I usually just lurk this here web site but Jesus H. Fucking Christ! Who the fuck do they think they are?
Somebody pointed out this document to us. Have any of you been paying attention to the manifesto of this Red Bull(shit) group? Someone pointed out this document USPA-Vote for Change, The New USPA, Newsletter#1 October 2008
Here are some of the more ignorant statements, with my comments right back at them.
I have worked hard to help push the image of this sport in Hollywood, performing skydiving stunts Skydiving is not a "stunt", it is a sport.
I believe USPA should be financially supporting our US athletes that are competing on the world stage Oh, so you want USPA members to pay for your jumps? Well of course you do!
It seems as skydiving is going the direction of making to many rules that are stopping the growth of our sport For example?
I’d like to see the USPA board focus more on safety through education not limitation. Now, once again, what exactly are the limitations?
work with the FAA to rewriting the rules and regulation for demonstrations to better fit the parachutes being flown today Say what? Have you asked the FAA what their plans are, or are you expecting them to ask you because you are so cool?
Q. What is the biggest issue you feel that needs to be addressed by the USPA? A.Education not regulation For the third time, what regulation are you worried about?
I am a seasoned competitor in 4-way, 10-way, 16-way, freefly, skysurf, freestyle, VRW, and canopy piloting. I have accomplished 14,000 jumps, 6 national titles, 4 World titles and 9 world records of which 5 I have co-organized. None of which has anything at all to do with representing the average skydiver.
Q.Where would you like to see skydiving in 5 years? A.Mainstream, like skiing This is one of the oldest statements on the book. Hey, guess what? You can't take the family skydiving! There is no "bunny slope" for skydiving. It's dangerous.
The industry of skydiving, and minority interest groups who influence USPA's Board of Directors pushing for changes that skydivers and our sport don’t know about, want or need. You mean a special interest group like Red Bull?
introduction of new opportunities and possibilities to bring our sport closer to the eyes of the general public If the Red Bull team pulls at 400 feet then yes, you will bring our sport "closer to the eyes" of the general public!
and if USPA members don't want Board meetings wasted arguing over who they are going to impeach Wake up guys, and ask some questions. A very few board members are responsible for that shit.
I know lots of jumpers are tired of what they feel is old school thinking. And how old school are you?
There are a number of current Board members who have their own personal agendas And your agenda items are what exactly?
With current USPA rules and regulations it is difficult to move the sport forward. I would like to see the USPA focus on safety and education, not limitations. OK, for the fourth time, what exactly are those limitations?
Oh, never mind me, I'll just go back to de-zining some web sites and try to forget all this skydiving shit. I shouldn't get so worked up about skydiving during the work week.
Re: [tommyjoe] Who do these guys think they are?
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I believe USPA should be financially supporting our US athletes that are competing on the world stage Oh, so you want USPA members to pay for your jumps? Well of course you do!
In the swooping community it wasn't about jumps, it was helping to offset the cost of travel and to get a common uniform for the jumps and award ceremony. This was something that was discussed quite a bit. Last time Go Fast was nice enough to step up to the plate and give the jumpers a jersey to wear while swooping and a warm up suit to wear during the ceremony.
Other countries do this for their athletes that go to the world competitions. They're just trying to make their own country look good.
I know that if I had placed better at Nationals and was able to go to worlds this year, I would have had a mad scramble trying to raise money. After that mad scramble I still may not have raised enough money to be able to travel across the globe, stay and jump to represent the US. Sure I have some sponsorships, but they're some light discounts on gear. They don't give me free gear and they sure as hell don't pay for my travel, training or food.
Re: [mjosparky] Who do these guys think they are?
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I got a copy of the "manifesto" via email from a nationally-known competitor. Here's another sample from a candidate:
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With the technology and education that we have now, I feel that we need to take the crazy out of the hobby and let the general public know what skydiving has become today. With current USPA rules and regulations it is difficult to move the sport forward. I would like to see the USPA focus on safety and education, not limitations. Like all governing bodies, I am thankful for some regulation to keep and form a group; however all governing bodies at some point need to look at making a change to keep up with the times. That time is now for the USPA and I would like to be part of this revolutionary movement.
