Skyhawks dazzle at performance for Canadian Student Leadership Conference

CLAYTON PARK, NS – There was quite an airshow happening in Clayton Park on Tuesday night, just for the hundreds of students in Halifax for the Canadian Student Leadership Conference (CSLC).

The Skyhawks parachute team dropped from the sky as part of the kick off to the conference.  Parents and teachers were also there to take in the spectacle.

“This was a dream that our team had,” said Phil Goora of the CSLC. “How are we going to start the opening ceremonies, so we made a few phone calls and bingo, they said yes and we got the Skyhawks starting off our opening ceremonies.”

The Skyhawks parachute team has been doing tricks since 1971 and have performed over 53-hundred times. They’re made up of Canadian men and women from the Air Force, Army and Navy.

“It’s an awesome opportunity for the Canadian Armed Forces members to get out and demonstrate their skill, their passion, their physical fitness and certainly everything it takes to be in the Canadian armed forces,” said Captain Andrew Spencer.

Corporal Marilyn Clennis is a clerk who performs part-time with the Skyhawks. She’s performed more than 250 jumps and says it’s a thrill to parachute.

“It’s an adrenaline rush and I love it, it’s really exciting. I’m always excited when I do it and especially when you get to land like this. like today to hear the kids screaming it me it was, it’s always amazing. I’m so proud to be part of that team and be able to show what we can do in the Canadian armed forces,” she said.

The paratroopers are like acrobats in the air when they perform, delighting crowds wherever they perform.

“One of the beautiful things about the Skyhawks is (it’s) quite essentially Canadian. It’s a grass roots thing,” said Spencer. “It is a true piece of culture that we hold and definitely cherish.”

Tuesday’s show was the 28th and final show of their season.