On August 18, Skydive the Wasatch had the pleasure of hosting its first ever event with Train Invictus. Train Invictus is a performance group out of Park City, UT that provides opportunities for young athletes and individuals to challenge themselves daily through workouts, breath work, dynamic mobility, goal setting, visualization exercises, and more. Train Invictus incorporates these practices in their two main services: 1) 10 Minute Morning Routines 2) Team-building Crucible Events.
The basis for the Train Invictus group comes from the poem, “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley which reads:
“Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.”
The event put on by Skydive the Wasatch was one of Train Invictus’ Crucible Events, which is a fully immersive team-building event that incorporates team growth, unity, and purpose as the driving forces behind both the individual and the group’s “why.”
Train Invictus Founder, Brandon Heaney, said the Crucible Events are based on the mantra “It Matters Not,” coming from the poem, “Invictus,” above. He described the crucible events as a form of self-discovery and a method of being able to “tune in and block out the noise.”
“In order to grab control of your fate, you have to take on the ‘It matters not’ mindset and tune into who you are and kind of block out the noise on the outside,” Heaney said. “All of this is about self-discovery and finding your purpose and your ‘why’ and putting two hands on the helm and steering your own ship.”
The Skydive the Wasatch Train Invictus Crucible Event was an event for 21 associates from Senergy Solar, a solar power sales company based out of Phoenix, AZ. Heaney, teamed up with Skydive the Wasatch to customize the event to match the needs of Senergy Solar with the purpose of Train Invictus.
In searching for a team-building exercise for Senergy Solar’s crucible event, Heaney decided to incorporate skydiving because of both the fear and risk associated with it, but also the reward.
“Most everyone hadn’t skydived before. So you’re nervous, you’re fearful, you’re scared, you’re excited. All of those emotions are going in at once and you have to 1) Commit yourself and face that fear but 2) Have the ability to calm yourself down and accept your commitment to yourself to go do this,” Heaney said.
“There’s obviously some risk involved with skydiving, but there’s also a lot of reward and the elation- which I saw on the face of everybody when they landed.”
The Train Invictus Crucible Event with Senergy Solar started by skydiving into the wilderness of Mount Nebo with Skydive the Wasatch and continued by making a trek up the Salt Creek Peak area with the group.
The group started with their skydive, landing in the Tate Farms Horse Sanctuary, at the base of the Salt Creek Peak area. After all skydivers landed, the group members were put into teams of four or five and were challenged with dragging tires as they climbed six miles to the top of Salt Creek Peak. Once they arrived at the peak, the group camped out and had deep group work exercises. They slept under the stars and when they awoke, were transported to a fire training facility in Salt Lake City, where the group was put through additional training exercises on what it’s like to become a firefighter, which included both live fire and rescue. In total, the event lasted about 36 hours, starting at 4:30am August 18 and finishing at 8pm August 19.
When planning the Train Invictus Crucible Event, Heaney said he knew he wanted the group to start their excursion at the base of a mountain and couldn’t think of a better way to do it than by skydiving there.
“It was the novelty factor of ‘hey’ we have to start somewhere at the base of a mountain- we could either drive there or skydive there. If I could find someone willing to drop us off site, that would be my preference. I couldn’t think of a cooler way to kick off a team building corporate event than skydiving into the backcountry,” Heaney said.
Train Invictus was limited when searching for a skydiving dropzone due to their unique request to have an off-site landing… until they found Skydive the Wasatch. Heaney said he researched several different skydiving dropzones in the area and no one could provide the support that owner, Leon Roullard, and the team at Skydive the Wasatch could.
“I started googling skydiving places in Utah and was calling different companies to see if we could do off-site landing and nobody really wanted to do it. Then, I got a hold of Leon and he was like yeah, no problem,” Heaney said.
“Leon was a great host to us. He put together a great plan for how to host all of us and to set up the transitions and get the skydivers back to the hangar to prep and get ready for the next group. Leon even suited up for the last jump to help Curtis, the biggest guy, 6’5” 255, complete his first skydive.”
It was Heaney and Train Invictus’ first time doing an event with Skydive the Wasatch but they ensured they’d be back.
“I have nothing but awesome things to say about Skydive the Wasatch. The instructors were amazing. Professional, handled all of us with great care, helped us calm our nerves- getting out of that little plane and jumping out of the sky- and I would do it again next week if I could,” Heaney said.
Skydive the Wasatch takes pride in hosting groups like Train Invictus as we love to help individuals conquer their fears and find deeper meanings through tandem skydiving.
Interested in booking a group event at Skydive the Wasatch? We’d love to host you! Give us a call at (385) 321-0284 or send an email to info@skydivethewasatch.com.
To learn more about Train Invictus, you can visit their website at www.traininvictus.com.