Skydiving is a sport that takes passion, dedication and creates a fresh breathe of life. Whether if it is your first jump of thousandth jump, you know the feeling. Isn’t it time to bring that same passion and life into the board to designate throughout the sport and bring new energy? Skydiving has shaped my life and given me focus. Now I would like to give back to the sport by dedicating time and passion to the USPA board.
Without commenting on the merits of his position, I wish he and other manifesto writers could have found an editor to clean up their prose.
Re: [packing_jarrett] Who do these guys think they are?
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yes I've heard scary stories of USPA throwing a measly Franklin and expect that athlete to go all the way to South Africa
So you think the members of the organization should be 'forced' to pay the costs of sending a team to international competition?
I mean there is already an account set up for donations for that cause, if having a team represented is a priority in your skydiving...have you sent in your $ ?
It's a pretty small pool of membership the way it is, I think the members dollars could be spent in ways benefiting the entire organization.
This sport is a passion not a pass-time, that has many different venues of expression. We all need to find our own way of paying for whatever part of the sport we're interested in.
Re: [airtwardo] Who do these guys think they are?
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So you think the members of the organization should be 'forced' to pay the costs of sending a team to international competition?
Oh not at all. I was just pointing out a fact. I have no idea what we can do to help the situation but I know there must be a solution. It's weird that the Team Trust Fund has lots in it yet this problem still arises.
edit: can't find actual number of dollars but I remember it being 6 figures.
(This post was edited by packing_jarrett on Nov 6, 2008, 12:08 PM)
Re: [packing_jarrett] Who do these guys think they are?
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So you think the members of the organization should be 'forced' to pay the costs of sending a team to international competition?
Oh not at all. I was just pointing out a fact. I have no idea what we can do to help the situation but I know there must be a solution. It's weird that the Team Trust Fund is in the several hundreds of thousands of dollars yet this problem still arises.
Is there THAT much in there??
If there is, no doubt that they're only using the 'interest' on the investment to fund the team, makes sense and will hopefully eventually be a significant enough amount to really matter in the future.
Re: [airtwardo] Who do these guys think they are?
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If there is, no doubt that they're only using the 'interest' on the investment to fund the team, makes sense and will hopefully eventually be a significant enough amount to really matter in the future.
This is where I tap out! I have no idea how to deal with these problems. I voted for a couple people who I think may know how...
(This post was edited by packing_jarrett on Nov 6, 2008, 12:19 PM)
Re: [blazetailman] Who do these guys think they are?
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and who do you think you are? That was quite opinionated. I usually lurk myself, and have my own strong opinions about jumpers, skydiving and USPA.
Why so angry about possibilities of new change in leadership.
Who am I? Just another opinionated skydiver I guess. I'm angry because I thought by this time in the sports history that most of the skygods had disappeared, but man was I wrong.
And there isn't going to be much of a change in leadership because nobody I've talked to gives a shit about them.
Re: [howardwhite] Who do these guys think they are?
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With the technology and education that we have now, I feel that we need to take the crazy out of the hobby and let the general public know what skydiving has become today. With current USPA rules and regulations it is difficult to move the sport forward. I would like to see the USPA focus on safety and education, not limitations. Like all governing bodies, I am thankful for some regulation to keep and form a group; however all governing bodies at some point need to look at making a change to keep up with the times. That time is now for the USPA and I would like to be part of this revolutionary movement.
Skydiving is a sport that takes passion, dedication and creates a fresh breathe of life. Whether if it is your first jump of thousandth jump, you know the feeling. Isn’t it time to bring that same passion and life into the board to designate throughout the sport and bring new energy? Skydiving has shaped my life and given me focus. Now I would like to give back to the sport by dedicating time and passion to the USPA board.
Without commenting on the merits of his position, I wish he and other manifesto writers could have found an editor to clean up their prose.
HW
Agreed. That is so vague and meaningless it is humorous, and the writer needs a language skills coach.
Re: [pirana] Who do these guys think they are?
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Just because you don't think they have good writing skills doesn't mean they are not good candidates. Why don't you get in touch with these guys and talk to them yourself. I think you will find that they actually have some great ideas and have put a lot of thought into this. Whether you agree or disagree with them is up to you, but to devalue their position and views based on grammar is kind of silly.
