The Karp Cup trophy

posted Apr 14th, 2004 - The MidAtlantic Skydiving League and Skydive Cross Keys are joining forces to create a larger East Coast 4-way event similar to the Shamrock Showdown of the Florida Skydiving League in DeLand and the Valentine's Meet of the Southwest Skydiving League in Eloy. The meet management at Cross Keys announced that the competition is open to all 4-way teams and competitors and promises to be on a world class level. The Karp Cup has become an annual 4-way event to honor the legacy of Seth Karp, a former member of MASL team Jetstream. $1000 in prize money have been donated by Karp’s father, Martin Karp, and another $1000 will be added by John Eddowes, owner of Skydive Cross Keys. The 2004 event will Include a 2-way category for 4-way beginners.

JetStream with Seth Karp

Skydive Cross Keys and John Eddowes have a long history of supporting skydiving competition in all its forms and a special love for 4-way. John Eddowes began jumping 4-Way many years ago at the Herd, “...when nobody else was really doing that.”  After he opened Skydive Cross Keys, he competed on Bev’s Cross Keys Eight; flying video with Cross Keys regulars like Sue Sweetman and Bev Hein of Bev Suits. They brought home the gold medal in Intermediate 8-Way at the USPA Nationals in 1998. At the time, the Cross Keys League had been promoting the 4-way event at Cross Keys since the mid nineties with teams like Fast Forward and JetStream.

MASL competitors with Martin Karp and the Karp Cup in 2003

The person who challenged Skydive Cross Keys to raise the bar in 4-way competition was Jack Jefferies. He called John Eddowes in 1999 and proposed that Skydive Cross Keys host the America’s Cup for the Northeast region that year. The skydiving community was very nervous about letting such a young drop zone handle the challenge. However, Skydive Cross Keys had the energy, and Eddowes had the competition background to pull off a very successful America’s Cup in 1999, which was one of the best attended events in the history of the America's Cup. The event series became a part of the National Skydiving League in 2001 before the NSL was forced by the yacht race to give up the name. The America's Cup turned into the NSL Playoffs with Cross Keys as one of the annual hosts.

Cross Keys team O2 Project in 2003

Eddowes still likes the 4-way event and proves it with the efforts for the Karp Cup 2004: “I have always been interested in teams and competition. I think it keeps the sport alive and fresh. But who wouldn’t want to host competitions with skydivers like Jack Jeffries, Dan BC, Paul Rafferty, Charlie Brown, the Golden Knights, and XL around? They are good sportsman, and it was great to have them for training and competition at Cross Keys.” Skydive Cross Keys currently sponsors the training of five teams in 2004. The goal for this year is to accommodate and support ten local teams, which will participate in the National Skydiving League 2004 season and compete at the USPA Nationals in the fall. The Karp Cup 2004 will be the major event on the Cross Keys agenda.