Swooping: Not Your Grandfather's Skydiving

A low-altitude extreme sport takes skydiving's exhilaration to new levels.

ByABC News
September 17, 2008, 1:22 PM

Sept. 18, 2008— -- For those who think sky diving is a thing of the past, here's the latest extreme sport craze to consider.

Swooping, or canopy piloting, is a low-altitude version of its sky-diving counterpart in which "pilots" fly dangerously close to the ground at high speeds, testing their skills and accuracy through dives. Swoopers parachutes are smaller and lighter than sky divers', which allows them to glide through the air at speeds of up to 90 mph -- the faster the better.

The sensation of soaring through the sky and performing tricks above land and water has hooked Shannon Pilcher, a 37-year-old professional swooper.

"To travel this fast, this close to the ground ... it feels amazing," Pilcher said. He has broken many records in various swooping competitions.

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Swoopers jump from 5,000 feet above the ground, which is half the distance of ordinary sky dives, and open their parachutes immediately to set up the perfect swoop. The low altitude is what makes this sport both dangerous and exhilarating.

"We're going like 80 mph at the ground, and you're trying to pick up as much speed as possible but still stay in control," said Jessica Edgeington, 27, a swooper from Denver.

At the Swooping National Championship in Longmont, Colo., which took place Aug. 25 to Sept. 1, stunned spectators watched as dozens of jumpers maneuvered freestyle dives, ran through airborne courses and tested their accuracy by landing in a man-made pond, just 3½ feet deep.

Edgeington, one of the best swoopers, got her start when her parents gave her a sky dive for her 18th birthday.

"When I started jumping, I told my mom I would never swoop," Edgeington said. But "after [skydiving] for a few years, I had like 600 or 700 jumps and just started playing with [swooping] more and more, and kept, like, progressing. ... You work your way up to it. So it's small steps at a time."

She's one of few women currently competing in the sport, dazzling young spectators with her fierce skills and daring tricks.

"When I take off my helmet [...] you hear kids and they're like, 'Oh, it's a girl,'" Edgeington said, beaming with pride. "They think it's awesome and I'm always like, 'Yes!'"