Misty Blues have been in existence for three decades.  Right: Amanda Scheffler, Misty Blues co-owner


By Satya Rath/Al Ain, UAE


Misty Blues. There’s a certain feel of mystery to the name. And it’s true to an extent too.
The US-based all-women skydiving team are renowned the world over. They have been in existence for more than three decades now, wooing enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike with their spectacular daredevil stunts and winning awards and accolades. Yet there’s no authentic information on the team’s history, like how or when exactly the team were formed, and who gave them their name.
The only known thing about Misty Blues is that the team have been in existence since the early 1980s, but there’s no information on the founding members.
Even Amanda Scheffler, the current co-owner of the team, has no idea about it. “Sadly, I can’t throw much light on that aspect as even I am unaware of the team’s history. I am the fourth owner of the team, and I can only tell about those from whom we inherited the team. Frankly, I have no idea on who founded it. But there’s no doubt Misty Blues is a great name for a skydiving team, it just perfectly syncs with what we do,” says Scheffler, whose team is one of the star attractions of the three-day Al Ain Air Championship that began in Al Ain, the Heritage City of the UAE, yesterday.
This is the first time Misty Blues, also the only all-women skydiving team in the world, would be performing in the UAE and naturally, Scheffler is excited. “Only one of our team members, Cindy (Irish), has performed at this event before, I think it was in 2007, but everyone else is experiencing it for the first time. We feel honoured to be part of this prestigious event and are raring to go,” added Scheffler, who has been with Misty Blues for nine years now.
Skydiving is not a sport for the weak-hearted. Just peering out of the door of an aircraft at 4,000 feet up would give goose-bumps to many, but imagine stepping out of the plane at that height and jumping, right into the wide open blue sky! The Misty Blues have been doing it all the time, round the year, across the world, and they just love doing it.
It’s believed that there are about 35,000 active skydivers in the American continent, and just 15% of them are women. In a reversal of the statistics, the Misty Blues team are 100% women.
“Even when I was very young and just into my teens, I always wanted to do something different, something daring, something exciting... something that could add some spice to my life. I first skydived when I was 18, and I really enjoyed it.
“My pastime soon became my passion and I’ve been jumping ever since. It’s the closest you come to being able to fly, and if that’s your dream, skydiving can help you realise it. Doing it professionally helps inspire others to follow their dreams too. And importantly, we have managed to carve a niche for ourselves in a sport which is dominated by men. As far as I know, Misty Blues are the only all-women skydiving team in the world. We feel happy to keep that honour,” explains Scheffler, who works as a welding instructor at a community college back home.
In fact, all the ladies in the team are not just great skydivers, but are also successful professionals with full-time careers.
Cindy Irish, the other co-owner of Misty Blues besides Scheffler, is an accountant by profession in Michigan. A flag jumper, Irish has been with the team for the past 17 years and has been
skydiving for almost 25 years.
The third key member of the team, Aleth Matrone, is an insurance litigation specialist by profession. Her role in the team includes canopy formations, banners and flags.
Another partner is Allison Harper, who is a professor at the University of Rhode Island. She, though, has not come with the team to Al Ain.
The other members of the team are Kristal Ciamillo and Stacey Herr. While Scheffler, Irish, Ciamillo and Matrone perform the skydiving demos, Herr is the one in control on the ground.
For the Al Ain Championship, Scheffler and Co. have planned some new demos besides the usual stuff to wow the crowd: “We have some bigger-sized flags that we will jump with. The flag sizes vary between 720 to 1800 square feet. Also, we will do an in-air live interview with the crowd while on the canopy run. I’m sure no other team has ever done this during a live show. We have also added the smoke and pyro demos to our act. We are really looking forward to doing our best and hope to wow the crowd.”
Scheffler has a message for the ladies who dream of flying but are afraid to pursue their dreams. “Just follow your passion. It’s not that scary as it looks from below; it’s loads of fun, something you won’t experience in any other activity. You should definitely give it a try. At the least, keep it as one of your to-do bucket list.”
The 11th edition of the show, which began yesterday at the Al Ain International Airport, runs until tomorrow. Besides the main competition, the three-day annual event also features on-ground entertainment including drifting spectacles, hot-air balloon shows and much more.
A new competition format has been introduced for this year’s edition, which will allow visitors to also be a part of the judging process by getting to vote for their favourite teams through a mobile app. The final winner, the grand champion, will be decided on the basis of points gained from the four-member judges’ panel as well as votes obtained from the spectators.