 8-way formation skydiving event.

The National Championships drew more than 500 skydivers from across the country vying for medals in five different skydiving disciplines. In formation skydiving, 8-person teams exit the airplane more than two miles above the ground and race against the clock to form prescribed geometric formations in freefall before opening their parachutes. A videographer jumps with the team to capture the maneuvers for the judges on the ground.

Ronalter, 71, is an engineer and has completed more than 6,500 skydives.

About USPA

Founded in 1946, the United States Parachute Association (USPA) is a non-profit association dedicated to the promotion of safe skydiving nationwide, establishing strict safety standards, training policies and programs at more than 240 USPA-affiliated skydiving schools and centers throughout the United States. Each year, USPA’s 39,000-plus members and hundreds of thousands of first-timers make nearly four million jumps in the U.S. USPA represents skydivers before all levels of government, the public and the aviation industry and sanctions national skydiving competitions and records.

For more information on making a first jump or to find a skydiving center near you, visit www.uspa.org or call 800.371.USPA.