Marie Clark D-37393
Profiles
Saturday, May 31, 2025
Above: Photo by Dan Dupuis.
Away from the drop zone, Marie Clark is an architect, but her designs shine equally bright in the sky. As one of the most accomplished wingsuit flyers on the west coast, she most recently organized a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale vertical sequential world record 38-way, after successfully lobbying for the FAI to vote on the inclusion of that record category. She is also heavily involved in canopy formation, having medaled in each of the past two USPA Nationals. Clark is a positive, upbeat personality at Skydive Perris in California, who constantly pushes herself to expand her horizons in the sport.
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"By the time you wake up in the morning, Marie has already done twice as much as you'll do with the rest of your day. She pushes everyone around her to be better and is the first person to step up when anyone needs help. –Willl Kitto, Parachutist profilee #248
Name: Marie Clark
Age: 43
Height: 5’2”
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
Occupation: Architect, Preconstruction Manager for a general contractor
Education: Bachelor of Science in architecture, Master of Architecture
Pet Peeves: Inability to read the room and insensitivity
Favorite Food: Barbecue, scallops and cheese make the top of the list. Obviously not together!
Life Philosophy: Work hard, play hard, don’t quit.
Sponsors: Larsen & Brusgaard, Squirrel, United Parachute Technologies
Container: UPT Vector 314
Main Canopy: Squirrel Omicron 116 and Epicene Pro 116, Performance Designs Lightning 113
Reserve Canopy: PD Optimum 126/113, depending on the rig
AAD: Airtec CYPRES
Discipline: Primarily wingsuiting and canopy formation
Home Drop Zone: Skydive Perris in California
Year of First Jump: 2016
Championships/Medals/Records: USPA Nationals gold in CF 2-way pro-am and FAI Female Wingsuit Flying World Record (non-grip) in 2023, bronze at USPA Nationals in CF 4-way rotations (2024)
Total Jumps: 4,500-plus
Wingsuit: 3,900
FS: 250
CF: 175
Freefly: 150
Largest completed formation: 38-way vertical wingsuit; 49-way CF
Cutaways: 4
What was organizing the recent wingsuit record at Skydive Perris like?
It was a little stressful. Events in general aren’t that stressful to me, but having a role in creating a new record type (vertical and sequential wingsuit records with non-grip formations), and then trying to explain supposed proficient ways to fly and achieve the record to others, was challenging. In terms of the in-formation perspective—sight picture and required skills—I was figuring out some aspects as I went. It was wonderful having a supportive team (Will Kitto, Nikko Mamallo, Val Sobol) collaborating to make the event successful. In the end though, it was a lot of fun. Seeing everyone so stoked on what was achieved made it totally worth the prep and stress.
What do you like most about the sport?
There are so many different disciplines and skills required within the sport. It’s impossible to get bored. There’s always something that can be learned or worked on.
Who have been your mentors?
Val Sobol, Will Kitto and Yuliya Pangburn.
As an organizer of many women's world records, what makes you so successful?
I like seeing other people get better. Organizing events takes hard work, but also a decent amount of recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of others. The trick is creating something that allows everyone to hopefully perform at their optimal level. Sometimes that is an easier or slightly harder slot. Sometimes that’s an intentional pairing with a partner in the formation that they’ll read and feed off of. It’s a lot of psychology towards success, along with an understanding of skills.
What safety item is most important?
Progressing at the rate of full, broad-skill-level development. Not being enticed by shortcuts.
How did you become interested in skydiving?
I was playing on a co-ed soccer team in San Diego. Two friends on the team convinced me to do a tandem skydive. My friends jumped on their own. I landed, loved it and signed up for the school at Perris three weeks later.
Any suggestions for students?
Try lots of different things. Get uncomfortable pushing yourself, but don’t get in over your head. Ask questions. Don’t underestimate the power of being proficient flying on your belly. It pays in so many disciplines.
If you could make everyone do something to make Earth better, what would it be?
Make a donation to a homeless shelter, food bank or social-work program annually.
The toughest thing to do in skydiving is:
To be patient and not judge yourself compared to others.
Is there a jump you would like to do over?
Both of the jumps that I got hit in the head on. I would have organized them a bit differently, and spent more time talking to everyone on the jump about what to expect—how to manage the over-excitement, and what to do when things go wrong.
What do you consider your most significant life achievement?
Running my own architectural firm for 10 years.
Weirdest skydiving moment?
I’ve had a lot of weird skydiving dreams. Some involve flying to the sun to save my friends. Others, my friends won’t let go of me well past time to pull. Others where I get out and pull and all that comes out is my slider on a lineset over my head, and somehow I still make it through that jump with that slider.
What is your perfect day like?
Sleep in, do some sort of a workout, get brunch, work on a home project or some sort of crafty thing, make dinner, watch a movie and bed by 10 p.m.
What do you enjoy most about being a wingsuit instructor?
That every student is different, so no two coach days are the same. That’s a fun challenge as an instructor. The other challenging aspect in successful coaching is keeping the energy and spirits up, while being focused on a serious task. It’s fun to see someone else enjoy a new experience or unlock a new skill, then seeing them take off from there. Those first-flight courses that don’t go especially well are still a lot of fun for me (to chase)!
Explain Marie Clark in five words or fewer:
Hard-working, caring, weird, expressive.