A Champion's Journey

When I think of tandem skydiving, the first person who comes to mind is none other than Mike Elliott. Mike was the tandem skydiving instructor who escorted former President George H.W. Bush on not just one but three separate occasions. In this podcast, Mike tells us all about those jumps, his military service starting as an Airborne Infantryman, Air Assault Instructor, Airborne School Instructor, and Army, "Golden Knights" demonstration Team Leader. Finally, we'll hear what motivated Mike to start the All Veteran Group and what has been most rewarding for him as President of that Organization. Mike is a great storyteller and he had me on the edge of my seat for the duration of this interview. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I hope you enjoy this special Father's Day Edition of A Champion's Journey Podcast featuring my biggest hero, my dad, Mike Davidson. He served 26 years in the U.S. Army as a Special Forces Airborne Ranger and Physician's Assistant. Still practicing medicine as a full-time P.A., he spends his spare time serving as coach, mentor, and pilot for members of the U.S. Naval Academy Parachute Team.

Drew Starr is a four time World 8-way Formation Skydiving Champion and is the Team Captain for the U.S. Army Parachute Team’s Competition Section. In addition to his four World Championship victories, he is also seven time  National Champion, current World Record holder for the highest single scoring skydive, highest scoring freefall average, and highest wind tunnel average in the 8-way Formation Skydiving event. Drew’s prior military experience includes serving as the Noncommisioned Officer in Charge of the 82d Airborne Division’s 407th Support Battalion’s Intelligence Section and the Detainee Intelligence Team of the Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435. Drew’s impressive list of consistent high-achievement manifested as a result of his strong character, forged through trial and adversity. Several times over and in many ways, his resilience was put to the test and each time he prevailed. The qualities I admire most in fellow competitors are resilience and heart. Drew Starr has an abundance of both. I’m proud to have served with Drew as a teammate and even more proud to call him a friend. This conversation was a special one for me and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Driven. Focused. Dedicated. Disciplined. Relentless. Inspiring. These are some of the words which come to mind when describing Lauren Modica. About to begin her senior year at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Lauren is setting herself up for a bright future with unlimited possibilities. Interested in aviation from a young age, Lauren attended trade school for aviation maintenance during her last two years of high school. During that time, she also attended night classes at Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology where she earned her Aviation Maintenance Powerplant license. Lacking the financial means to pay for the required flight hours needed to earn a Private Pilot’s license, Lauren found an alternate solution: working as an office manager and mechanic’s apprentice at Long Island Aviators flight school. After achieving her goal of becoming a Private Pilot, she then earned her instrument rating and commercial pilot certificate. Lauren’s decision to apply to the United States Naval Academy was largely driven by a strong sense of service influenced by her father, a New York City firefighter who was a first-responder during the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks, and her mother who worked in the medical field. In addition to her academic obligations at the Academy, Lauren learned to skydive and became a member of the Naval Academy’s Parachute Team. Lauren has as amassed over 300 free-fall jumps and was recently selected to be the Parachute Team’s Captain for her upcoming Senior year. Even with her academic and Parachute Team responsibilities, Lauren found the time in her schedule to successfully completed the Marine Corps Martial Arts Instructor Course and somehow, manages to make time to consistently train for competitions as a triathlete. Lauren’s next big goal is to become a Marine Corps fighter pilot and I have absolutely no doubt she will become one of the best.

Justin Blewitt is a four time World 8-way Formation Skydiving Champion currently serving as head Parachute Rigger on the U.S. Army Parachute Team. The conversation in this episode was a special one for me as Justin, also known as, “Bizz,” is one of my closest friends and is the teammate I worked closest with for the better part of ten years. Justin’s journey has been anything but linear up until he attended Golden Knights Assessment and Selection in 2005. After college he served as a trumpet player in the Ohio Army National Guard before joining the Regular Army as a Parachute Rigger where he packed parachutes for the U.S. Army Airborne School in Ft. Benning, Georgia. Upon acceptance to the Golden Knights, Justin served three years on the demonstration team, traveling the country jumping in front of crowds at sporting events and airshows. In 2008, he tried out and was accepted to the Golden Knight’s 8-way Formation Skydiving Competition Team where he won eight National Championship titles, four World Championships, Two World Cups, and One World Air Games. In 2019 Justin retired from the competition team to take a position in the Golden Knight’s parachute maintenance facility where he currently serves as an FAA Master rated Parachute Rigger. The Army is hiring and the U.S. Army Parachute Team is always on the lookout for potential qualified candidates. If you have the desire to make skydiving your full-time profession, Justin tells you what the requisite qualifications are and how to apply in this episode. For more information go to: www.goarmy.com/events/golden-knights/join