Joel Kenworthy

What is your USPA License Number?

D-32592

Please list your USPA Ratings:

Tandem instructor/coach

When you were a kid, were there any early activities that might indicate you’d one day become a skydiver?

I was always chasing adrenaline—fishing, hunting, ripping around on dirt bikes and ATVs. I guess I’ve always loved that thrill, so skydiving felt like the natural next step.

What was the circumstance that led you to the DZ for the first time to make your very first skydive?

My brother and a good friend went down to Vegas for the Supercross finals. We were just hanging out, and my brother mentioned about indoor skydiving, and my buddy Tyler randomly suggested we try the real thing. Before I knew it, we were all heading to the drop zone. I couldn’t exactly say no after that.

What made you want to continue skydiving after your first jump?

That first jump flipped a switch for me. Once I felt that rush of freefall and then the quiet float under canopy, it’s hard to go back to normal life. For me, it was like nothing else I’d ever experienced.

What’s the best / most memorable skydive you’ve ever made?

That’s a tough one, every jump has its own magic, but the most memorable for me was the one I did from a hot air balloon. Jumping out of a balloon at sunrise, no engine noise, just pure silence as you fall…

As an instructor, what has been one of the most meaningful jumps you’ve made with a student?

Watching a student who was terrified on the ground absolutely light up once we were under canopy—seeing that shift from fear to pure joy is why I love teaching. Every student’s different, but those ‘I can’t believe I just did that’ moments never get old

If you could jump with anyone in the world, who would you like to jump with and why?

I’d jump with LiMu Emu. That bird’s been faking it in commercials for years, so I’d love to take him up and see if he can actually handle freefall… or if he’s just all beak and no wings.