Black Team at Middleton High School in Madison

Black Team was in Madison, Wisconsin today to show the students at Middleton High School what collaboration and teamwork are all about. The Team performed a stack-out with CRW (canopy relative work) on top, then SFC Mike Elliot and SGT Jared Zell of Tandem Team took it up for a second pass to take Middleton High’s favorite chemistry teacher, Mr. Joe Spolar, for a tandem skydive. There were about 1200 students in attendance and it seemed every single one of them was cheering at the top of their lungs as the jumpers landed.

After the jump, the Team stuck around for a short awards ceremony, where students and faculty members were recognized for their accomplishments throughout the year. The school principal thanked the Golden knights for “giving such a great performance and showing the students of Middleton High School what collaboration and leadership are all about.”

Mr. Joe Spolar, who has been teaching at Middleton High School for 20 years, was surprisingly calm on the climb to altitude. As the airplane neared the school, he turned to SFC Elliot and exclaimed, “Hey, we just passed my house!” He lightheartedly commented that if the jump actually happened, he would lose a 50 dollar bet to his wife, who teaches English at Middleton. “This morning when I saw the weather report,” he said, “I thought it was a safe bet…but I’ll gladly lose that bet if it means I get to jump with the Golden Knights!”

The students were pumped up after the assembly and many of them came out onto the field to talk to the jumpers and get autographs.

Story by SGT Rachel Medley; photos by SGT Rachel Medley and SGT Jared Zell

1. The Black Demonstration Team lines up for the crowd after the jump
2. SSG Brandon Valle (top jumper) and SGT Brandie Phillips fly a two stack over Madison
3 and 4. SSG Valle and SGT Phillips turn their two-stack into a downplane over the school
5. Mr. Spolar contemplates the experience he just had as SGT Jared Zell, the freefall photographer, stands by
6. SFC Rob Mooney, Black Team’s recruiter liaison, sports the black and gold flight suit in the lineup
7. SSG Howie Sanborn (nearest), SSG Brandon Valle, and SGT Brandie Phillips on the sideline
8. Mr. Spolar and SFC Mike Elliot on the climb to altitude (photo by SGT Jared Zell)
9. The clouds held off just long enough to get the tandem out, and provided a beautiful view (photo by SGT Jared Zell)

Tagged as: Aviation