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Young Coloradans Fly Indoors Like No Others

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Jun 16, 2008 2:50 pm US/Mountain

Young Coloradans Fly Indoors Like No Others

LONE TREE, Colo. (CBS4) ― Kayla and Justin Tinucci are just the kind of children you expect to find in Highlands Ranch; they play soccer and video games. But their favorite sport is indoor skydiving.

"Indoor skydiving is basically floating in a wind tunnel," said Kayla Tinucci. "You float and you can do tricks and stuff. It's exactly like jumping out of an airplane, without the jumping and the parachute."

Kayla, 11, and her younger brother Justin, 9, began their careers as indoor skydivers two years ago when SkyVenture Colorado opened in Lone Tree.

SkyVenture is home to a 40 foot chamber with four giant fans mounted at the top and bottom. Operators control the speed of the fans to keep the flyers aloft. The wind in the tunnel can reach speeds as high as 200 mph.

"It feels just like you're floating. It's a major adrenaline rush and you just love it so much. It feels like flying," Kayla said.

"It feels really fun," said Justin. "It's very exciting because it's not like any other sport."

The "sport" is provided by competitions where the flyers show off carefully choreographed, synchronized movements. The Tinuccis are among the best in the world.

Skydiving teacher Daniel Perry knows how good the children are first hand.

"I've been doing it for seven years and it has been unheard of the in the whole sport for two little kids to come up and challenge the pros."

He said the Tinuccis are at the top of the class in the world of competitive indoor skydiving.

While the Tinuccis make indoor skydiving look like child's play, CBS Early Show weatherman Dave Price discovered it wasn't so easy. He gave it a shot after getting a lesson from Perry and advice from the Tinuccis.

"There is a balance between being too tense and too relaxed, you have to find that balance," Perry said.

Price said his try at indoor skydiving was like nothing he's ever experienced before (and he was sure he would regret it the following morning).

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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