(click to jump to Competition Rules at the bottom)
Records Form:
In the "Country" column, note if the
POPS/SOS/JOS... number is from
USA/Germany/Italy....
not the Nationality of the jumper.
Double check the spelling of the jumpers
and type their names if you are able,
so I get them correct for the certificates.
Check out the Records Form video
on the HELP page
if you need help filling out the form.
Record holders will get a paper certificate
with an official, gold embossed POPS logo.
Records eligibility information about POPS/SOS/JOS/JOES/JONS and
TBM (Tiny Broadwick Memorial) women's records.
This program was voluntarily created and administered by Len Zak, POPS 460, in 1990. Since then, there have been over 4,200 Record Certificates earned and awarded.
Additional information and organizing tips can be found on the Record Application Form and on the HELP page.
Who is eligible to participate in record jumps?
For a POPS record to be officially recognized, each record applicant and participant must be a valid member of POPS before the record is attempted.
All members of SOS, JOS, JOES, or JONS must also be a member of POPS in order to qualify for official recognition of any record set in their respective categories and must be prepared to submit proof of said membership to the Organizer. If, when the record application is submitted, it is found that anyone on the application is not a POPS member (or, if applicable, not a member of a sub-group) the record shall be declared invalid.
Since ALL members of a record attempt MUST be POPS members, as an example: a JOES record may also be a POPS record, unless an existing POPS record is larger.
However, a JOES record is not necessarily a JOS and/or SOS record, unless all JOES members are also members of those sub-groups.
The Organizer is responsible to determine membership status of all participants. If a participant cannot prove his membership prior to the jump, the Organizer should collect the appropriate membership application and fee before the record attempt. If it is later determined that the participant is a valid member, his application and membership fee should be returned in full. The Organizer is encouraged to contact the TopPOP (or sub-group) for membership verification of the expected participants.
Women POPS (TBM) may claim 'all women' records in all categories -- see US Records for existing categories.
Members from any country who are current members in that country's POPS chapter are eligible to participate in any other country's record setting event.
Additional information
For all record categories, it is permissible to combine two or more record disciplines on one jump as long as each record is done in the sky as planned on the ground.
FS Full Break (TBS Total Break) Formation & Sequential Rules:
The minimum number of jumpers for a TBS record is four.
To break an existing formation record, you simply need to add one more jumper.
To break an existing sequential record, you need to either add one more jumper, keeping the same number of points. Or keeping the same number of jumpers but adding more points. Provided those records don’t currently exist.
The formations and transitions must be performed as described in the plan.
All persons in the completed formations must be connected by at least one grip either taken by the person or taken on the person.
A grip is: a handhold on an arm or leg (both as defined in the relevant Competition Rules) of another person.
In the transition from one formation to the next, all grips must be released. No new grip may be taken by any person until all grips held by or on that person have been released. Simultaneous separation between persons is not required. None of the grips may be retaken in any of the subsequent two formations in the sequence.
After the group has completed three different formations, the group may elect to return to the first formation (allowing the first set of grips to be retaken) and repeat the sequence or may elect to continue the sequence with three, new different formations.
VFS (Vertical) Formation & Sequential Rules:
The minimum number of jumpers for a TBS record is four.
To break an existing formation record, you simply need to add one more jumper.
To break an existing sequential record, you need to either add one more jumper, keeping the same number of points. Or keeping the same number of jumpers but adding more points. Provided those records don’t currently exist.
The formations and transitions must be performed as described in the plan.
All persons in the first formation must be connected by at least one grip either taken by the person or taken on the person. All persons in formations following the initial formation must be connected by at least one grip either taken by the person or taken on the person in groups of no less than 25% of the initial formation or 8 people (whichever is larger).
A grip is a handhold on an arm or a leg (as defined in the relevant Competition Rules) of another person. If a grip is taken on a particular arm or leg, then moving that grip to another arm or leg attached to that particular arm or leg will not be considered a new grip for the purpose of determining the number of changed grips between formations.
In the transition from one formation to the next, at least 25% of the persons in the subsequent formation must build a new grip that differs from the previous formation. No repeated formations will be allowed.
For Night records:
night is defined as the time period between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight as prescribed by the appropriate authority for the geographic location of the record performance.
Examples of setting new records or superseding existing records
Formation Skydiving Sequential records, because there are two criteria required for each record, may require some clarification to determine if you are setting a new record or breaking an existing record.
The following are examples ONLY and in no way reflect actual current records.
Consider these two POPS FS Sequential World Records as the only two records existing for the purpose of this example:
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FS Sequential: 2-point, 7-way, some date, some DZ (record A)
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FS Sequential: 5-point, 4-way, some date, some DZ (record B)
The following are examples that would break (supersede) the example records:
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It is possible to break (supersede) record A by performing a 2-point FS Sequential jump with 8 or more people.
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It is possible to break (supersede) record B by performing a 5-point FS Sequential jump with 5 or more people.
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A new record would be set by performing a 3-point, 2-way.
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A new record would be set by performing a 4-point, 2-way.
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A new record would be set by performing a 6-point, 4-way.
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Three new records would be set by a 9-way Formation Skydive, followed by a 9-way Vertical Skydive, followed by a 9-way Canopy Formation all performed from a single exit.
Summary:
POPS/SOS/JOS/JOES/JONS FS Sequential Records are broken (superseded) by adding more people to the size of formation and performing the same number of points as an existing record.
New FS Sequential records are set by a group of 2 or more people performing a number of points different from, but not necessarily greater than, any existing FS Sequential record.
SEQUENTIAL RECORDS;
For formations of 40 jumpers or fewer:
--30% of the jumpers must release their grips and re-grip a different appendage (arm, leg, etc.), from point to point. Always ‘round-up’ when calculating the percentage. All jumpers must be linked. Simultaneous separation during transition is not required.
For formations of 41 jumpers or more:
--30% of the jumpers must release their grips and re-grip a different appendage (arm, leg, etc.), from point to point. Piece moves in groups of two, three or four are allowed. Each person in a piece that moves will be counted towards the required percentage of moving jumpers. Piece moves of larger than four are not allowed. Always ‘round-up’ when calculating the percentage. All jumpers must be linked. Simultaneous separation during transition is not required.