Friday, May 09, 2008

Women’s team makes historical jump on lake

The U.S. Army parachute team, the Golden Knights, made history April 18 during opening ceremonies of the third annual Warriors on the Water bass tournament at Jordan Lake, N.C.
Four women, representing the Golden Knights’ only female competition team, nailed each of their landings on a two-foot by five-foot target - the back of a bass boat.

In preparation for the demonstration, the women practiced landing on a small boat set up near their Laurinburg drop zone.

“I told the ladies I thought this would be the most important jump on the parachute team,” said team leader Sgt. 1st Class Elisa Tennyson. “For one, we’re making history. It’s hard enough for one person to land on the back of a bass boat, but for four of us to do that at the same time on the same jump and under the same conditions is memorable.”

Tennyson said the jump is something she’ll remember above all the other jumps she has made in her Army career, not just because of the difficulty of the jump, but because of who she did it with.

“I think this will be the most memorable jump of my career, and I’ve been doing a lot of world meets and won some championships and they were very exciting. But this was something we did as a team - as the Golden Knights,” she said.

This exclusively female competition team took home the gold medal in the Military World Games competition and took several awards during the national competitions, both in 2007. The women’s competition team members include Tennyson, Sgt. 1st Class Karen Morrison, Sgt. 1st Class Angela Nichols and Staff Sgt. Norma Estrella.
Lt. Col. Tony Dill, commander of the U.S. Army Parachute Team, observed the jump from the docks and commented on the dedication, hard work and rehearsals the women’s competition team did in preparation for the jump.

“Their hard work and preparation made it look extremely easy,” he said. “I’ve been jumping out of airplanes since 1997, and this was the most impressive parachute demonstration I’ve ever seen.”

The Warriors on the Water event is an annual bass fishing tournament organized as appreciation for all branches of the military that have served or are currently serving. More than 170 boaters entered the event, with each boat carrying an angler and a servicemember.