The UK’s key to international gold medals, Sparky’s female teams have beaten the boys many times in winning the UK Nationals. She is a multiple World Champion and has set many World Records. Her many awards include two Royal Aero Club Gold Medals, the Prince of Wales Cup, Extreme Sportsperson of the Year and the FAI Sabiha Gökçen Medal. Sparky must surely be one of the most inspirational people in skydiving.
How long have you been skydiving?
I’ve been jumping for 21 years. My first jump was a static line at Netheravon while I was at Portsmouth University. I now have around 6,000 jumps and more hours in the wind tunnel than I can remember
When did you get interested in 4-way?
I got the bug as soon as I could skydive with others. I loved that you could measure your progress by the number of points you achieved. In the beginning I found it really difficult to find people to jump with as I would usually only last one point before going low for the rest of the skydive!
What do you like about being in a 4-way team?
It’s a close-knit family unit, where you all learn together, want the same things and are willing to do anything to get them. Also knowing that you can call on your ‘family’ when you need to.
Do you prefer training or competition?
I love both. I love the training, especially when you are trying out new things and when you see a plan coming together. I also love arriving at a meet knowing the hard work is done, seeing old friends, soaking up the atmosphere. Yet I still get nervous on each competition jump and only really enjoy from the second to third page!
Tell me about the beginning of VMax
VMax evolved at the 1998 Nationals. I had already been speaking with Sarah Laughton, and then Solly Williams, about putting an all-female team together. We recruited Sacha Chilton and Kate Stephens. It was a steep learning curve! We trained in Deland and dedicated all of our holiday to training. With Solly’s encouragement we became a familiar team in the women’s event, which grew from just four teams in Oz in 1999 to around ten in Gap in 2003. VMax won three world gold medals during that time and finished with a 16.5 average.
What has the female 4-way category achieved?
In the beginning it helped give women a focus and gave them the opportunity to try out for the open teams, for example, Julia Foxwell is now on Satori [the British open team], having won two World Championship titles. It’s great to see how the standard has improved and the female scores are starting to challenge the top open teams.
How did Storm begin?
Storm was originally formed by Hannah Betts and Sarah Smith with Caroline Guest and Amanda Karlsson and competed in AA in 2006, winning the Nationals with a 13.3 average. Hannah and Sarah wanted to continue into AAA and qualify for the World Championships in 2008. I jumped at the chance to join Storm; they were super keen with so much enthusiasm and a can-do attitude. At first we were self-funded but then we were fortunate to get some significant sponsorship from an old work colleague of Sarah’s, allowing us to leave our jobs and train as proper athletes rather than juggling numerous commitments. However, this unexpectedly stopped after the first year so we were back to credit cards, bank loans, selling anything we owned and in some cases our houses!
How did that feel?
It was very scary to leave our jobs, even when we believed that the deal would be good for two years. We all had good careers, some also with the stability of pensions, health care and company cars, so it was a lot to give up. Even in the beginning when we were sponsored we had to drastically change our lifestyles and spending habits. When the sponsorship ceased it was very stressful – not knowing whether you would meet your next mortgage repayment was a scary thought. Yet I think it made us a stronger team, making us more supportive of each other and more resourceful in funding our next training camps.
Why do you think the UK has a great record in female 4-way?
I think VMax helped massively in the beginning to pave the way and set a standard to aspire to. Also the fact that we have never really lost the experience drawing on members of all three past successful women’s teams. Members of VMax, Airkix and Storm still compete, bringing on new people, who learn from the wealth of international experience. This year 4 women’s teams entered the World Cup from the UK and Brit Chicks represented us at 8-way at the World Meet last year – a testament to how far female skydiving has developed in the UK.
Any regrets about leaving your job?
None. I would probably still be stressing about sales targets and having meetings about meetings! I now work in skydiving full-time having set up my own website business as well as teaching AFF and coaching a number of individuals and 4-way teams. I still work stupidly long hours but I enjoy them!
What’s good and bad about your work?
I love passing on knowledge about something I am so passionate about. You learn a lot watching people fly – I understand more now than when I was team training! Being self-employed does have its drawbacks; you never want to turn work away, something I struggled with when pregnant! However on the plus side, it is also great that I am my own boss making it easier to fit in with my expanding family! Tilly is nearly 3 years and Benjamin is 9 months…..enough now for a Scott family 4-way team!
What did becoming a World Champion feel like?
Completely different each time! It depended on the starting points of the teams, the different point-average goals, the teams we were up against, and whether we were the favourites or the underdogs. Jumping mirrored from the Porter in 2003 and 2008 made our goal of winning even more challenging, but then the result felt even more deserved.
What’s your most satisfying victory?
I think it has to be with Airkix at the World Meet in Germany in 2006. We were the underdogs all year and gave the French team a shock in round 2 that they never recovered from! I was kind of gutted not to get the same feeling in France with Storm in 2008 where we won by just one point. We all felt that we didn’t really show what we were capable of – it was our average skydiving that won, not our best.
What kept you competing for so many years?
I loved being part of a team, pushing myself to the limits. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Also, I was never satisfied with our average especially if I knew we could do better!
How does it feel not to be training now?
If I’m truthful, it can be pretty frustrating, especially if I am coaching a 4-way that’s rotating with one of the national teams. I do miss flying at that level. But I wanted to spend more time with my husband Andy and my family, after ten years of serious competing. However, I get some solace seeing the teams I am coaching doing well at competitions – living vicariously I suppose! And it’s nice to still be able to put a team of old team mates together and compete. I got the opportunity to compete in Dubai 2011 with Julia Foxwell, Liz Matthews and Sarah Smith. We had an absolute blast, did some respectable skydiving considering we had only done a handful of jumps and beat the French! And my socks stayed dry!
What advice would you give to new jumpers?
In terms of 4-way, understand that everyone in your team is different and might not approach things in the same way, but trust that they are working just as hard for the same goal. And of course, respect them! Soak up all the information you can… there is loads available, badger experienced jumpers on your DZ for advice and try and get to some organised tunnel or skills events whether you have a team or not.
What does it take to get to the top?
A lot of hard work, dedication and sacrifice – you need to live and breathe your goal 24-7. You need the self-belief that you will succeed and not be put off by obstacles. Expect it to be hard!
What’s your most memorable jump?
Turning 47 points in time with Storm during a random jump in training. Hannah and I ‘chatted’ all the way down – our eyes just got wider and wider!
Tell us something new about you
I wasn’t a natural! I took 17 jumps to get off static line onto freefall, and over 18 months to get off student status.
What does the future hold?
I will carry on with my coaching for as long as I am still passionate about it. I would never rule out seriously competing again. For the sport – there are a lot of talented young flyers out there who I think will keep pushing skydiving from strength to strength.