Re: [NeedToJump] Who do these guys think they are?
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1. Many do not live near them and would not feel comfortable just e-mailing or calling them.
2. If they are unable to properly address their platform in their written statements, then that is their own fault for not marketing themselves well enough. They could have done better and didn't. I shouldn't have to contact them individually.
Re: [Elisha] Who do these guys think they are?
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2. If they are unable to properly address their platform in their written statements, then that is their own fault for not marketing themselves well enough. They could have done better and didn't. I shouldn't have to contact them individually.
Re: [diablopilot] Who do these guys think they are?
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Wanting to win an election isn't any different than selling a product. Messaging to the masses, rather than expecting the masses to ask questions is usually the correct approach, if not the winning approach. Good luck, JP.
Re: [airtwardo] Who do these guys think they are?
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You are quite right about the nature of the Team Fund. Below is a direct quote from the USPA web site.
USPA established the U.S. Parachute Team Trust Fund in 1986 for the benefit of amateur parachuting team competition. The tax-exempt fund holds all donations in irrevocable trust and the interest it earns is distributed evenly to U.S. Teams for international competition.
So even with hundreds of thousands of dollars in the fund, the amount available to support teams is MUCH, MUCH less.
(This post was edited by GLIDEANGLE on Nov 18, 2008, 8:14 AM)
Re: [Elisha] Who do these guys think they are?
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1. Many do not live near them and would not feel comfortable just e-mailing or calling them.
But talking shit on the Internet is okay?
I fail to see how the above is talking shit.
You're uncomfortable sending someone an email, but you're okay with posting questions on dz.com? I would avoid this place too if I were them; this forum in particular is like a lynch mob.
Re: [ficus] Who do these guys think they are?
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I was replying in a general sense. I would have no problem, but others might feel uncomfortable. It is really besides the point though. See pt.2 up above.
Re: [pirana] Who do these guys think they are?
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With the technology and education that we have now, I feel that we need to take the crazy out of the hobby and let the general public know what skydiving has become today. With current USPA rules and regulations it is difficult to move the sport forward. I would like to see the USPA focus on safety and education, not limitations. Like all governing bodies, I am thankful for some regulation to keep and form a group; however all governing bodies at some point need to look at making a change to keep up with the times. That time is now for the USPA and I would like to be part of this revolutionary movement.
Skydiving is a sport that takes passion, dedication and creates a fresh breathe of life. Whether if it is your first jump of thousandth jump, you know the feeling. Isn’t it time to bring that same passion and life into the board to designate throughout the sport and bring new energy? Skydiving has shaped my life and given me focus. Now I would like to give back to the sport by dedicating time and passion to the USPA board.
Without commenting on the merits of his position, I wish he and other manifesto writers could have found an editor to clean up their prose.
HW
Agreed. That is so vague and meaningless it is humorous, and the writer needs a language skills coach.
~ If you don't have anything memorable to say ~ say a lot of nothing in a memorable way.
It's almost funny, much of the 'for change' platform seems to consist of catchy phrases and buzz words that sound like an aggressive and focused agenda is driving the move to better the organization.
The thing is there isn't anything under the surface if anyone takes the time to look beyond the 'advertising'.
It would be absolutely comical if we the membership could watch a live debate between the folks on the ballot...it would most definitely separate for all to see, who's knows cattle who just wears the hat.
...someone here said the reason 'they' probably don't want to post on Dizzy is the lynch mob waiting.
Maybe that's part of the problem we currently have with a few members on the board...prior to this election little scrutiny was given to the paragraph or two a candidate put forward as their platform...with questions being asked and details looked into, it becomes clearer who 'really' talks the talk and who walks the walk.
It's high school Polly-sci...know what you want stand for, where your agenda is currently at and where you want to take it & how.
Governor Foxy from Alaska showed what happens when a question about policy is asked that you have no clue on, and try to fake it.
I'm with the O.P.~
WHAT changes are ya'll talking about making???
Why & How will it benefit the W H O L E -USPA- ?
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing" isn't a political stance.
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