Flying high: Canberra’s father-daughter duo take on national indoor skydiving championships
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When most seven-year-olds are mastering bike rides around the neighbourhood, Alia Kapelj is soaring through wind tunnels at speeds that would make seasoned athletes dizzy.
This weekend, she’ll become the youngest competitor at the 2025 Australian Indoor Skydiving Championships in Sydney – and she won’t be going alone.
Alongside her father Jakob, this Canberra duo represents one of the most heartwarming stories to emerge from what’s fast becoming one of Australia’s most exciting adventure sports. While other families bond over weekend soccer matches or movie nights, the Kapeljs make the regular trek from Canberra to Penrith, where they’ve discovered something truly special in the vertical wind tunnels of iFLY Downunder.
“I encouraged Alia to have a go, I thought it would be a fun thing to do together so Alia could experience flying, what a cool thing at a young age,” Jakob explains.
What started as a father wanting to share an adventure with his daughter has evolved into a genuine sporting partnership.
For those unfamiliar with indoor skydiving, imagine stepping into a vertical wind tunnel where powerful fans create an updraft strong enough to suspend a human body in mid-air. It’s the closest thing to actual flight most of us will ever experience – and for Alia, it feels like becoming “kind of a superhero.”
“It feels like you are getting pushed up,” she explains with the matter-of-fact confidence that only children possess. “It feels a bit frustrating when you learn something, but once you learn something it is so fun. You can do lots of tricks and it keeps getting easier and easier and easier.”
The technical skill required is extraordinary. Jakob will compete in three elite disciplines this weekend, including dynamic flying where competitors “flip to head down and circle around the tunnel following each other, then do big loops vertically.” Meanwhile, Alia is mastering sit-fly – an advanced technique that requires the kind of core strength and spatial awareness that challenges athletes twice her age.
“It is very challenging because it takes strength, subtle movements and has a higher amount of risk than flying on your belly,” Jakob notes, clearly proud of his daughter’s achievements. “It takes a lot of arm strength though which is challenging for a seven-year-old!”
But perhaps the most delightful aspect of their training isn’t the technical prowess – it’s the games they play together. There’s “tips,” where Alia flies around the tunnel trying to escape while Jakob chases her, with Alia cleverly boosting to higher altitudes where “the wind speed is lower and I cannot catch her.” Then there’s “burbling,” where Jakob creates wind disturbances that Alia must navigate – a skill that’s both playful and crucial for safety.
The father-daughter dynamic extends beyond the tunnel too. “We have a lot of fun in the seats in tunnel waiting our turn, we high five each other as we hop in and out of the tunnel and Alia will sit on my lap and yell strange seven-year-old things into my ear – or squeal loudly,” Jakob laughs. “It’s one of the only places that high pitched squealing is tolerated – because you can’t hear it over the tunnel.”
Their regular journeys from Canberra to Penrith have become treasured bonding time. They’ll drive down on Friday afternoons, train together, stay overnight in Penrith, and often stop at the Picton skydiving drop zone on the way home.
For other Canberra parents considering adventure sports with their children, Jakob offers wisdom that applies far beyond wind tunnels: “The priorities for adventure sports with children are safety, fun, learning – in that order. It can be very tempting to prioritise and push learning. This is the quickest way to turn a kid off the sport.”
As they head into this weekend’s championships, Alia admits she’s “kind of nervous but mostly excited and proud that I can compete with kids older than me.” Her father’s goals are equally grounded: to do well in his dynamic two-way competition and meet new people to train with next year.
Whether they bring home medals or not, this Canberra family has already achieved something remarkable – they’ve found a way to literally soar together, creating memories that will last long after the wind stops blowing.
The 2025 Australian Indoor Skydiving Championships run 8-10 August in Sydney. You can learn more about indoor skydiving at ifly.com.au.
