No Excuses Elite: A New Direction

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Monday, April 14, 2025

The discipline of canopy formation, also known as “canopy relative work” or “CRW,” includes amazing technical athletes who are ever-present at events, where they lead attempts at the most challenging formations. Their skill, intelligence and heart make them a rare breed. For years, the CF community talked about holding an advanced camp so that these athletes could challenge themselves and have some fun. It was long past time to fully exercise their skills, so on a cold weekend in February, 21 athletes from all over the world met at Skydive Sebastian in Florida for the No Excuses Elite Sequential Canopy Formation Event, a gathering where the best in the discipline could fly to their limits.

The event was similar to past events such as Dive Works, in which great CF organizers such as Kirk Van Zandt organized very challenging formations that spurred the progression of even the most skilled jumpers. People trained specifically for the opportunity to participate in these events and felt honored to even be considered. Dive Works and similar groups allowed the CF jumpers to experiment with unusual configurations, which led to new techniques that allowed big-way CF to grow.

In recent years, the CF community has increasingly focused on bringing the next generation of jumpers into the discipline, and the elite events faded. But now, after a bit of a lull, CF is spreading across the USA and growing strong. In the past two years, big-way events have been making a comeback, and there is even a drive to break the 100-way world record that has stood since 2007.

THE CHALLENGES

The smaller sequential dives at the No Excuses event helped the canopy formation pilots develop their technical skills, which in turn will help to increase their abilities in an ultra-big way environment. The organizers chose dives from the history of CF, in particular by accessing documentation kept by legendary organizer Ken Oka and Van Zandt. Additionally, the participants and organizers came up with ideas for jumps. The group attempted previously accomplished formations, tried formations that had never completed and even tackled others considered only theoretically possible. Some of the formations did not yet have an official name. (How cool is that!)

A never-before-engineered, docked, double-thread-the-needle jump that at one point flies with three pilots all docked on a frame (dubbed the “diamond ring,” due to the resemblance) was a success on the first try, even though some on the engineering side questioned its possibility. The group also built the first horizontal zipper formation in 15 years. And the legendary “I Believe” double-drag-plane formation completed on the second attempt, ending a more than nine-year odyssey that included damage to at least three parachutes.

THE COMPASS

One of the very best things to come out of this event was the compass, a jump conceived by Sean Jones and designed for two variants depending on participant skill level. The goal for the jump is to complete four sequential formations that each point in a different compass direction. Challenging indeed. The more complex variation of the jump, which can include nine or more points, involved a different pilot for each formation. The jumpers realized that completing a compass jump is as patch-worthy as completing a 4-stack, so they came up with a newly minted patch that celebrates the accomplishment. 

MAKING THE LIST

More elite sequential CF events are in the works. So, how do you earn an invitation? The answer is: You have to fly! Get to events! Get on formations! Do it right! Be what keeps a formation healthy. The skillset required to execute these jumps is of the highest level, as is the determination and trust. These intangibles separate those who wish from those who do. Keep learning. No one who flies on these formations was born with these skills. In the end, the organizers of the event will come to you.

About the Author

Scott Lazarus, D-31602, thinks flying a wing is beautiful. He has lots to talk about with those who love CRW, XRW or CP. He’ll see you inside the formation.