Join Kim Knor’s Rush for The Gold!

The Goal:

To help Kim Emmons Knor, D-221, SOS #800 get to 1000 jumps and earn her USPA Gold Wings.

The History:

Kim’s first jump was December 13,1959. By her 10th jump she was doing turns in free fall and practicing style and accuracy and a competition parachutist was born! She participated in local competitions throughout 1960 and April 19, 1961 was her first National Competition. Many meets and practices followed and the second Nationals in Olathe, Kansas was her ticket to training for the first US Women’s Team in Orange, Massachusetts.

Training began June 22, 1962 for the US Women’s team and the hard work paid off. Kim, along with her 3 team mates, received the Gold Metal at the 1962 World Championships, being the first in the world!! Kim continued skydiving and traveled to 37 countries around the world over the next 4 years. Back in the states in 1966, she was reunited with her future husband Milan Knor, whom she had met at the 1962 World Championships. They married four months later and started a family. She continued jumping with plans of another Women’s US Team competition, however in 1967 Milan suffered severe injuries test jumping a Parawing for Pioneer Parachute Company. The 3 years it took for Milan to recover put skydiving on the back burner. By then another daughter was born and the next 30 years were consumed with raising a family.

Then, in 1997, Milan had an aneurysm in the left side of his brain and in a instant he was gone. After a move to Denver to be close to both her daughters, Kim rekindled an old friendship with BT Galloway in 2001, whom she also knew from the 1962 World Championships. Together they decided to go to Tampa, Florida for the second reunion of the Pioneers of Sport Parachuting. This led to another reunion in 2002, which led to Jerry Bourquin (still a current jumper at the time) offering to get Kim current. She made several trips to Perris Valley in 2003, and with the help of Jim Wallace and Scott Smith, Kim’s 37 year hiatus was over! Kim continued jumping solo from age 64 to 72. She stopped solo jumps in 2011 but quickly started doing tandems soon after! She was inducted into the International Skydiving Hall of Fame in 2013 and continues to be an active participant with the museum events and the Pioneers of Skydiving celebrations in Felicity, CA. She started this Rush for the Gold with 545 jumps and is working hard and still dreams of getting to 1000 to earn the USPA Gold Wings. Let’s help her get there!

The Plan:

KEEP JUMPING! Although Kim is unable to do solo jumps, her goal has not changed. We are asking for the generosity, the support of men and women skydivers everywhere, and DZOs and tandem instructors to make this “Rush for the Gold” dream come true.

In May 2023, Kim began traveling to any Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia dropzone that was willing to Join the Rush for Gold! She has done 20 tandems since then!! Kim hopes to expand her travels and stop at any DZ willing to support her! She will be promoting the International Skydiving Museum & Hall of Fame and has all her logbooks and amazing stories to share with jumpers! Some DZ have made a media event out of her jumps and received some great press!

Kim hopes to do at least 2 or 3 tandems at each DZ, more if the DZ/ Instructors are willing and able. Her goal for 2023 is to do 100 tandem skydives to inch her way to her Gold Wings!

If you and your DZ are willing to donate a few jumps to say thank you to Kim Knor for being such a great ambassador and pioneer, (let alone a female pioneer) as well as an inspiration to so many, please contact me or Kim to make plans!!!

Thanks!

Sherry Butcher

330-714-2003

Sbutcher@skydivingmuseum.org

Kim Knor

720-217-2965

Cadillackim@comcast.net