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cornishe

ESPN Filming BASE FJC

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They've been here for a week now.

Is this good, bad, neutral?

What does this bring, more wuffos that want to base jump or exposure that could open sites up?

I think its weaksoss. Your Opinions?



-a
Abbie Mashaal
Skydive Idaho
Snake River Skydiving
TandemBASE

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As much as I think Cornishe is a Gay ass homo he does have a point here. I still think BASE should be kept on a dL as much as possible

KeVo
River City Crew Rocks

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I dunno, I'd be pretty uncomfortable with someone filming my FJC.

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What does this bring... exposure that could open sites up?



Maybe, but my guess is an equal or greater number of sites would get closed.

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...more wuffos that want to base jump?



Count on it. Is that good or bad? Could be either... I was a whuffo who decided that BASE was worth pursuing, but so far the reaction has been almost entirely positive.
Looking for newbie rig, all components...

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it just goes to show that BASE is becoming 'just another sport'.

it is bad for the Old timers that want BASE to be a secret forever, and it is bad for the fact that it will show that anyone is capable of doing a base jump.

there are a million reasons it is good or bad.


but what the hell are you/we going to do about it?

Hopeless....

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Is this the 8 day long free course that is supposed to cover all aspects of BASE jumping including site evaluation and access for all types of objects? If so, then it seems pretty bad to me. Hopefully the cameras don't have access to all that. If it's the "here's what you have to do not to die at the bridge" course then it's not as bad.

I guess I have to see the end result before I form an opinion.

BTW I googled weaksoss and all I came up with was online chess crap, so wtf does that mean?

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who's teachin' the FJC???

AS TO OPINONS: I don't care 2 much> just as long as it doesn't make us or anyone who does it crazy/ hopefully it will make BASE seem more normal than most people think.

it's not like it's some behind the scene's thing. i'd be pissed if some "look at me" type's took some media A-hole's along on some less than legal object's. and then showed it on "To catch a BASE jumper" or "JERALDO at large" or sumtin' like that.

later
NPS SUX ASS

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Maybe, but my guess is an equal or greater number of sites would get closed.


yep.

the more public BASE jumping becomes, the more likely a politician will grandstand the issue. try to get elected by "protecting" the public. see the Jeb/NYC case (or smoking, or drunk driving, or...)

few understand why we jump. a good chunk of the public fears what they don't understand.

hopefully I'm wrong and this effort makes a positive impact.
DON'T PANIC
The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

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Well if its a course run by Tom A at least they will get to see how many people get hurt base jumping.
Ryan
Skydiving is borring!!

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I am not in understanding of your post. please elaborate.
take care,
space

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He might be mentioning memorialday last year when one (or more?) of his students went off the other other side of the bridge and flew into the rocks?
Leroy


..I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw my bath toys were a toaster and a radio...

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A writer for ESPN.com contacted me over a year ago with a request to cover a BASE training course. The writer had previously covered parachuting events, and had written a book titled Birdmen, Batmen, and Skyflyers: Wingsuits and the Pioneers Who Flew in Them, Fell in Them, and Perfected Them[/I]. Prior to responding to his request, I contacted multiple jumpers who’d had previous contact with the writer, primarily in relation to his previous articles and book, to ask about his general approach and their feeling about his final product. I also read his book, and several of his articles, to form my own opinions about (a) the quality of his work, and (b) the likelihood that it would present BASE in a manner I was comfortable with.

The type of story being written is called an e-ticket, and is part of the ESPN.com website. Examples of other e-ticket stories can be found here.

I formed a generally favorable impression of the writer and the project based on (a) my review of the writer’s work, (b) my conversations with other jumpers who knew him, and (c) the general type of story, particularly that the written story would be the leading component, with the video attached as additional material. I believe that this format and writer were likely to lead to a coverage of BASE which was both in-depth and fair, and not likely to focus solely on the flashy video-friendly aspects of BASE which are often the primary lead for most media coverage.


I contacted several other jumpers (at least one of whom has posted in this thread), to ask them their opinions, and in more than one case followed up with additional discussions about media coverage generally and this project specifically.



I decided that I was interested in pursuing this project, and that I thought it could benefit BASE because:

In general, the media coverage I see of BASE tends to focus on a single jumper or jump, and tends to emphasize the more dramatic aspects of BASE. It almost never covers (a) “average” BASE jumpers, either singly or in groups, (b) previous experience or training to reach the stage of beginning BASE (or making advanced BASE jumps), or (c) BASE training, especially not presenting it as a methodical approach to minimizing risk as one progresses into the sport.

As a result, the average person who views a media presentation of BASE jumping tends to develop a skewed view of BASE, and of the people who participate in it, and of the preparation required. Generally, this results in prospective new participants who (a) dramatically underestimate the level of preparation required, (b) have no comprehension of the risks involved, and (c) do not have any clear idea what sort of logical, structured progression could be followed to minimize risks.

