Nine Finnish women, five head-up records and a project that proved the best part of record skydiving isn’t always the record.
“Thank you, you wonderful women. I still stand by my opinion that there is absolutely nothing fun about record skydiving, but with you, it was as little horrible as it possibly could be.”
Hanna wrote this after our women’s record project was over.
It made us laugh. But somehow, it also captured the experience perfectly.
Record skydiving is demanding. Your performance affects everyone else, your mistakes are visible, and somewhere between trying to fly your best and not letting everyone else down, your own mind can become your toughest opponent.
And still, we keep coming back.
An unexpected opportunity
The women’s record wasn’t originally the plan. We had been working on a Finnish head-down Record with a larger group when bad weather changed the plans for the day. Heini, who organized the women’s project, saw an opportunity. Why not attempt a women’s record?
Katariina had an idea for how to do it. We could build the formation on our bellies and transition together to head-up. She had successfully used the same approach while coaching her own students, so we knew it could work. There was just one slightly amusing problem. We are freeflyers. And the belly part turned out to be a challenge of its own.
Our first attempt in the sky didn’t succeed, so we went to the wind tunnel to train before trying again. Part of that training was practicing the belly-to-head-up transition in the tunnel. It turned out to be one of the most intimidating things many of us had done in quite a while. We started with four people and eventually tried it with a five-way base and a stinger.
There was something genuinely exciting and scary about doing something that unfamiliar, even for a group of experienced flyers. Then we went back to the sky. Our first jump looked promising, but we couldn’t tell whether it would qualify. So we kept going. We knew we could make it cleaner.
Only later did we learn that this first jump had, in fact, been officially accepted as the 2-point head-up World Record. We also went on to set the 1-point head-up European and Finnish Records.
By the last jump, even our belly flying had improved enough to earn a comment from one of the judges:
“Approved from me too, plus bonus points for the belly flying no longer looking scary.”
For a group of freeflyers, we’ll take that.
When your own mind becomes the toughest opponent
There is something paradoxical about record skydiving. It is an individual performance that can only succeed collectively. Nobody can fly your slot for you. Everyone has to perform. But even a perfect individual performance isn’t enough. Everyone needs to do their part on the same jump. And sometimes you land knowing that your mistake may have cost the entire group that attempt.
That is when the inner critic gets loud. Did I let everyone down? Am I good enough to be here? What are the others thinking?
Nobody really needs to be hard on you in that moment. Most of us are perfectly capable of doing that ourselves. I think there was a strong understanding of this within our group. We knew how unforgiving our own minds could be, because we had all experienced it ourselves. That didn’t mean avoiding difficult feedback or pretending everything was fine. We talked honestly about what went wrong and what needed to change. We expected a lot from ourselves and from each other. But we didn’t need to tear each other down in order to improve.
We do this together, or we don’t do it
From the beginning, Heini emphasized a principle that has shaped the way she approaches these projects:
We do this together, or we don’t do it.
When someone struggled, the first solution wasn’t to cut her from the formation. The aim was to find a way forward together. That doesn’t mean lowering the standard. Record skydiving demands a lot from every person in the formation.
But there is something profoundly powerful about being the person who makes the mistake, perhaps even the mistake that costs everyone that attempt, and discovering that nobody turns away.
You are still part of the team. You get the feedback. You figure out what happened. And you get back in the plane.
Record skydiving also brings out sides of us that ordinary life doesn’t always reach. We see each other at our best, but also nervous, frustrated, disappointed and doubting ourselves. There isn’t always a way to hide behind the strong and competent version of yourself.
There is vulnerability in that. And when people have seen each other in those moments and stayed, something changes. The connection becomes deeper. We don’t only know what the others look like when they succeed. We know something about what happens to them when things get difficult, too.
More than a record
A World Record, a European Record and a Finnish Record are wonderful things to take home. We worked for them, and we are proud of them.
But the records aren’t the only things that stay with us. There is something valuable about finding out what happens inside your own head when the pressure rises. About making a mistake when it matters. About having other people see you struggle and discovering that you still belong. And there is something equally valuable about being on the other side of that experience. Seeing someone else struggle, knowing something about what may be happening inside her head, and helping her get back in the plane.
What comes next?
There are no detailed plans for the next record yet. Heini hopes to continue creating opportunities for more women to join this kind of flying and experience record projects themselves. She also hopes to encourage experienced Finnish female flyers to take part in bigger international projects.
One record can create opportunities for the next. More women gain experience, more women develop the skills to take part, and the community around these projects grows. The records matter. But so does what gets built around them.
As little horrible as possible
We came away with three records, but also with the experience of doing something difficult together. We saw each other succeed and struggle. We laughed a lot. We also made mistakes, gave feedback, tried again and got back in the plane.
And perhaps Hanna’s words are the best place to leave it:
With these women, it was as little horrible as possible.
Records
Women’s World Record, head-up, 2-point
Women’s European Record, head-up, 1-point
Women’s European Record, head-up, 2-point
Finnish Record, Open category, head-up, 1-point
Finnish Record, Open category, head-up, 2-point
Flyers
Heini Elo
Iiris Erkkilä
Hanna Hukki
Alja Lepistö
Eila Pohjola
Katariina Roos
Heli Siekkinen
Sara Staurén
Leena Väistö
Camera: Klas Ramsay and Olli Laaksonen
Dropzone: Skydive Finland
