Welcoming & Inclusive
“When friends suggested I get involved in Brit Chicks my immediate thought was, ‘that’s not for me’. The thought of being in the air with so many people and canopies really got my nerves going! After a bit of a kick from others I decided to ‘just look into it’. I was immediately taken by how welcoming and inclusive the event seemed – this really was a group of ladies determined to share their skills and experience with others – I signed up – ‘gulp!’
“The party started on weekend 1 with single and double plane lifts. My nerves soon settled as we experimented with exit slots, fun formations and all-important tracking teams. Although the groups were small the buzz was huge with Lesley, Kate and their fantastic Captains bringing everything together. In just two days I had 50 new friends and a whole bunch of new skills to think about. On Monday morning I booked more time off work ready for weekend 2!
“I can’t believe how calm I felt when I showed up and was manifested on a 5-plane formation load – I can only put that down to the no-pressure, motivational atmosphere that the Brit Chicks created. The jumps were just amazing – I felt just as challenged as I do in 4way: visualising in the plane, wanting to perfect my exit and approach, looking out for key pictures, making decisions about when to pick up grips, flying strong, picking out faces across the formation and the thrill of tracking away in a group! It was truly fantastic.”
Karen Neilsen
4way Team Hyrrokkin
Rule the World
The exciting part of Brit Chicks was to be around all these great female skydivers. We are a diverse bunch, from different backgrounds, experience levels and personalities, but when we are together we rock! I genuinely feel we could rule the world with this lot; the passion, the camaraderie, the enthusiasm, organisation and general smart-cookie attitude is great to be around. The pilots were truly awesome and all the jumpers were well aware of their superb skill level. Being on a plane and looking out the window and seeing 4 other planes expertly flying close to you made me feel so lucky. I thought, ‘Jeez, I could be queuing in Asda right now – but I’m not!! Double Winner!’
I’m impressed by the effort that went in, you could feel it – from the DZ as well as the Brit Chick Management team! The marquee, the entertainment, the loos, the generosity of the sponsors, the best goodie bag in the world and the best item of clothing as it was useful as well as looking cool! I had a fab time and even ended up in the hot tub! A big and gushing thanks to those that have done this before and maintained their enthusiasm as if it was their first big-way and special credit to those less experienced jumpers who gave it a go. Lesley and Kate were great organisers and very motivational – I am assuming the pose as we speak! Xx
Helen Arnold
British 8-way & Women’s 4-way Team
Javelin at the Sharp End
“I was on site to provide demo gear for anyone interested, educate current and potential customers on our gear and support the Brit Chicks as needed. What amazed me was the display of support and empathy for one another. This allowed people with only a few hundred jumps to take part in several 60+ way skydives safely and enthusiastically. The will this group displayed to get the most out of one another was comparable to teams that spend entire seasons training for nationals. This is what Brit Chicks have always been known for, fostering the skills of the women around them, and making homegrown jumps with homegrown jumpers. I am eagerly waiting to see what these ladies do next!”
Chris Talbert
Marketing Rep, Sun Path
Inspirational Women
Fresh from obtaining my C-licence, faced with the daunting but undeniably exciting prospect of graduating from a one-plane 18-way formation to the target six-plane 80+ way Brit Chicks butterfly. And so started the steepest learning curve of my life, aided by some truly inspirational women imparting a stream of invaluable knowledge. I was equally impressed by the determination and fortitude of relative newcomers, who made masses of progress. Despite the majority of us naively believing we were jumping in a 64-way, we made four record attempts (70-ways) on the Saturday and came so close to a complete formation. We may technically have been one grip short, but for me and everyone involved, the Brit Chicks butterfly definitely flew!
Sarah Ashworth
High Talent in the UK
“Brit Chicks! One of the best known women’s skydiving events in history. I was thrilled to be part of the 2013 Brit Chicks butterfly. The women of the UK have an extraordinary high talent – the combination of multiple easily accessible tunnels and the great British female 4-way team history has brought the talent level higher than any country I have visited. This year the event was over two weekends: a 2-day warm up and a four day event, Thursday to Sunday. In true British style the weather challenged us at every turn, but the women were prepared mentally and physically. Even though we only got a fraction of the jumps planned we still managed to get the beautiful 70-way Brit Chicks Butterfly to soar high over British soil (albeit with a slightly clipped wing).”
Kate Cooper-Jensen
Multiple World Record organiser
American living in Denmark
Unique & Unforgettable
As a Plane Captain it was my role to ensure everyone understand the goals; as a large group, as a plane/sector, and as an individual. We ran through our part of the skydive making sure everyone knew what they had to do from start to finish… lining up in the plane, getting out of the aircraft, good exit, good approach to the formation, good flying once in the formation, tracking, and safe canopy control and landing. We worked well as a team making sure we did the best we could do on every jump, and learnt from the previous jump for improvements.
This is my third Brit Chick event. The reason why I love Brit Chicks is because of the positive vibe. There are no egos, just women that all have the same goals and all go about it the same way to achieve that goal. Safety is a huge aspect to the event, and I never feel so safe under canopy as at the Brit Chick event, even though the skies are full of parachutes. The best thing is that it’s all-inclusive which means there are girls doing formations that they would never normally have the opportunity to do. Most big-way events are invitational, and many girls probably wouldn’t have the confidence to apply. To see so many hands going up when asked if it was the ‘biggest plane formation’ or ‘biggest formation’ they have been on is what I get a buzz from. Everyone gets a unique and unforgettable experience.
Julia Foxwell
Multiple Women’s World 4-way Champion
Multiple Open 4-way National Champion
World Open 4-way bronze
Most Coachable
“This event has proven again that women really are the most coachable skydivers around. Considering the low big-way experience from a lot of the participants, it was an incredible achievement. The learning curve was indeed very steep, and I had no doubts that we would make it after my first jump with the group. All of the attempts but one were really nice and smooth skydives and that last one topped it off. It was a magnificent skydive! Bad weather stopped us from making a record for the books, but in my mind we set a record in the fastest progression and steepest learning curve for a group out there. I am honored to have been a part of it. Keep power-posing, ladies! The sky is the limit!”
Lise Nansen
Skydiving & Tunnel Coach
Investment in British skydiving
Inspiring says it all! From the creative butterfly design to the opportunity it gave for everyone to learn and to shine. This event is an awesome investment in British Women’s skydiving and a privilege to be a part of.
Laura McLelland
British Women’s 4-way, UK 4-way team, British 8-way
Brit Chicks butterfly jump – 70-way, all female, over Skydive Langar, UK