I wanted to convey two primary messages:

1) That BASE jumpers are not social misfits, or wild extremists, but rather that many are relatively normal, productive members of society who have simply selected a minority form of personal recreation they find interesting and satisfying.

2) That BASE jumping requires adequate preparation, and that a structured, methodical approach, to minimize risk while maximizing learning is both desirable and accepted.

I emphasized these points repeatedly to the writer, and to the video interviewer, during the course.



I have observed many BASE jumpers who have an absolute repugnance for media coverage and completely refuse to interact with the press. While I find this laudable, and tend to believe that if we all followed this course, BASE as a whole would be better off, I think that the real world situation may call for a different approach.

No matter if I, personally, or any other particular jumper, refuse to interact with the media, there are quite clearly many jumpers who are eager to do so. Few of these jumpers share my particular views of BASE, or my desires for its future direction.

Given this situation, I have two choices:

1) Have no contact with the media, and accept that the public perception of BASE will be formed by others, in the manner they prefer, for the ends they wish, or;

2) Be willing to engage in contact with the media, and try to act as a spokesman to present BASE in a manner that I am more comfortable with, in line with my personal views of BASE.

It’s a dilemma, because I’m clearly having to choose between two options that will have less than optimal results in my view (my personal optimal result would be that there was no media coverage of BASE whatsoever, but that’s not something that’s possible in the real world).




Ether:
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I dunno, I'd be pretty uncomfortable with someone filming my FJC.



Every student in the course was given the opportunity to veto the media project. It was clear to everyone involved, on all sides, from the outset, that any student could do that, and also that any student could ask for any media personnel to leave at any time. This was all discussed at some length several months before the course.



Gweeks:
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Is this the 8 day long free course that is supposed to cover all aspects of BASE jumping including site evaluation and access for all types of objects?



The course is 7 days long, and site access methodology is not part of the curriculum. A complete course syllabus can be found here. The curriculum is a bit ambitious, especially for the Spring course (when wind conditions are usually worse than in the Fall), so some material inevitably doesn’t get covered before the end.



WorldsoCold:
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who's teachin' the FJC???



I am. I did have some assistance from another instructor for portions of this course, but all the teaching methodology and curriculum, as well as the initial decision to allow media coverage, was mine.


Space/HN1:

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Well if its a course run by Tom A at least they will get to see how many people get hurt base jumping.

I am not in understanding of your post. please elaborate.



I extensively discuss the risks of BASE jumping in my initial lecture, and we also review accident footage as a standard part of the curriculum.

The media was asked not to record anything at least twice during those discussions, by both myself and a student, and those portions of the discussions were not covered. No recording was done during review of accident footage.


For general information:

I know of at least 2 previous occasions when BASE training courses were covered in popular media, including MTV coverage of another FJC at this object.

I neither asked for, nor received, any compensation for my participation in this project.
-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

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nice post explaining your views and goals regarding this project.

Quote


It’s a dilemma, because I’m clearly having to choose between two options that will have less than optimal results in my view (my personal optimal result would be that there was no media coverage of BASE whatsoever, but that’s not something that’s possible in the real world).



I realize the finished piece does not yet exist, BUT has the ESPN crew behaved as expected? have they said/done things that made you question your decision? are you more or less hopeful?

if the piece fairly captures the preparation involved, the planning, the training, etc., it might be a useful FJC pre-requisite.
DON'T PANIC
The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

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That BASE jumping requires adequate preparation, and that a structured, methodical approach, to minimize safety while maximizing learning is both desirable and accepted.



Kind of an important typo :P:D:D.

Kris.

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Tom, I'm sure your intentions are good but I really hope you have something like a veto or last word before they air it.
Michi (#1068)
hsbc/gba/sba
www.swissbaseassociation.ch
www.michibase.ch

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Tom, I'm sure your intentions are good but I really hope you have something like a veto or last word before they air it.



Actually, I do, in a way. Neither myself nor any of the students have signed any releases yet, meaning that they can't legally use footage of us (the written story can proceed without those things). I will ask to see the edited video segment prior to signing such a release.
-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

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Kind of an important typo :P:D:D.



Thanks, I fixed that.

I must have read the label on my old Mojo tail pocket one too many times. :D
-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

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I realize the finished piece does not yet exist, BUT has the ESPN crew behaved as expected? have they said/done things that made you question your decision? are you more or less hopeful?



Yes. The crew was actually very respectful, had no problems turning things off whenever I or a student asked, and was actually (I know it's hard to believe) pretty unobtrusive during the course. Since half of the guys with camera gear (2 of 4) were experienced BASE jumpers, they were actually fairly in tune with what we were doing.

