Four formations and a world first for 105 skydivers. Kelsey Marshall takes us inside the record jump.
Judge Gundel Klement thanked the crowd, started to walk off the stage, then stopped. “Oh, I almost forgot,” she said. “YOU DID IT!” The hangar at Skydive Arizona went wild, as105 skydivers from 20 countries heard they had just completed the first 4-point Total Break Sequential (TBS) world record.
Photo by Alex Swindle
From Three Points to Four
The idea goes back to 2023, when James Hall told coach Joey Marshall that a record-setting 3-point jump seemed to have room for one more point. That conversation grew into a plan from Arizona Airspeed and Power Games, who had already set a 108-way 3-point TBS in 2023 and a 151-way 2-point in 2024. All three attempts have succeeded.
Finding Seven More Seconds
In a TBS, skydivers build a formation, release every grip, and build a different one, so nobody can simply re-dock where they were. The rules do let the fourth point repeat the first, and the organizers used that. Marshall calculated they needed about seven more seconds than the 3-point jump allowed. They found them by adding a Skyvan for a faster exit, recruiting elite 4-way and 8-way flyers who move quickly through transitions, and making the final formation one everyone already knew.
Organizers Niklas Hemlin, Dieter Kirsch, Joey Marshall, Craig Girard, and Milko Hodgkinson teamed up once again to coach all week. The roster included numerous top level 4way and 8way competitors, as well as seasoned world record holders.
Photo by Alex Swindle
Building Toward the Record
Warm-ups began at 13,500’ AGL, and after two jumps, groups of 40 to 60 were completing 4-point sequences. The full group then trialed the sequence from 16,000’ AGL. Official attempts started midway through day two, and by Wednesday the first attempt was strong. The second attempt that day was clean, with the fourth point arriving with time to spare.
Three Skyvans and two Twin Otters flew the load, with pilots led by Frank Frassetto. Alex Swindle, Ralph Wilhelm, and Antje Grube filmed, and Cris Howard, Gundel Klement, and Rainer “Exi” Hoenle judged.
Time to Celebrate
Celebration followed with a 91-way star, jumps from a Huey and a DC-3 flown by Shawn and Steve Hill, and a Mexican food banquet in the DC-3 hangar. SunPath, Cookie, Vigil, O Connor Commercial, Abogado Mas Chingon, and Jerry Gleim sponsored the week, supporting the roster, banquet, and hydration.
Overall, it was a thrilling week that built plenty of momentum and anticipation for the next record.
