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Cadet parachuting team to appear 3 times

An Air Force Academy team will be stealing time in the spotlight at three college football bowl games this season, but this team won’t be wearing shoulder pads or showing off their skills on the gridiron.

These cadets will be stealing the show from the sky.

The Air Force Academy’s award-winning Wings of Blue parachuting team will drop in on its school’s bowl matchup against Toledo during the Military Bowl on Dec. 28. The next stop: the Insight Bowl on Dec. 30 and the Orange Bowl on Jan. 4, according to Air Force Academy public affairs.

A team of cadets recently took first place for their freefall acrobatic and landing skills at the U.S. Parachute Association’s National Skydiving Championship. Members of Wings of Blue will compete at the National Collegiate Parachuting Championships from Dec. 28 through Jan. 2.

But being an ace with a parachute isn’t all about wowing the crowds.

The Air Force Academy trains about 700 cadets each year and makes more than 20,000 parachute jumps, according to academy officials.

The parachute program trains cadets in basic free-fall parachuting, representing the Air Force academy at competitions and demonstrations, and providing a leadership laboratory and motivational experience for cadets, according to the academy.

Each cadet member of the team must be a qualified jumpmaster and instructor in the Air Force academy parachuting program. They also must maintain high academic and military standards to remain with the team, according to the Wings of Blue fact sheet.