Interest in BR ballooning championships rising every year

• By ERIN HERNANDEZ
• Advocate marketing writer
• Published: Dec 30, 2005

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Baton Rouge's sky is about to get a lot more colorful.

In August, the North American Ballooning Association National Championship will attract 40 nationally-ranked balloonists as well as thousands of visitors to the Pennington Biomedical Research Center near Perkins and Kenilworth, according to George Richard, executive director of the Louisiana Ballooning Foundation and the organizer of the event.

This is the second year that the nationals will be held in Louisiana's capital. Forty additional pilots will compete in the Louisiana State Balloon Championship that is held simultaneously: nationals will be held Aug. 3-7, while state championships will take place Aug. 5-7.

Moreover, Sports Illustrated magazine is considering featuring the event in its summer double issue as one of the top "25 Things to Do this Summer," said Diana Eliazov, photo editor for the magazine.

This isn't the first year Baton Rouge has hosted the event.

"The pilots came in '89, '90 and '91, and they've always been interested in coming back," Richard said, adding that the city's contract extends to 2006.

Richard is no stranger to ballooning. "I've been flying balloons since '89," he said.

Richard, the Louisiana champion and third in the nation at last year's competition, became interested in ballooning because of his children.

"My son was 12 years old and had an interest in ballooning. We took up the sport – he and I together," he said. "I also have a daughter who is a hot-air balloon pilot."

Richard said he's expecting a big crowd this year. "We had over 100,000 last year, so we expect to have at least that many or more this year. The interest is growing -- not only in the Baton Rouge area but also surrounding states," he said.

The action begins early in the mornings of competition. Pilots are scored cumulatively based on how well they perform certain tasks.

For afternoon fun, pilots will participate in a hare and hound race, which involves dropping a marker where another balloon lands.

In the evenings, the pilots will stage balloon glows, where 40 balloons inflate on a field and light up like giant light bulbs.