Taz Causer Experienced Skydiver of the Year
The Taz Causer Experienced Skydiver of the Year Award was generously established by Mrs Hazel Causer, in memory of her daughter, Taz Causer, who tragically lost her life in a skydiving accident in Spain during May 2006. Taz had been part of four World Record formations in two different disciplines, Formation Skydiving and Canopy Formations, all of which were concurrent World Records, making this a very special achievement for someone with only 850 jumps.
Everyone who knew the bubbly and popular Taz was captivated by her infectious enthusiasm for the sport and her sheer love of life. This spirit lives on in Taz’s “Experienced Skydiver of the Year” award for a British jumper who has achieved something exceptional in the sport during the previous twelve months.
Each year, Council calls on the membership for nominations for the Skydiver of the Year, to receive the Taz Causer Experienced Skydiver of the Year Award. The winner is then decided by a Council vote on each of the nominees, the winner being the person with most votes. In its inaugural year, 2006, the winner was Taz herself, posthumously – her mother, Hazel Causer, collected the trophy.
The award that bears her name is not necessarily awarded each year and is reserved to recognise and celebrate exceptional achievements by an individual in the sport.
NOMINATIONS FOR 2023 ARE NOW CLOSED
2022: OMNI FREEFLY
Together, Martin Roberson, Greg Lucas and Dan Guest make up Omni Freefly They are also part of the 4-Way VFS Team Omni99, which has been going from strength to strength since forming nearly a decade ago. Members of Omni99 give a good deal of time to encouraging newcomers to VFS and driving forward initiatives to strengthen the discipline. They have been out National VFS Champions every year since 2015 and represented British Skydiving at an international level in 2016, 2018 and 2022. They have also been UK Indoor VFS Champions and are active in the indoor dynamic tunnel flying community. Between them, Omni99 have also held various World, European and UK head down records, and they were all on the 200-Way head down record attempts in 2022.
2022 has seen Dan, Martin and Greg take this already impressive achievement up a level. They didn’t just compete across disciplines and categories at the Nationals (Freestyle, Freefly and VFS), they took this approach to the World Championships where they competed in both Freefly and VFS. We can’t think of any other members of the British Skydiving Team who have taken part in completely different disciplines at the same World Meet. It’s a remarkable achievement to that and be in Bronze position in Freefly at one point and in 4th place by the end of the competition, really is exceptional.
Greg, Dan and Martin manage to do all this without ego and with a real sense of fun and enthusiasm for leaning through challenges: in Freefly at the World Championships, their free routine had Martin and Dan performing with Greg filming, and for the compulsories Dan was filming Martin and Greg which involved eight suit changes using five different suits between the three of them. They are true omni-flyers, with a passion for the sport that really shines.
2018: JAMIE ARNOLD
In 2018, Jamie and team-mate Dan Guest (Experienced Skydiver of the Year 2017) successfully defended the British National Freestyle title of their team, Volocity, for a 3rd successive year.
At the 2018 FAI World Championships in Australia, Jamie won Silver in Freestyle as performer, again with Dan Guest as camera flyer. Jamie has pursued his dream, become a great ambassador for our sport, and is an inspiration to others.
2017: DAN GUEST
All the work and time Dan has put in has resulted in an extremely successful year and has culminated in him winning the Nationals in three different
disciplines: VFS, CP and Freestyle.
As well as the various British National titles Dan has won, he also represented Great Britain at the Skydiving World Cup in 2017,
winning bronze in Freestyle.
Dan also represented the UK at the second FAI World Indoor Skydiving Championships as well as the 2018 Wind Games.
A great ambassador for the sport and he has earned the respect of his fellow skydivers. He is happy to pass on his knowledge to those that are also keen to learn.
2015: MIKEY LOVEMORE
Mike Lovemore, the Speed Skydiving Discipline Representative on the Competitions Committee, is the 2015 British National Champion in Speed Skydiving. At the British Nationals in August 2015, he broke the 11-year-old British Speed record with a top speed
of 504.09kph.
The following month, he went on to win double silver at the FAI World Cup and European Championships 2015 in Speed Skydiving. His average speed of 498.23kph over four jumps is faster than the previous UK record for a single jump. He then went on to break his own record – twice! – by averaging 503.86kph. He broke 500kph for his first time, one of only five people ever to do this in competition, and he is now the fourth fastest Speed skydiver ever.
He rounded off 2015 with a bronze medal at the World Air Games in Dubai, and collected his prestigious Royal Aero Club silver medal in May 2016.
Mike is generous in helping Speed skydivers with his time and expertise through coaching. We doubt that there is any UK competitor in Speed who hasn’t been helped, encouraged and inspired by Mike Lovemore.
2013: WEED STOODLEY
After 200 jumps in 2013 and plenty of time in the wind tunnel, she has achieved much during her progression.
