Mery Rose made her first jump in 1974 after she found out about a skydiver course at the military police academy in Teresina, PI-Brazil (even she was a civil).  Today Mery Rose lives in San Francisco, California, has 5481 jumps, and is on the U.S. Parachute Team.  In the summer of 2008 Mery Rose earned a spot on the World Meet who competed in Lucenec, Slovakia, and won two FAI-Fédération Aéronautique Internationale team medals: bronze accuracy and silver Overall.

Mery Rose lives skydiving intensely. To her, the sport fills her life.  She doesn't hide her obstinacy for what she wants to achieve, showing a great determination of someone who knows what she wants. Devoted to her personal values, she is proud of being a U.S. Parachute Team member.  During the course of her career she won 134 titles; getting new medals, breaking new records, registration marks and enriching her list of achievements.

2008 U.S.A. World Team FAI World Meet Lucenek - Slovakia USA                  Russia                 China

Parachutist Magazine

MeryRose  Profile           by Brian Giboney                                                           USPA.org - July 2008

Mery Rose was an 11-time Brazilian style & accuracy champion with big dreams of coming to America to train with world-renowned S&A champion Cheryl Stearns. However, upon learning of Rose’s pending move to the U.S., the Brazilian government seized all of her “citizen’s assets”, including all of he life savings.Determined to still pursue her dreams, she moved to the U.S. despite it all.In 2005, she realized her goal of become a U.S. Team member at the World Cup, helping the team earn a bronze medal at the event. Age:53 Marital Status: Single Children: Eduardo Castelo Branco Jr 37 Occupation: Interior Design and Executive moving Education: High school and some art school Hobbies:My web site, skydiving, art, poetry, writing song lyrics, sewing, cooking, hiking, bicycling, reading, camping, skiing, music and dance Team name: 2008 U.S. Parachute Team Containers:Jump Shack Racer and Sum Path Javelin Main Canopies: Jump Shack Classic 218 and Performance Designs Stiletto 135 Reserve Canopy: Performance Designs PD 143R AAD: Airtec Cypres Home Droop Zone: Wherever the U.S. Team trains Year of the First Jump: 1974 License: D-24594 Championships, Medals and Records: Eleven-time Brazilian classic parachute champion, largest group dive world record - 200 jumpers, 2005 World Cup U.S. S&A Team bronze Total of Jumps: 5,097 Accuracy: 3,500 Style: 500 Total Cutaways: Four Life Philosophy: Good health, good friends and good times. Live my skydiving dreams How did you become interested in skydiving? When I was eight, I so a TV program with skydiving. From that moment, I knew it was my destiny. I made my first jump at 19 years old, and ever since, I live in the clouds! Out of all your skydiving, is there one that stands out the most? Making the U.S. Team at the 2004 USPA Nationals What do you like most about the sport? Skydiving friends are the best friends in the world! What do you like least about the sport? Sometimes I border on being a fanatic, and it bores my non-skydiving friends Who has been your skydiving mentor? Cheryl Stearns. I am her number-one fan. What are you future skydiving goals? To earn a medal at a world meet and to help preserve the accuracy discipline for future skydiving generations What safety item do you think is most important and/or most often neglected? Gear checks and mind checks. Don’t get into the airplane unless you and your equipment are completely prepared to make a safe jump If you could make everyone on the planet do something to make earth a better place to live, what would it be? Without a doubt, preserve the Amazon What has been your most embarrassing skydiving moment? I made an accuracy jump for a national TV program in Brazil on live television….and missed the target  Someday I am going to own… FAI(Fédération Aéronautique International) medals, a Parachutist cover and a skydiving husband. Of all your skydiving, is there one jump you would like to do again? Twenty-five years ago, I made a demo in São Luís, Brazil. I jumped into the Castelão soccer stadium on opening day wearing my favorite team’s uniform, carrying the game ball and with 100,000 spectators watching

What do you consider your most significant life achievement? Becoming a member of the U.S.Parachute Team What has been your strangest thought while skydiving? One time, when I most lost my right accuracy shoe in freefall, it occurred to me that I should practice with my left foot more often, just in case What has been your favorite period in your skydiving career? Last February marked my 34thyear as a skydiver-competitor, and I also celebrated jump number 5,000. I still have a lot to lean, but day by day, my accuracy jumps get better, which makes me really happy What has been your greatest competition moment? At the 2005 World Cup in Stupino, Russia, I had my personal best: a score of 10 centimeters total for 10 jumps. Among accuracy competitors, a one centimeter-per-jump average is considered a world-class performance… and it helped the U.S. Team get third place What quirks do you possess? I only jump wearing a pink top, pink jumpsuit, pink shoes and pink canopy What makes you tick? Scoring a beautiful dead center on a two-centimeter electronic disc in any competition. (In the last U.S.Nationals, I made five) How did you get to your current level of style & accuracy talent? Lots of hard work and good coaching. Accuracy is an amazing skydiving discipline that gives great gratification to its followers; its practitioners are people eternally passionate about what they do How did you motivate yourself to work toward your goal of moving to the U.S. afterthe Brazilian government seized your life saving? No matter what happened, I continued to believe in my dreams.I went where I wanted and became what I wanted to be How long do you plan on jumping? After 34 years of skydiving, even if I wanted to leave this sport, it wouldn’t leave me Sum up Mery Rose in just a few words Artistic, 100-porcent skydiver, pink, generous, accepting.                                   Mike Mcgowan