Typically when you’re 20,000 feet in the sky, no one can sense your emotions. For one group of brave women, however, a collective sense of purpose in the air was palpable as they attempted a historic descent.
Project 19, a force for female advancement in the extreme endeavor, premiered its new documentary Project 19: The Leap for Equality this past week at Red Bull North America’s Santa Monica headquarters. Project 19, named after the 19th Amendment that procured the right to vote for women, set out to claim skydiving records over the past several years, with the documentary chronicling the group’s achievements.
During one week in 2022, more than 100 women of the Project 19 group made 29 plunges from planes, claiming a successful skydiving world record for people in one formation. After achieving a 72-way women’s vertical world record on day five of the project, the second jump was another record completion, putting 80 women within the same formation.
On the final day, the ultimate goal of a 100-way formation was cut just short, as a built 97-way formation was unlinked by just fingertips. Even though the goal was not reached, the multiple broken records was a strong step forward for equality in the extreme sport.
"In the United States, there are 42,000 active skydivers, and only 14% of them are women … we are on a mission to change that," said Project 19 Co-Captain Amy Chmelecki.
The documentary paralleled the successes, failures and tribulations of the female unit with the fight for women’s suffrage in the early 20th century, laying out the sometimes-brutal history of women procuring the right to vote. Not just a statement on the success of Project 19, Chmelecki noted that she wants the documentary screened in schools because learning history "can be fun" by adding the colorful and intense visuals of skydiving.
Project 19’s goal piqued the interest of Women’s Skydiving Network Executive Director Melanie Curtis, who went back to her specialty to push women’s involvement in what she called a "male dominated situation."
"We hear all the time that representation matters, but it really does, otherwise, how could we possible know that [this] is a place for us too?" Curtis said.
Breaking the records was a bend, but not break, to the psyche of the crew. The elevation being just below 20,000 feet, the divers had just over a minute to get into formation jumping from five different planes until three "breakoff" waves occurred at around 7,000 feet from the ground. The documentary showed some of the strife, both physical and mental, that came with such a weighty action.
"It is so rigorous emotionally and mentally, because … when you have so much experience, you know what you’re doing, it’s almost in a way amplified because of that," Curtis said. "But because of this leadership, when you trust the leadership to put people in the right place, to know when someone is not capable or ready, we know that they are keeping our safety as the primo decision-maker. Yes, we have this big goal … but skydiving really requires safety to be the number-one filter for decision-making."
From making sure the crew was safe, to building connections that will last a lifetime, Project 19 keeps moving forward with an ultimate goal of hitting the 100-way formation. Until then, however, the team still feels more than accomplished.
"The mission really for me, means the word," Curtis said. "I was glad I was on the skydive … I felt very strongly … to be in service of the overall goal," Curtis said.
For more about the documentary and Project 19, visit brokenrecords.world.