Her achievements over the year are:
- Florida State Record 10-way Female Head Down (December 12 2012, Skydive Sebastian)
- British Female 10-way Head Down Record (May 6 2013, UK Parachuting, Sibson)
- Bronze medallist at 2013 British VFS Nationals with Mind Your Manners (August 24-26 2013, Skydive Hibaldstow)
- British 30-way Head Down Record (September 8 2013, Skydive Hibaldstow)
- Euro 96-way Head Down Record (September 21 2013, Skydive Empuriabrava)
- 63-way Women’s Vertical World Record (November 30 2013, Skydive Arizona)
Anyone who knows her will attest to her enthusiasm for the sport. While managing
her business and being involved in her eldest son’s professional racing career, she still
manages to find time to skydive, judge, be Competitions’ VFS and Artistic Discipline
Reps and turn up at Council meetings to offer her valuable insight and opinion.
2012: JIM SCOTT
Jim Scott is a Guinness World Record Holding Wingsuiter. In the space of three to four months in 2012, he has taken up wingsuiting from scratch, flown at events around the UK, performed admirably in a performance competition in Hungary and then met the minimum requirements to attend the recent Wingsuit World Record Training Camp in California.
He punched well above his weight in terms of the experience of those whose performances he bettered and the capabilities of their suits. He went to the record camp on spec, with permission of the organisers, and grew every day to really earn his place in the final 100-way.
His performance at the record camp, attitude throughout 2012, his willingness to learn at every opportunity and always help out others (with strapping, spares and more) makes him a credit to the BPA, a pleasure to be around
and a pleasure to fly with!
2010: ALAN THOMPSON
Alan was born deaf and always wanted to be a skydiver. People told him it was a stupid idea, but he never gave up. In 1998, he seized the opportunity to make a tandem descent. That was it! He never looked back.
In 2010, Alan was proud to represent the UK as freefall videographer with FS 4-way women’s Team Bodyflight, part of the British National Delegation to the World Parachuting Championships held in Menzelinsk, Russia. Alan and the rest of the team brought home a World Silver Medal. Alan’s dream has come true. We celebrate his achievement as Skydiver of the Year 2010.
2009: AL HODGSON
2009 was extra special for Al. With his wife Pixie as Airkix Freestyle, he won the British
Nationals for the second year, qualifying for an invitation to the World Championships 2010 in Russia.
Airkix then went on to the World Cup in August and ranked fifth, also placing fourth in the European Championships. Plus Al was one of the 14 British freeflyers who became part of a head-down British Record at Hibaldstow in October.
His work as a load organaiser and coach worldwide encourages and inspires newcomers to the sport.
2008: DEANE ‘SMUDGE’ SMITH
During this the 2008 skydiving year Dean trained and successfully competed in a number of disciplines with incredible results.
He competed in the Classic National Championships and the Canopy Piloting National Championships, both held in RAPA, taking Gold in the Team Accuracy Event and Bronze in Zone Accuracy. He went on to the Classic World Championships providing a credible performance, improving on each round and being a true Ambassador for the BPA and UK. He then turned his hand to Canopy Formations taking Gold in the Canopy Formation National Championships, held at Hibaldstow, in the 2-way event.
He also competed in International competitions and, while in Holland at the European Swooping Tour Finals, was not only instrumental, but led the effort to save an injured skydiver, Rodrigo Ferreira from Portugal. He spent over an hour leading and motivating those undertaking the rescue attempt while remaining fully involved and keeping Rodrigo alive during this period. The Dutch Parachute Association were particularly impressed and praiseworthy of his efforts.
He has also represented the Team GB at the Canopy Piloting World Championships in South Africa being the highest placed Brit.
On top of all this he has been instrumental in setting up a Canopy Safety School at Netheravon. He has provided invaluable coaching and is often on hand to give out free tips and productive and constructive de-briefs. He is an avid and current AFF instructor taking great pride in his students and really ensures they get the most from each and every brief or jump that he takes them on.
He does all of the above without an ego and, at the end of the day, just considers himself a down to earth skydiver.
2007: MIKE CARPENTER
in 2007 Mike gave his all to skydiving and distinguished himself with a splendid array of skydiving achievements.
He won National Gold and World Cup Silver in Freefly, Gold in the first ever European VRW competition, coached in BPA Freefly Skills Coaching Roadshows, been the primary technical organiser of an advanced Freefly group, and was part of new British and European Head Down records. He is, quite simply, one of the UK’s most inspiring skydivers.
2006: Tamsin ‘Taz’ Causer
Tamsin (Taz) Causer was the first person ever to hold four world parachuting records at once when she was part of 400-way world record in Thailand.
Before that she helped break the record for the largest all-female free-fall formation in a 151-way formation. She also took part in an 85-way canopy formation, a 400-strong free-fall formation, incredibly she achieved all four world records in just 20 weeks. Taz was a inspiration and role-model to many,