Insane 'Swooping' Skydiving Makes Your Tandem Jump Look Lame

[Narrator] This isn't a skydive gone wrong.

These guys want this to happen.

All so they can go faster.

Are they crazier than the ordinary adrenaline junkie?

Obviously.

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But it's all for an official competition, what's called

the National Championships of Canopy Piloting.

In this sport, also known as swooping,

competitors fly just inches about the ground

at close to 100 miles an hour.

Depending on the challenge at hand,

they then try to jump as far as possible,

kind of like the long jump,

or land in an exact place, like skee ball.

A key part of canopy piloting

is limiting the effect of the parachute on the way down.

That's why jumpers pull a 450 degree spin

to keep their speed up.

It's an extremely technical sport

that punishes even tiny mistakes.

Top swoopers are used to injuries,

from broken bones, to torn ligaments, to more broken bones.

But when they get it just right,

there's a mix of elegance and adrenaline

that's hard to beat.

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