Skydiving promo on GMA

[Bigwallmaster 0]

What's wrong with that gal jumping a 190 main?!? What does she weigh?


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Nothing wrong here if she's really light. Anything too much bigger she might get carried off by the slightest of winds!! I guess the only thing I would add is that a Sabre 2 is semi-elliptical and not quite as docile as. . . . .say a Navigator. The slightly steeper turning tendency of a Sabre 2 could make things happen a little too fast for a person with little experience.

[jumpergirl 0]

I had seen the video online before these posts got so big and before I was hearing it all over the place. Just today, I heard the local morning show talk about it. I cringed but listened anyway.

Then, I stopped at the gas station for a drink and heard 2 men telling the cashier about it. "Her main parachute didn't open so she cut it away and went to her reserve. Then that one didn't open either and she landed on her face on the concrete. Now they found out she was pregnant when she jumped." I turned to the guy and asked, "Are you a jumper?" He said, "Well, no." I said, "Well, I am, and some of the facts they are reporting a wrong." He said, "You know, I don't care what they say, I still want to go jump but I don't want to waste all of that money on the training and stuff. It can't be that hard and I'm not scared at all." I looked at him for a second and said, "Yeah, you do that" and walked out.

THEN, the DJ on the radio station I'm listening to at work just mentioned it - with the wrong information again.

I don't blame these people for simply repeating what they have heard on the news. Afterall, the news is true, right?

So what can I do locally? Can I point them to these threads, or will that just make it worse? What do I tell the bozos I cross daily when they start talking shit about it?

[skymama 35]

I just read about it in my paper and 10 minutes later my insurance agent mentioned it on the phone. I swear, I've never heard a skydiving story talked about so much!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[windcatcher 0]

I think Shayna and Rick need to set the record straight and not leave out important facts to the story. I have no problem with her going public with her it, afterall, it's "Her Story"--she could have died! ( but I do think she needs to be more upfront and factual about her story).
I'm sure people will keep talking about this for a long time, but I am not going to judge Rick and Shayna. I have no idea what their motives are for sharing the story the way they are, and I don't believe it's all their fault either--we all know the media loves to fluff stuff up for more viewers.

Anyways, I still hope the best for them and their baby and hopefully they will somehow set the record straight.

Mother to the cutest little thing in the world...

[BigSky 2]

Yep, It has even made it all the way out here to Montana where we dont have TV and still circle the wagons. It will only be a short matter of time before my grandma calls me up worried and I have to explain it to her

“Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this beer, th

[lisamariewillbe 1]

This actually help my mother feel a bit of relief... she feels more confident now that "my daughter can fuck up and still live"

Sudsy Fist: i don't think i'd ever say this
Sudsy Fist: but you're looking damn sudsydoable in this

[skychick312 0]

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she feels more confident now that "my daughter can fuck up and still live"

Are you serious?!?!? Luck only goes so far when stupidity takes over!!
This is in no way me trying to be a bitch but you gotta look at this realistically...

Julia

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Be the change you wish to see in the world!

[Salsa_John 0]

quote from JDThomas quoting her...

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However, I didn't know, and the only way to learn is to keep jumping. Rick says that students aren't taught to repair all simple malfunctions like that becuase they will spend too much time trying to fix it, and not ever cutaway. Given the fact that the reserve is supposed to be your "guaranteed open" I understand that way of thinking.

I'll cry foul on this. yes, you do learn by jumping but I learn more about safety, EP's, problems, malfunctions and recovery procedures on the ground from my INSTRUCTORS. Yes, we were told to not spend more than 5 seconds or 3 tries to fix a problem or mal. We were never told to rely on the reserve as a "guaranteed open". I think there is a big issue with the quality of her training. Lack of adequate and correct training hurts the sport.

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15 minutes of fame.
Interestingly enough people can go from hero to zero in less than 60 seconds.
I hope that the "real" story will be out there soon. When it happens I have to wonder how that will impact skydiving as a whole. Ummmm skydivers...crazy for jumping out of perfectly good airplanes...and dishonest too?
Great.

"You did what?!?!"

MUFF #3722, TDSM #72, Orfun #26, Nachos Rodriguez

[BASE841 3]

Oh, this gets better. On CNN-Netscape news, it has a couple of handy clickies. One, labeled "Skydiving FAQ," sends you to the infamous Skyride people. http://www.skydiving.com/faq.html

[Rebecca 0]

WTF is a "fairies fluff"?? Like, a wee fart or something?

It's how soft they say you can land. Soft as a fairies fluff.

