What was the idea behind King of Swoop?
In 2004 we did a competition that was the Swoop Challenge. It was very successful, at the time. We were looking for a name of a meet that is more challenging than other standard IPC competitions. We wanted a title to make it special and attract the top competitors to prove themselves in even more difficult conditions than standard IPC competitions. So, King of Swoop seemed to fit the bill.
In 2005 we ran the first King of Swoop, and the second in 2006. This is now the third King of Swoop, 8 years later. The idea came from the fact that all the IPC meets are basically the same. This one is different. We like having the extra space on the mouth of La Muga. We thought we could do more interesting event with all that open water and such an appealing area to then arrive on the beach.
Also, we wanted to show skydiving to the public. To bring the competition to the public is easier than to try to get the public to an airfield. We want to help generate interest in the sport. The competition will attract extra spectators, people who are interested in skydiving as a sport, plus we have all the people here on holiday just hanging out on the beach.
What has changed since the first King of Swoop?
In terms of canopies, at the beginning, in 2005, some people were still jumping Stilettos, which even at the time was a 10-year old canopy. Then the first Velocities came from PD, this was a different sort of canopy. Then Gyro came with the VX, and people started to jump those. PD continued to improve the Velocity… with thinner lines, making small adjustments in design, tweaking the wing shape. Their PD Team always jumped the latest prototype and they made tiny modifications to make it better all the time. Then recently PD brought out a very new design [The Peregrine], and Icarus also has very new wings [the Petra], but that’s really only in the last 3 to 4 years.
We had to change the whole approach of the course because it is very different now. You need more space in front of the first water gate because of the angle of attack. It used to be more of a vertical approach, now it is more flat. There is also more speed involved, so if the competitor hits the water they will go further so you need more water there for safety, and more space in the landing area. Shannon is the course designer – he made a very nice carving course for the distance round. He knows better than I do how the modern canopies are going to fly and how much space they need. The entry gates are further away… it’s fun because you can make the course a lot more challenging because of the technology of the new wings.
Who would be your personal King of Swoop?
Well if I was going to give a medal to someone for the nicest landing, carving their foot in the water, I would give it to Wuzi, for his carving zone accuracy in the semi finals. It was beautiful. Of course you can’t just single out one pilot. Nick does an amazing job flying distances. Ian Bobo is always very consistent, he does a good job with all of the disciplines… and Pablo, he’s super consistent always… I guess if I had a favorite it would be Pablo, because he’s an ex student of mine.
You used to swoop didn’t you?
Yes but that was a long time ago. The Stiletto era… from 1998 to 2000 we had little tiny competitions with a few gates on the water. The first international competition was Daytona in 2000.
![Reinier, swooping in the good ol' days [2000]](https://www.skydivemag.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2019/02//142c1b26-031f-4106-8130-38bbee531078.jpg)
Why did you stop swooping?
The development in general of the sport, more and more training and money is involved in staying up there at the top and I didn’t have the time. I became interested in organizing competitions, and changed from active swooping to organizing swoop events. Doing the groundwork. Also I guess, becoming a father and seeing more of the risks involved.
Why do you like organizing these events?
Well, I like organising this one because it was my idea, I started the King of Swoop. It’s in great surroundings.. plus the people, the competitors, the staff.. you know everyone and there is a good atmosphere. It’s a fun job, when it all works out according to schedule and the weather was good. Seeing smiles on the faces of happy competitors at the end, knowing they’ve had a great time, that’s what I do it for, that makes me feel fantastic.
What has the King of Swoop done to bring skydiving to the public?
Here we always try to involve the public in what we are doing. We have simple animations on the screen to show exactly what the rules are. Not involving all the rules – just enough to make them understand the concept. Pilots have to make an entry gate, drag water, land in this area. We have picture boards around with the same illustration. Regan is doing a great job, as he always does, of explaining the competition to the spectators. Roc is a Spanish sports presenter, he didn’t know much about skydiving in the beginning but he is absorbing the information and making a real good explanation in Spanish for the locals.
Ultimately, when you see a father here with his son and the father’s running his finger through the water, then lifting the finger out, flying hi hand in an arc, and demonstrating what the competitors have to do… that’s when we know we did a good job.
We try to present it in the best way for the public. If you reverse the exit order so the best pilots jump last then it creates a climax for the crowd. Then you build it up, it creates a real stadium atmosphere, people shouting, screaming, applauding… because they know what the pilots are trying to do so they are supporting them.
What’s the biggest crowdpleaser?
Zone Accuracy… and distance if you get downwind conditions. The spectators can see the distance travelled horizontally, and see the distances increase through the rounds. They see how much arc and effort there is in the competitors’ bodies, in these new flying positions. They are right behind them, cheering for a good result.
How has the meet gone from your point of view?
I can think of nothing I wouldn’t be happy with. Beautiful weather, after the first day. Great competitors. The judging team with the In Time scoring, and displaying the information about competitors on the screen, all the ground stuff, everything worked together like a puzzle. And of course, no accidents, that’s always what you want. The crowd are pleased. The competitors are happy. We’re ahead of schedule and with great weather, so we can plan the final at the exact time we want. The event can’t get much more successful than this.
How has it been safety-wise?
Generally it’s been super safe, no issues. Billy Sharman gave us a scary moment in training – he was a bit low and hit the water, but he was okay. In the competition itself it’s all been very controlled – especially compared to how it was with the former type of canopies. Mind you, the top 20 swoopers in the world are here so that’s probably got something to do with it.
When will there be a Queen of Swoop?
We don’t have enough women currently. There are only 3 girls in the competition; Jeannie, Jessica and Cornelia. She rocks, Cornelia is playing up there with the big boys. She swoops like any of the men… If we got as many women as men enter the competition we would have to add a Queen title.
How about the future, when is the next King of Swoop?
I wish I knew. It depends a little bit on the success of this one. But the organisation is huge. It’s not just setting up a competition on an airfield; we have to create a whole dropzone here. All the jobs that you have on a DZ you also have here. We owe a huge thanks to all the volunteers who have helped with these tasks. We certainly couldn’t run this event every year, it would just be too much. If we could do it every 2 years we’d be happy.
