No Parachute for Budget Cuts: Leap Frogs to Leap No More in 2013

This year the Navy's Leap Frogs had planned to debut a new helmet camera and possibly start to use wing suits.

"Like really cheap mini Blue Angels," said Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Fletcher Gibson.

Instead of big screen views of their descent or smoke grenades attached to wing suited sailors moving at speeds above 100 mph, like other aerial acrobats funded by the federal government, the Leap Frogs will keep their performances on the ground this year due to budget cuts resulting from sequestration.

"It's pretty much fully impacted our schedule, just like the other performance teams like the Blue Angels and the Golden Knights for the Army," he said.

"If tomorrow morning Congress woke up and said 'Here's the budget. Go get em, Leap Frogs,' we'd be able to go forward with the calendar," he said. "We're ready in case that does happen but our basic stance for the rest of the fiscal year is don't assume Leap Frogs are going to show up."

Leap Frogs performed at approximately 30 events in 2012, Gibson said.

They landed at events for crowds of tens of thousands at Navy and Fleet weeks in Boston and Chicago and NFL and major league baseball games but also smaller gatherings at rural high schools and festivities to support active duty Navy sailors.

The team will again miss an appearance at the Army-Navy game this year. Last year the team was unable to jump due to weather conditions.

Instead of public appearances, Leap Frog will continue to practice their skills but will also help Naval Special Warfare Command SEALs and students with parachute training.

The all-volunteer team is made up of Naval Special Warfare, Navy SEALs and Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen.

Before sequestration grounded the Navy Parachute Team on April 1, Leap Frogs made two jumps this year, both in San Diego. On March 23 Leap Frogs made apperances at Cathedral Catholic High School for Military Appreciation Day and at a fundraiser to benefit Joggin for Frogmen and the Wounded Warrior Foundation.

"We packed our entire season in that one day," he said.

Though it may be cheaper to perform locally than to fly across the country, cuts to the Leap Frogs' budget means there will be no performances at the MCAS Miramar Air Show or Fleet Week San Diego this fall.

"If we just did a show in San Diego that would be an obvious preference we can't afford to show," Gibson said.

Budget cuts and fewer corporate sponsors may also mean a leaner Fleet Week in San Diego this fall, 10News reported.