Remember, though, that the camera guys don't control the final presentation--the writer of the segment and the producer of the video do that. I feel very good about the writer. The producer I had significantly less interaction with, but I didn't get any alarm bells (and, as noted, I've still got some legal rights that I haven't surrendered yet, there, which they'll need before they air footage of myself or the students).
-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

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Thanks Tom. I look forward to you mass-educating the general public via ESPN.

Tom, if you want people to like you, there might be other ways than to mass-produce new jumpers who think you're cool. Maybe try a BASE jump yourself. It doesn't inspire confidence in their teacher when you flick people off, and and then the instructor walks back from the bridge. I'm sure you're intentions are good, and I have to say that I like your FJC the best. However, maybe we need to take a look at who is doing FJCs, and what they are doing it for. If there are several people/groups who are relying on teaching courses for a living, maybe we need to decide if we collectively feel that is good for BASE tomorrow.

Thanks for helping to make BASE a household word!
Gravity Research Institute

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Thanks for helping to make BASE a household word! ***

For your information, it started long time before Tom even was thinking about BASE! Carl spread the word with mass media from the very beginning, and we had many generation jumpers out there after that! We tried long time to have low key on jumping in Norway, since the skydiving assosiation band it, but new generation jumpers pushed trough, and made it legal!

It is not always a bad thing, and BASE is coming as a sport, like it or not!

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It doesn't inspire confidence in their teacher when you flick people off, and and then the instructor walks back from the bridge.




I do not believe that the number of jumps the instructor makes is relevant to the student's learning experience during a course.

By not jumping, I can quite often make it possible for the students to make more jumps. My students are using multiple rigs (both to develop more currency by making more jumps, and to force them to familiarize themselves with multiple systems from various manufacturers). If I can enhance their learning experience (primarily by helping them make more jumps in a learning progression during the course), I will do so. Shuttling cars, packing additional rigs, or even running to get breakfast while students are hiking out can save precious time, allowing students to make far more jumps (and learn correspondingly more) while they are here.

During this course, I did jump a few times, and I also walked off after handing some component of my own gear over for student use (my helmet, my rig, etc) at the exit point. (Note that I always have a rig--or another instructor wearing one--at the exit, in the event of an accident or another situation requiring help in the landing area).

Living in Twin Falls, I can jump this bridge virtually any day of the year. My students can only do that during their limited time here. It would be illogical, from a training standpoint, for me to reduce the number of jumps they make in order to make more jumps while they are here.

One other thing that I can teach (by example) to students who see me walk off, is that it's not mandatory to make any specific BASE jump. I feel this is an important lesson for everyone, and if I can help impart it to my students by example, that provides additional value to their training.


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If there are several people/groups who are relying on teaching courses for a living, maybe we need to decide if we collectively feel that is good for BASE tomorrow.



If I was primarily interested in making money, I would have charged the students for this course.
-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

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If I was primarily interested in making money, I would have charged the students for this course.



No, you didn't charge them. Instead you got something of much more value. Attention!

And Tom, I find it very trusting of ESPN, that they would invest thousands of dollars in several professional videographers, writers, interviewers, etc., for a week, and not have anyone sign a release. Just so you can "approve" of the finished product before release. Of course, everyone trusts you though, right?...
Gravity Research Institute

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An opportunity to show structured
BASE training might help convince some
people it is better to start with assistance
than just winging it.

I read "Birdmen, Batmen, and Skyflyers".
It seemed well researched and written.
Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

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What the fuck is your point? Are you jealous of the attention or what? Spit it out dude. If you want to diss Tom. Then do it in a respectable and logical manner please. You are sounding like a whining baby at the moment.
Take care,
space

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I find it very trusting of ESPN, that they would invest thousands of dollars in several professional videographers, writers, interviewers, etc., for a week, and not have anyone sign a release.



It sounds like you are calling me a liar. I don't really have any response to that other than to say that I'm not.

No one signed any releases during this project. This wasn't as a result of any specific negotiation or plan--more likely it was an oversight on the part of the producer. Nonetheless I'm willing to take advantage of it if necessary.
-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

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Tom, if you want people to like you, there might be other ways than to mass-produce new jumpers who think you're cool.



interesting allegation.
got any facts to back it up this apparent motivation?

oh and the incredibly humorous aspect of this...
you claim Tom seeks attention.
so what do you do?
you reward him with what? ATTENTION! (DOH!)

if you do not respect Tom, why would you give him what he wants? (DOH!)

at least if you provide facts, you might rob Tom of the sympathy vote. (sympathy your rumor mongering generates).

(you might want to stop using Homer Simpson as a role model :P)
DON'T PANIC
The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

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