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

[inearnest 0]

As someone who works in the magazine industry, the way to rectify all of the "misinterpretations" that get handled in the press about our beloved sport are many, but one key one is this:

When a news agency gets the story/details wrong, it is up to us, as skydivers and potential gatekeepers, to not simply write letters and e-mails pointing out supposed inaccuracies, but to correct the wrong impressions and to ask, politely, that the news agency correct the factual errors in their piece. We cannot bombard news agencies calling people who are relating what was probably an emotional experience they are not 100% sure on "liars" and "money-grabbers," but we can certainly correct the factual basis on which their stories were built. "Actually, it is not correct that there was a parachute malfunction." And then explain to the news WHY this is so.

Many of the people who work in the dreaded media bust their asses to get stories right 100% of the time, and when we get them wrong we will go out of our way to correct our mistakes. If skydivers were as passionate about helping reporters (the majority of whom are WHUFFOS who've never jumped before) become more educated when accidents happen, it could have an overall cumulitive effect. This would be overall positive for our sport.

They may be small victories, but a victory nonetheless. We are a sport of unique individuals, and we take so much responsibility for ourselves nad our friends, but, it seems to me, in the limited time I have been a skydiver, that we are more guarded and less proactive about helping people define our sport when accidents like this happen.

If they are selling their story... that's a pretty craven act. But thankfully we're not all reading another "skydiver goes in" story. At least she survived, and her baby as well.

---
"Once you jump. you'll never look up at the sky the same way again."
Peace

[dixieskydiver 0]

Christ my mom and dad starting screaming my name from downstairs last night I thought the freaking house was on fire or something. The damned clip made it on Fox News (oh god I can't believe they watch that trash) and they were freaking out.

Dixie
HISPA #56 Facil Rodriguez
"Scientific research has shown that 60% of the time, it works every time."

[squirrel 0]

my only bitch is if this guy is collecting disablity while actually skydiving...if so...he is breaking the law.

________________________________
Where is Darwin when you need him?

[freethefly 6]

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my only bitch is if this guy is collecting disablity while actually skydiving...if so...he is breaking the law.

Not so, being on disability does not mean one has to live their life confined to a room and away from life. I am on disability for AIDS and my caseworker is well aware that I skydive. There are times when it is near impossiable for me to do so, so I just stay in bed untill I feel better. There is no provision that says that a person cannot skydive, go fishing, skiing or whatever just because they are on disability. I myself have been trying to get off of disability but working in a factory is not doable as being on my feet for 8 hrs or more is extremely tiring. My last factory job, I spent more time having to sit and rest in order to finish a day. I did start an embroidery business but have had few sales. I made a big mistake trying to cater it towards skydivers. Most of whom have only complained that my prices are to high when in fact I am far below the normal fees that one would pay else where. Skydiving is not exactly the same as I am not on my feet all day. If it gets hot or I am about to fall out, I leave and go home. In no way am I or Rick or anyone else on disability breaking the law by skydiving.

"...And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black."
Neil Young

[caico.katie 0]

Yes, she did get a break on her dental, but she is still left with aprx $450,000.00 in medical bills. She has no medical insurance, and even if she did, most likely it would not cover this accident. Most insurance companies will not cover accidents that result from participation in a dangerous sport.

And again, please let me reiterate, SHE DID NOT SEEK OUT THIS PRESS COVERAGE; THE PRESS SOUGHT OUT HER.

[caico.katie 0]

I have only seen two of the coverages, and the two I saw said her first chute did not open properly-- I don't know, is that possible?

[bob.dino 0]

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SHE DID NOT SEEK OUT THIS PRESS COVERAGE; THE PRESS SOUGHT OUT HER.

True. The word 'no' is always an option when someone asks you for an interview, y'know.

[PhreeZone 15]

Wanna bet? Lots of group insurance plans out there won't bat an eye at injuries in the sport. There is even catastrophe insurance you can sign up for that only pays out in the case of major medical issues that is cheap and works for skydiving.

If you are jumping with out insurance its its own damn fault and you should either get major coverage or quit jumping and put that money towards insurance instead.

One of my biggest peeves is people that jump or do anything risky with out insurance. When they screw up its the rest of the public thats left top eat their bill so our medical costs go up too now.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[windcatcher 0]

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I have only seen two of the coverages, and the two I saw said her first chute did not open properly-- I don't know, is that possible?

I do believe, what Shayna said and Rick saw, as well as others from the ground,etc, is that she had a perfectly functioning main canopy. She might not have done the standard things a skydiver does to check the flyablility of their canopy--turn left, turn right, flare. I think what happened was that as she was practicing rear riser turns, her toggle came unstowed, resulting in a turn. If she would have just unstowed it, she would have landed a perfectly good main.
Anyway, that's all I'm saying anymore. I'm done with this.

Mother to the cutest little thing in the world...

[cameramonkey 0]

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Wanna bet? Lots of group insurance plans out there won't bat an eye at injuries in the sport.

