Did you watch till the end where they pulled up the course markers? Its as if there was an old pier, they left the pylons and wrapped some gym mats around them!
Some of them appeared to have metal fence post holding them up. No wonder it looked like the hand of god ripped a couple of guys out of the air and smite them into the pond after clipping a marker!
Either way I want to go to Russia now, I might actually have a chance to get near the top-10!
What really got me was about 2 min. in, when inbetween impacts I glanced at the counter and realized that there was still 7 more min. of carnage to go.
Well, almost 7 more min. The last min or so with the half naked Russian guys was a little much for me. I sort of got the vibe the camera person was a chick.
One thing that did amaze me was the team swoop. After the performance in the solo rounds, I couldn't understand why they would want to team swoop, and throw a million degree turn while they were at it.
If you watch, they might have stayed tight if they 270'd or 450'd it, but they went huge, and fly away from each other spinning in so many circles.
The real reason I posted it was to illustrate how things go wrong, and how quickly and violently things go wrong. The water saved all of those guys that day, at least a few of them would be dead if that was over solid ground.
This was, a s title says, just BAD landings. That`s it.
I was there a couple of weeks ago and I saw some very good swoopers. So maybe they let anybody jump the course, but they are not all bad for sure (an estimate from my Russian friend is that at least 20% are good ones . I think you can ask Mr. Ian Bobo about state of swooping over there. He was coaching one group of Russians week before this event.
What really got me was about 2 min. in, when inbetween impacts I glanced at the counter and realized that there was still 7 more min. of carnage to go
I saw this video when it was originally posted on Russian skydiving forums. My first reaction was "WOW... I dont think I have seen this much carnage in four years of competing COMBINED!" (that's about 30 comps total).
Some of these guys have no business being on 5 foot Open class gates. As a CP judge I'd double yellow flag a few of them, since they repeated their "stunts". And a few of them would get red carded right away, since they were a danger not only to themselves, but also to the spectators. Competing is great, but some folks just need to be sitting on the ground and watching the comp.
That being said, there are only one or two comps in Russia per year. But the sport is growing there, which is good to see. It's the same thing US pilots went through. Have you seen Ranch Pond Swoop Nationals from 9-10 years ago?? There was a LOT of splashing back then too. In Russia, there is no training ground, no regional comps like we have here. They have only the Nationals and only in Open class. So some folks that want to compete have to learn any way they can.
What's even worse, some of them dont see the safety benefits of the higher 10 foot gates and feel that the best way to learn is to swoop the 5 footers right away.
There are a lot of other misconceptions and horribly flawed logic in these new pilots... i dont even want to go into details, you wouldnt believe me anyway.
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One thing that did amaze me was the team swoop. After the performance in the solo rounds, I couldn't understand why they would want to team swoop, and throw a million degree turn while they were at it.
This video only included the bad swoops. Those guys at the end actually did very well in the competition and took top positions. What were they doing showing off at the end? Just to please the crowd, i guess. Why not?
What i dont understand is the mentality of the "wanna be-know it all" wonder pilots who fly x-braced canopies @ >2:1 with a total of 300-500 jumps, have latest gear, RDS, long risers, etc.. But there are enough people in the US that follow the same rules Not even hitting the ten foot gates, but at least in style and with latest swoop gear . Some of them dont even compete!! I guess it's very important to look "cool", just like the pros. Skills are secondary?
(This post was edited by frost on Aug 19, 2009, 11:49 AM)
however, i think a more relevant question is: "is there anyone on this forum who is capable of reading AND comprehending the info before posting their reply?". Judging by some posts (yours respectfully included) i tend to think that the answer is "no".
(This post was edited by frost on Aug 19, 2009, 4:25 PM)
however, i think a more relevant question is: "is there anyone on this forum who is capable of reading AND comprehending the info before posting their reply?".
Yes and thx for your clarification, about this swoop contest.
however, i think a more relevant question is: "is there anyone on this forum who is capable of reading AND comprehending the info before posting their reply?". Judging by some posts (yours respectfully included) i tend to think that the answer is "no".
Panty Wad Alert!
Damn, dude - back off. I read the post, I clicked the link, I watched the video, and I made a comment. BFD.
Frost is a top swooper in the US and he's of the Russian persuasion. So although we're getting a good laugh at the bad swoopers, its important to remember that there ARE really good Russian swoopers.
i think a more relevant question is: "is there anyone on this forum who is capable of reading AND comprehending the info before posting their reply?"
Just to be clear, I didn't know anything about the video when I posted it, except that it was from Russia. I didn't know who any of the jumpers were, their experience, or even if this was a complete comp or just the highlights (lowlights?).
I just put it up because it's good example of how things go wrong when swooping, and it's got a good variety of things going wrong all in one video, with no real injuries to speak of.
In light of the recent serious injury on the bank of the pond in Elsinore, the subject of downsizing, and who should be doing (or not doing) what with what type of canopy has come up again, and as such this seemed like an appropriate showcase for how quickly things go bad, and how badly things can really go.
(This post was edited by davelepka on Aug 19, 2009, 6:04 PM)
Frost is a top swooper in the US... there ARE really good Russian swoopers
aw Dave. that's the nicest thing you've said to me since the last time you called me a commie bastard! I am so touched... Now go polish your high powered rifles! All 15 of them that you keep strictly for home defense and for controlling the pet population.
Anyway. Chuck (and the rest of "funny" commentators) - go compete and see how it feels to hit the water, then come back here and make some more witty comments about people that are actually out there doing it and trying to learn something.
Frost is a top swooper in the US and he's of the Russian persuasion. So although we're getting a good laugh at the bad swoopers, its important to remember that there ARE really good Russian swoopers.
Dave, if the video wasn't representative of the swoop skills of Russian pilots, he should aim his anger at the guy that put the edit together.
What I saw was a collection of botched swoops. I don't really care where they happened. Comedy for all, malice toward none, ya know?
On a technical note, that video shows people on extremely high performance wings flying well outside their abilities. That should be addressed.
Anyway. Chuck (and the rest of "funny" commentators) - go compete and see how it feels to hit the water, then come back here and make some more witty comments about people that are actually out there doing it and trying to learn something.
That's crap, dude. Don't get me talkin' about early hook turners - Excaliburs, Novas, and biffin' off the ground. A lot of people took lot of chances and paid a big price to develop the knowledge you sucked from the early swooper's hind teet.
How 'bout you put your ego in check and get over yourself.
. 
Now go polish your high powered rifles! All 15 of them that you keep strictly for home defense and for controlling the pet population. 
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