Jesse Leos D-35377
Profiles
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Photo by Felix Wetterberg.
Over his 13 years in the sport and more than 7,000 skydives, Jesse Leos has made a name for himself as a passionate coach and advocate for safety—specifically with regard to movement flying. As he pursues a graduate degree in sport and performance psychology, he elevates his coaching with his expertise in the mental dynamics of skydiving. He’s a dedicated educator who thinks outside the box, and can be found most often in the skies above Skydive Spaceland-Houston in Rosharon, Texas.
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“Jesse brings a unique perspective to skydiving. With a background in professional sports, a deep commitment to safety and exceptional flying skills, he has earned the respect of his peers both in the sky and on the ground. His passion for the sport, combined with his dedication to the community, make him a true asset to skydiving.” –Sharon Har-Noy Pilcher, Parachutist profilee #270
Nickname: Tex
Age: 38
Height: 5’10”
Birthplace: Plano, Texas
Nationality: Texan
Marital Status: In a happy relationship
Children: None
Occupation: Skydiving and wind tunnel coach; safety consultant
Education: B.A. from St. Edward’s University, currently pursuing a master’s degree in sport and performance psychology
Hobbies: Soccer, weightlifting, running, history
Favorite Food: Tex-Mex
Rock, Rap or Country? Outlaw Country
Life Philosophy: “The Man in the Arena”
Would you rather swoop or land on an accuracy tuffet? Team swoop
Jump Philosophy: Whomever I’m jumping with, we are the best damn flyers on planet earth at that moment.
Sponsors: Larsen & Brusgaard, Performance Designs, Skydive Spaceland, SSK Inc., Tonfly, United Parachute Technologies
Container: UPT Vector 314
Main Canopy: PD Valkyrie Hybrid 75
Reserve Canopy: PD Optimum 113
AAD: Airtec Speed CYPRES 2
Discipline: Movement flying
Home Drop Zone: Skydive Spaceland-Houston
Year of First Jump: 2012
Licenses: A-67179, B-38810, D-35377
Total Jumps: 7,000-plus
Freefly/Angle: 6,000
Camera: 1,000
High-Performance-Canopy Flocking: 200
Cutaways: 6
You are well-known for your work in pushing safety in the movement-flying community. What does that entail?
I have created a consulting program for addressing the rising popularity of movement jumps and the special safety considerations of each individual drop zone. The program works with DZOs and S&TAs to examine the unique aspects of movement flying, while considering useful protocols and tools for them to develop an educated community.
Most people don't know this about me:
My nickname, “Tex,” was from living in Australia before my skydiving life.
What has been your canopy progression?
This is not advisable! I started at a very small drop zone, and I wasn’t well-informed. After surviving my first 200 jumps on a Stiletto 135, I have averaged 500 to 1,000 jumps before each downsize or change of planform.
How long do you plan on skydiving?
As long as my body works.
What do you like most about the sport?
I love flying in itself, but above all, skydiving is an exercise in the pursuit of being fully present and self-mastery that makes me feel alive.
What do you like least?
Losing friends to mistakes that could have been preventable with better training and decision making. Often referred to as “accidents.”
Who have been your skydiving mentors?
It would be a very long list to name them all! So I’ll just mention the late, great Ryan Risberg for his belief in me, mentorship and career guidance early on.
What are your future goals?
To continue to blend my passion for creative team flying with a deeper understanding of high-performance mental skills. My goal is to maintain a growth mindset that expands the ways to collaborate and create with other flying athletes whose drive is to push themselves, and thus, the entire sport.
What safety item do you think is most important?
Your mind, and how it works under pressure. What actions will you take on instinct in a crucial moment without time to analyze? I call this your “flying DNA”. If you want your automatic and intuitive response to be effective, it needs to be cultivated by methodical analysis and routines.
How did you become interested in skydiving?
My father was a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne. I always knew I would jump, too.
Any suggestions for students?
Make canopy skills your main focus for a while.
What is your favorite jump plane and why?
Twin Otter. Big door, low stall point, two engines.
If you could do a fantasy 2-way with anybody, whom would it be with and where would it take place?
With my grandfather into a Texas football game.
Someday I am going to own …
Absolutely nothing! I try not to forget it.
What kind of student were you?
An overly stiff perfectionist. I was an athlete, so I expected to be a natural, but I found it to be quite a struggle. That experience has helped me tremendously in my coaching.
Best skydiving moment?
Too hard to choose, but a few sunsets under canopy stick out. Some incredible jumps at special events like Flight Camp, Tropical Space Camp, Angleweek, FlajFlaj and FLOW jump out at me. A hangout at the lake in Sweden with close friends comes to mind.
Weirdest skydiving moment?
It was indoor "skydiving," but ... probably that time a video of me went viral after catching a baby falling off a countertop at work.
What drives your competitive spirit?
When I first started skydiving, I thought perhaps I had found a new outlet for my life in competitive athletics. However, since I am not very drawn to the compulsories and parameters of traditional skydiving competitions, I had to reframe “competition.” My growth-mindset is driven by a desire to create more innovative jumps in a flying discipline that has no judges but our peers’ own subjective scores of creativity and mastery. When I see other creative-flying minds pushing themselves, my competitive side is fired up to continue evolving.
What makes you a good skydiving coach?
My coaching emphasis on technical flying skills takes a broader approach that incorporates mental training, team dynamics, deep practice and body awareness.
Explain Jesse Leos in five words or fewer:
Discipline=Freedom.