I agree. my life insurance company didnt bat an eye when they were told I skydive. many actuaries actually pay attention to our sport's statistics.

when I said "I skydive, is that a problem?" my agent asked "you dont FLY airplanes do you? skydiving is no big deal, but actually FLYING them as a private pilot will be a problem. you can skydive, no problem. OR you can fly, but it will cost you more. If you want to do both, I am afraid we cant help you..." my logical, whuffo side of my brain went "whoa! thats f*'d up!" while my logical skydiver brain said "duhh..."

good thing I dont actually USE my pilot's license anymore.....

Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

[WingnutOrange 0]

Less Scott Lutz like slander about skydiving and more atmonauti on espn.

[mcashatt01 0]

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I know the people in the video. What a crock of shit. It was her second or third freefall. Her first six or so jumps were IAD. The instructor was her boyfriend. The canopy was a Sabre2 190. She opened a perfectly good main. Her boyfriend had her doing rear riser turns. She inadvertantly fired a toggle while doing so and she cutaway a perfectly good main. The reserve opened with slider up. Appearantly she did not pump the risers to clear it. As with the main all she had to do was unstow the other toggle. This story has been all over the news in this area. All blame was put on the equipment and NONE on the boyfriend who put her under a canopy she had no business being under or the jumper herself. I talked with Shayna a couple of weeks before this incident about canopies. She was talking about something much smaller and I told her she needs to stay under something that is big and floaty. Something more forgiving than something that is ground hungry. I see this as soley the fault of her boyfriend for giving bad advise on canopy choice. Instructors should never instruct girlfriends/boyfriends as they are less likely to see a problem. The word is that they have been selling this story. What a crock of shit. This does nothing but make our sport look bad. I hope like hell that these two are shunned at all dropzones. Our sport does not need this type of publicity.
I feel real bad that this had to happen as Shayna is a very sweet person. Yet, I also feel sad that our sport is very seldom shown in a positive light.

This is Exactly why DZ's should give IQ test.

[freethefly 6]

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Yes, she did get a break on her dental, but she is still left with aprx $450,000.00 in medical bills. She has no medical insurance, and even if she did, most likely it would not cover this accident. Most insurance companies will not cover accidents that result from participation in a dangerous sport.

And again, please let me reiterate, SHE DID NOT SEEK OUT THIS PRESS COVERAGE; THE PRESS SOUGHT OUT HER.

This is why I changed my feelings towards this. Her $450,000.00 is a far cry from the $60,000.00 I bankrupt. Once I realized exactly how I felt with mounting bills and no possiable way to pay it put me in Shaynas place. This poor girl is pregnant and in need of assistance and all we have done is berate her. I for one am ashamed that I let my passion for the sport over ride my compassion for another human in need. I hope that they can forgive me for not seeing the whole picture. If you have the ability to place yourself in her situation, do it and then look at what she faces in the future. Hopefully you will see it from her standpoint. I hope that she can garner some income from this and be at ease. I also hope that others can understand that they also can find themselves in such a situation and will most likely do what it takes to get on with living a fullfilling life minus the pain and aggravation of mounting debt. After all, skydiving ain't nothing but a thing. Shayna on the other hand is a person in time of need. Let's all have alittle compassion for her and Rick. I cannot imagine how he feels for what has happened. It must be terrible knowing that your descision nearly cost the life of someone you love. Leave them alone and just shut up and jump

"...And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black."
Neil Young

[skymama 35]

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She has no medical insurance, and even if she did, most likely it would not cover this accident. Most insurance companies will not cover accidents that result from participation in a dangerous sport.

My insurance company covered my skydiving and snowboarding injuries (ok, so I'm a little clumsy. ) If her income is limited, I sure hope she decides to spend it on health insurance and not skydiving if she has to make a choice.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[Dumpster 0]

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She has no medical insurance, and even if she did, most likely it would not cover this accident. Most insurance companies will not cover accidents that result from participation in a dangerous sport.

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My insurance company didn't hesitate in the slightest to pay for my tib/fib fracture last year, either. And I didn't do anything to "hide" the nature of the accident. I think I paid about $1,000, including medication and deductibles for PT, etc. out of $20,000 total in bills. I ws a bit anxious about how well they would pay, though, until the statements started coming in. Big releif!

However, I did suffer from a lack of income during the period I was laid up, and wound up using up almost all the vacation time I had for the upcoming year. Not being able to take a vacation this year, other than an occasional long weekend, Really Sucked! Not to mention gaining about 20 pounds while I sat in the recliner watching TV and websurfing for nearly three months, etc. So, even with good coverage, the costs are stil there.

Edited to add - If you don't have insurance, or a fat bankroll, don't jump. The risks are always there, insurance or no. I was fortunate.