##So Roy, now you finally are a World Champion, how does it feel?
Well it’s still hard to comprehend right now what it really means. You know we started in 2002 training with Hayabusa. I started jumping in 1995. It’s a lifetime dream come true. It’s hard to describe. You work so hard for so long and the goals still seems so far away…But now it is more than a dream come true. It’s even beyond imagination. We didn’t just take the title; we won by 11 points. We won nearly every round, just had some rounds where we tied but we were never beaten. I am so happy, and so relieved also that finally it worked out. It’s just fantastic.
##There were more tears today when you won the World Championships, than last time when you lost by a single point. Were you expecting the tears?
Actually in 2012 when we lost, the only emotion I had was that I felt that it was a bit of a pity that we didn’t win. But I didn’t feel like crying, because it wasn’t so sad. We came there as underdogs, and in the end we came second with a very close competition. But this time we came here as favorites. The last two years I have imagined this moment so many times, I have visualised it; not always on purpose but it happens. And, I could always feel all the emotions when I thought about it but I didn’t know really how it would be. Today it happened, the dream came true. It’s really amazing and much more emotional than for example, doing a jump-off and coming second. It’s such a long journey and you have to make so many sacrifices about so many things… and now achieving the goal makes a big difference. Then at least we can say in a certain way, it really was worth it. It is a big relief. So, Hayabusa got the title and I have the feeling now, we are World Champions for life.
##Do you remember all those years ago at Langar sharing your belief you could be a World Champion?
I remember very clearly the seminar I gave at Langar, I believe it was in 2006. Then I was really surprised that people were willing to listen to me. I was not then the Roy that people know from Hayabusa, we had not done so much. I was like a shooting star, I was rising but I hadn’t gone very far! I think that every World Champion believes that they can do it. You have to have that feeling to make it real but you are never really sure. There are so many factors that make a difference and they have to all come together. There are many talented teams and awesome skydivers out there and it doesn’t happen for everybody. So, to make the dream come true is exceptional.
##In Dubai when Hayabusa were pushed so hard by Airspeed, both teams achieved a new level of performance. Was it the same here or did you leave some points on the table?
Yes, it’s funny, we also spoke about this as a team. In Dubai we skydived about 6 rounds where we were absolutely 100% the best we could be (at that time). We could not possibly have done any better. We gave everything we had as a team.
Now I think we left some points on the table. For sure we are better skydivers now, and we could have done better on a couple of the rounds. Not anything huge but some little hiccups or transitions that could have been cleaner. We are better skydivers. We are a faster, better, stronger team. We led all the way through this meet, we felt always ahead, so it was a different feeling.
It means so much more that other people are happy for us
Here we were better than anyone else. We did not make our absolute best performance that we were capable of, and yet we still won by 11 points. Normally I look very critically at the scores and the jumps, but in this case I do not give a fuck about it! We won, by a long way, and that’s all that matters. When you win by so much it’s obvious you were the best. No-one can say you were lucky or that the judges’ decisions went your way because the small things don’t make any difference to the result.
##Did you feel the support from the whole DZ – in fact, the whole world?
We are very lucky with Hayabusa, we have huge support. Wherever we went this year people were saying that we were going to win, there was a lot of support. It is really nice to have this feeling. I think because we have been going since 2002, then people have seen us around so they shared the journey with us. The last few years we have been getting better and better … and usually the better you perform the more fans you have. Also we felt massive support from our families, our friends, our sponsors, everyone around us. It’s great to have. It gives a lot of extra pleasure because if you win and you are alone, it is not so much fun. Having all the support along the way, all the people who wanted Belgium to win, it makes it extra special to share our success, the victory. It means so much more that other people are happy for us.
##Tell me about the beginning of the team, it was you, Dave, Andy & Sven?
Yes, Sven was our skydiving mentor. At that time he was a real sky god in Belgium. It was such an honor to be on a team with him. Sven was the team captain, in a very nice way; he taught us a lot. For sure we learned so much from him. It was fantastic that he is here now to realize the dream with us and share the feeling. We were there as friends and teammates in the beginning and here he is as our alternate at the end of this whole journey. I said to him today how happy I was that he was here in this special moment. He is super proud, which is great. It’s lovely to have him here supporting, as a friend and a teammate.
##What has been the most difficult thing to overcome?
Staying together as a team, that is the most difficult thing.
##How do you feel about Katie and the Canadians?
The Canadian team in general did a great performance. I expected them to be very strong. I saw a few rounds of theirs and they are very good. They have a great future if they can stay together.
For Katie [Woods] I’m super happy because I know she did everything to be in a top team. She wanted to join us; she did some tryouts in 2006. I suppose with Katie I could see myself. There were a lot of similarities. She has the passion. She even moved to Canada to be with the team to make her dream come true. I have a lot of respect for Katie and for her drive. For Evolution to get a bronze medal is a big reward, not only for Katie, but for the whole team. She took a lot of risks that are not so easy to do. Hats off to the whole team of Evolution from me, and most especially to Katie.
##So, when Katie tried out for Hayabusa, Dennis wasn’t even jumping?
Dennis has only been jumping around 7 years… so, yes, when Katie tried out for Hayabusa then Dennis was just about to start jumping.
##How did you bring Dennis from zero to hero?
Dennis is really talented skydiver, technically, and he has proved that mentally he is a champion for sure. I remember very well when he had 40 jumps he made a 4-way with me and Andy and I think, his dad. I was very impressed right away – and I am not easy to impress. I remember asking Andy how many jumps Dennis had and I was amazed it was only 40. When I had 40 jumps I couldn’t do anything – but Dennis was really good!
Then Dennis came to the tunnel in Rosendaal and I did a lot of one-on-one with him. Then we did two-on-two and then some more 4-way. So, I guess I was his main coach right up until he joined the team. For sure someone as talented as Dennis was going to be great anyway but I like to think that I helped him. I am proud that I have been part of his growth, taught him some mental stuff, helped him achieve his best.
##What is the most important ingredient to win?
Most of all you need to have the passion for the sport. Time, talent and money are the other factors but being passionate is the biggest element. The road is long and hard and without passion you’re not going to make it, that’s for sure.
Did you ever feel like giving up?
I never thought about giving up my dream. I am very passionate about the sport. I love competing. But of course if you are out there in a team for so long you have moments when you wonder, what you are doing! But the passion keeps you going. Even if you are not so talented you can go a long way with passion. People who are really passionate about the sport, will find themselves a champion. Not the first few years perhaps. But if you are lucky enough to find a team that is really good, where you can really go for it, you will pull through. If you have to go for 12 years believe me, the road is very hard, trust me there are moments when you feel like giving up, but the belief keeps you on track.
How do you get to be better than the current best in the world? Presumably if they knew how to fly faster they would be doing it.
If you look for example to us, we have Gary as a coach. Gary [Smith] did a fantastic job. He held the team together; he guided us in the right direction. He was the perfect match for our team, for where we were. Without Gary we would not be here for sure. The way he coaches us is perfect. Every team is different and he has a certain way with us. With Gary then even if he cannot fly as fast as us, he had all the coaching tools to make it happen. So, if you want to beat the World Champions, if you have the right coach you can do it for sure.
Stay tuned for our follow-up interview with Roy, 6 weeks later
