According to her mother, Sydney Kennett tried every sport before settling on one most people have never heard of: indoor skydiving, or “bodyflying.”
The sport is more popular internationally than in the United States, and organizers hope to get a spot for the sport in the 2020 or 2024 Olympic Games. And they asked the Sagewood Middle School student to help. Kennet trains locally at iFly Denver, located in Lone Tree, and competes around the country throughout the year.
“It was super cool. I felt honored to be invited,” said Kennett, 11.
The “Superheroes Camp,” hosted in August in Madrid, Spain, brought 10 of the world’s best young bodyfliers from Canada, Poland, Australia and Hungary together for 10 days of training, exhibitions and camaraderie. The children lived and trained together as well as having the entire experience filmed for a documentary.
“Spain was such an amazing experience that I will never forget. I was able to fly and train and live with some of the world’s best,” Kennett said. “It was a dream come true.”
Kennett placed first in two recent competitions in August in Phoenix, and in April at a competition in Virginia Beach, and was the youngest of the selected “superheroes.” She’s currently training for a December competition in Tampa, Florida, but she’s also looking ahead to 2018.
“I hope I get to go back next year,” she said.
More information on the camp is available on the group’s Facebook page: facebook.com/SuperheroesFlyingCamp, and more photos and videos of Kennet are on her Instagram page: tunnelgirl24_sydney.
More information on iFly Denver is available at iflyworld.com or 303-768-9000.
