|
Darryl then turned to 4-way for a year joining Pete Allum, Dave Smith
and John McIver to form Air Games. They came second at the '94 Nationals,
to the RAFSPA 4-way team who beat them by six points. Air Games joined
Toy Company (forming Games Company) for the 8-way and won with an average
of 7.5 - with just one training jump! Games Company decided to stay together,
found sponsorship from Ricoh and went on to win the Nationals in '95 with
an impressive average of 9.6. Back to the World Meet for Darryl, where
Ricoh Cameras set a new British Record score of 13 and came seventh in
the event with an average of 8.7.
Darryl has also been on three of the world's largest formations, the
150-way in Kokjside in 1992, the 216-way in Bratislava in 1994 and the
recent 297 in Anapa, Russia. He is a popular organiser at major European
boogies such as the Espace; his dives are imaginative and his positive
approach is inspiring. Dazzle, as he is affectionately known, teamed up
with George Pilkington to organise the current British record 63-way,
set at Langar in 1994. He is married to Emma and has two sons by former
relationships, Lee who is 16 and Carl who is 8.
How long have you been skydiving Darryl?
When I started in 1979 at Ashford, I reached 15 second delays, started
spinning, got scared and gave up, partly for financial reasons. I didn't
start again until 1985 when I did a couple of static line jumps, signed
up for AFF and never looked back.
Are you naturally a good skydiver?
No, I have to work at it. I remember going on a skills camp in 1988 with
a group from Thruxton. Steve Woodford was our coach, at the end of the
week he said he couldn't take our money because he couldn't teach us anything!
The next time I saw Steve was in 1993 at the World Meet!
What did you learn at your first World Meet with
Mind Games?
It was a real eye opener. Being around skydivers of that calibre was a
great honour and a privilege. The whole team learnt a great deal. Mainly
how to stay composed under pressure. The feeling you get when you are
waiting for that first international level competition round is indescribable.
Everyone worked hard at being composed, ready and performing as a team.
Did you find it a different experience the second time around with
Ricoh?
Yes, for several reasons. The main one being that the experience I gained
at the first World Meet made me so much more in control during the second
one. A lot of it is knowing what to expect, being in that environment.
Before round 1 in the '95 World Meet I felt was exactly the same as I
had the year before with Mind Games. But as the competition wore on, I
found myself more able to stay composed on the ground, reach the right
arousal level in the aircraft and be calm during the skydive.
What was the secret of the Ricoh team vibe?
There was no real secret. We were all seasoned jumpers with good competition
experience and the team was basically a 'friendly' team. We didn't have
any discussion about goals for example. We took the dirt diving and skydiving
seriously during competition but other than that we were all fairly laid
back about it. I think that helped us a great deal because we all felt
comfortable with each other and there was never a cross word spoken.
Will you go to another World Meet?
I might do!
How come in 1995 you didn't do the Nationals at all?
I fancied a break from competition jumping. I wanted to build my business
up, sort out my home and try things I haven't had the time for until now.
I went skiing for instance, I've never done that before, it was great
fun. The break came at the right time. Funnily enough I didn't miss doing
the Nationals at all, I didn't think about it. At the time they were on
I was load organising at the Espace Boogie, Vichy, which I've done for
the last six years. This boogie really is an amazing event and I wouldn't
miss it for anything.
Why is that?
I've organised at lots of boogies; Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia, France,
Belgium, Spain; I really enjoy it all. But there is something really special
about Vichy. There's an incredible vibe there, something you don't get
anywhere else in Europe. They have a festival party atmosphere, huge marquee,
cafe, amazing sound system shops, lots of hot sun. In the evening there
are fun events and they show the day's dives on a big screen. It's an
amazing atmosphere, it's just brilliant, the Vichy Boogie is a wicked
place to be.
How did Another Planet 16-way team start?
Another Planet started when Rob Colpus, who had organised the Symbiosis
16-way for years, decided to call a halt in 1992. I just happened to be
around at the time and was happy to organise a team for one event, a 20-way
at Langar. We won, I enjoyed doing it and people wanted me to carry on.
Since then we have done four or five meets a year in the UK and been very
pleased to win all of them.
What do you put this outstanding success down to?
I put this down to a similar vibe to the one we had with the Ricoh team.
The people involved in the team make it very easy to achieve success.
There are a lot of very experienced jumpers on the team with a good spread
of skills. We crack jokes and have a laugh but, when it comes down to
the skydiving, the whole team takes it very seriously. We have a fantastic
team vibe, everyone is very supportive of each other.
How did you feel when Another Planet set two British Record
scores in one day?
Funnily enough, the night before this happened at Weston on the Green,
I dreamt we would put a seven on the board. But I didn't think we would
actually do it. We've done the Weston meet for the last four years and
won it every time, but never too convincingly. I've always felt that with
just a little bit more effort we could do a lot better. To put that seven
on the board was an incredible feeling, the whole team was so excited
about it. Again we had a great team vibe and of course the seven helped
to keep make the vibe even better! In all, on one day we did three eight
point 16-way skydives, scoring two sixes and a seven in time. It's hard
to imagine a better day's jumping.
Why was the team so successful in 1996?
Twenty of us did a training camp at Sibson for a week and, for competitions,
we only used the people who had trained. That was an achievement in itself,
for everyone to make that commitment. We kept in the same slots as far
as possible which allowed everyone to really perfect the skills for their
particular job.
What do you enjoy about the different areas of 4, 8 and 16-way and
which is your favourite?
I think 4-way is the most intense of the lot. Organisationally and commitment
wise, it is easier than 8 or 16-way because you only have three other
personalities to deal with. Obviously you have to be sharper in the air
which is exciting, I usually come down from a 4-way jump out of breath.
There is lots to think about, you are working flat out which makes it
exhilarating. In 8-way there is more movement in freefall. I prefer it
visually, you have a little more time to see what is going on. When it
goes well it can be very rewarding, when it is smooth it is fantastic!
I think 8-way is my personal favourite. 16-way is so much fun. There are
so many different characters, lots of personalities, it's a right laugh!
It is very sociable, going away for the weekend with 16 people you really
like. Again the skydives are very visually pleasing and you have the time
to see what is going on. |
Photo by Lee Moran |
Did you mind being beaten for the first time in 16-way at the European
Cup, in La Ferte Gaucher, France??
I always mind being beaten! It is great to win but in this case we did
the best we could, I was very happy with our silver medals and a bottle
of champagne each. We were beaten by the German based Fantastic 16, formed
from the Steam Team who have been together and trained for a number of
years. They are excellent jumpers who did some excellent skydives so it
was certainly no disgrace to come second. Of course I would like to go
back there next year and give it another go, if everyone on the team wants
to. We were hampered this year because everyone had to move slots so we
lost the advantage of training. I would also like to do another training
camp this year, to build on our current success and to practice the European
Cup 16-way dive pool. I think we can win this year, watch this space!
(Note: Darryl's Another Planet did indeed win in 97 and also
in '98)
Do you think the FAI should make 16-way a recognised discipline like
4 and 8-way?
I am very pleased with the plans afoot to make 16-way an FAI discipline.
If it happened I would definitely be interested in taking Another Planet
to a World Meet. It would be a great experience, something new and another
area to explore. It is such a good feeling to have 16 people all working
well together to put good scores on the board. To score consistent 5's
for example is a remarkable achievement when you think it only takes one
mistake, one wrong grip, or someone being slow to lose 20% of the score.
It would be good to work at this discipline and almost make it as fast
as 8-way on a National scale.- or better!
|
