Imagine hurling toward the Earth at nearly 90 mph, then negotiating your way over land and water while you skim across the surface, before landing back on solid ground and tumbling to an abrupt stop.
Now imagine doing it on purpose, over and over again.
Canopy piloting, also known as swooping, is a form of skydiving where jumpers maneuver through a course upon their descent as they make contact with the ground. And it isn’t just a growing activity. It’s a full-fledged competitive sport, with international championships and competitors from dozens of countries vying for gold.
The 5th World Canopy Piloting Championship will be Nov. 4-6 at Skydive City, 4241 Sky Dive Lane in Zephyrhills. It’s the first time the world championships have been held in the United States, and is expected to attract more than 100 competitors representing nearly 30 countries.
Swooping is more than just a competition of rare skills, said T.K. Hayes, president and general manager of Skydive City. It’s the most audience-friendly form of skydiving around.
“All the action happens in the last 10 seconds of the skydive, close to the ground,” Hayes said. “It is totally a spectator sport.”
For the November event, a tent close to the swoop pond, where athletes will make contact, will have visitors just 50 feet from the action.
The World Canopy Piloting Championship is held every two years and is sanctioned by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, the international governing body that covers aviation competitions, including skydiving, ballooning and even airplanes.
Following the last championship, Hayes heard that nobody had yet applied to host the 2014 event. He threw his hat into the ring, then fended off a bid from a city in Russia to host it.
Afterward, the Pasco County Tourist Development Council chipped in $15,000 for advertising and promotion for the event, which Hayes estimates will cost around $100,000 to put together from start to finish.
While athletes will travel across the globe to compete at the event, one of them will enjoy a bit of home-field advantage. Tommy Dellibac, a Florida resident who lives in DeLand, trains regularly at Skydive City. He’s also the reigning national champion after this year’s competition, which also was in Zephyrhills.
Dellibac is looking forward to competing with the world’s best near his own backyard.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “It’s going to be nice just to be able to drive an hour and 45 minutes to be there, versus having to travel to a different country in a different time zone.”
In the past, Dellibac has competed in places like Australia and Dubai, the latter which was the site of the last world championships two years ago.
Athletes will compete in three separate types of events, measuring speed, distance and accuracy on the course. The best will earn gold, silver or bronze in each event, and the one with the best combined score will earn the title of overall champion.
Dellibac, 34, has 14 years of skydiving experience and more than 15,000 jumps on his resume. He even coaches other canopy pilots and works with the military as part of Flight-1, which provides courses to those who enjoy and can benefit from the sport.
For the world championships, he’s been training for the accuracy portion to improve his overall game, but considers speed his favorite part of the competition, and skydiving in general.
“There’s nothing like jumping out of an airplane, when you leave that plane for the first few seconds and you’re just free before you open the canopy and just falling through the air,” Dellibac said. “Riding a motorcycle fast, or going fast in a car, none of that compares.”
While the athlete’s abilities are impressive, their equipment also is considered among the best in the industry. The main parachutes used at this event can cost nearly $4,000, Hayes said. After adding in the harness, reserve parachute and other equipment (often custom-designed and custom-built), the total cost can run more than $8,000.
But the end result is a visual demonstration of skill and competition that Hayes said will leave spectators amazed.
“The first time they see it, they think these guys are going to crash at 80 or 90 mph,” he said. “They’ll see this stuff and go, ‘Oh my God, I had no idea these people come in so fast. How do they control these things? How do they do that?’”
The World Canopy Piloting Championship is free and open to the public. Hayes suggests arriving sometime after 7 a.m. each morning, and bringing a chair and hat to shield the sun.
For more information, call (813) 783-9399, or visit CPWorldZHills.com.
If you go
WHAT: World Canopy Piloting Championships
WHEN: Nov. 4-6, beginning at 7 a.m.
WHERE: Skydive City, 4241 Sky Dive Lane, Zephyrhills
COST: Free
INFO: (813) 783-9399, or visit CPWorldZHills.com
Published October 20, 2014
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