ROGER NELSON ON THE JIM ROME SHOW

[NoShitThereIWas 0]

In agreement with Chris, remember it is human nature and media whuffo nature to get the facts wrong or out of context. The only reason all this crap is being mentioned at all is because Roger was an icon and a public figure. Anyone who is a public figure tends to get sensationalized in the media when something of this nature happens. Just because it happens doesn't mean we can't see it for what it is. Media whuffos sensationalizing topics and people they don't understand or know anything about. Keep the strength in the core right now. We all know who and what we are and who and what Roger was and stood for (those of us who knew him). Please like many others have said, "SPREAD THE LOVE"

Jen O'Hara
TFx #4, 2002
TF #125

Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires."

Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

[murrays 0]

Well, that transcript was very illuminating. Jim Rome doesn't have the foggiest idea about what he is talking about...not a clue. Not a shred of a clue about our sport.

But, that doesn't surprise me. He is typical of what passes for journalism. My opinion of too much journalism is summed up in the following quote from Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" .....

"....Why bother with newspapers, if this is all they offer? Agnew was right. The press is a gang of cruel faggots. Journalism is not a profession or a trade.It is a cheap catch-all for fuckoffs and misfits - a false doorway to the backside of life, a filthy piss-ridden little hole nailed off by the building inspector, but just deep enough for a wino to curl up from the sidewalk and masturbate like a chimp in a zoo-cage."

Don't waste your energy being angry at a no-brain shit disturber like Jim Rome.....save it for skydiving and celebrating life.

Blue skies,

Murray Stevens, FB 1417

[billvon 2,400]

>Send a public invite, so if he turns it down, he's revealed for the cowardly ass he apparently is.

If he turns down an invitation to jump at a DZ that he claims is a death factory - he will pat himself on the back (very publically) for his wisdom. Don't give him more ammo. Let it go.

[Push 0]

Choose a DZ with a less than average fatality rate. Use a small C182 DZ.

-- Toggle Whippin' Yahoo
Skydiving is easy. All you have to do is relax while plummetting at 120 mph from 10,000' with nothing but some nylon and webbing to save you.

[Frodo 0]

A tandem? No way. This guy deserves being always held blind about the joy of skydiving.
Even if he finds enough cajones in himself to do a tandem or whatever (which I doubt), what do you expect him to say? "Yes I talked crap about skydiving, but now I understand what it's all about and I apologize"? Come on...

And remember that he can always take your words, from emails that you're sending, out of context, and make them sound whatever he pleases. So I wouldn't be so enthusiastic about those emails.

So it's an all-or-nothing choice, of sorts:

Either someone organizes a big show (on NPR, or CNN, or something on the same scale) where the truth is told (including that about Roger), skydiving is presented in a positive light which it deserves, and people like Rome are proved to be assholes;

Or we just ignore incident(s) with/and whuffos like this, and continue enjoying the sport.

(sorry about kinda clumsy wording, but you get the idea)

[billvon 2,400]

>Either someone organizes a big show (on NPR, or CNN, or something on
> the same scale) where the truth is told (including that about Roger),
>skydiving is presented in a positive light which it deserves, and people
>like Rome are proved to be assholes;

This _will_ be done, either by someone like NPR or by, say, Rook and Mike McGowan. It will be done with input from people who know and loved Roger and who know what he did for the sport. It will not be done as any sort of reaction to Jim Rome. He's simply not worth it, and people will remember the show about him for a lot longer than they will remember any of Rome's comments.

[kallend 1,623]

I think we should all remember that almost every negative comment in the media originated with one disgruntled former employee of Roger's.

The negative words used in practically every newspaper article are identical, and identical with the words used by the Chicago Tribune last year, all fed from the same source.

And I regret to say that I took my FJC from this guy

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[tigra 0]

John,

He's a sad pathetic person without much of a life. So much if his "adult" life was spent as an associate, friend and employee of Roger's. I think when that relationship was severed (by Terry, not Roger), he was at a loss as to what to do with his life......

As you said before, Roger was one of those people who could see the potential in you and help make you something more than what you thought you could be. I guess without Roger in his life, Terry went back to being the loser he had been before.

Am I angry at him right now? Yes, but I think he deserves our pity more than anything else. (Trying to take the high road here because i think that's what Roger would want....)

peace & blue skies,

maura

[diverdriver 5]

I feel that most know that many of these things have come from Terry. And to be honest I wish we would stop talking about Terry. Just as we give Jim Rome a voice by quoting and repeating his stuff we give Terry a continued voice by repeating his name. Roger was no saint and he freely admitted it. Feel sorry for Terry. Roger believed in second chances. Unfortunately, we never got to a point where Terry was willing to give Roger a second chance at doing better. If Terry wants to hang on to his anger then he will have to just deal with it. I hope that we get past this time when we bring Roger's name up we bring Terry's name up too.

Chris Schindler
www.diverdriver.com
ATP/D-19012
FB #4125

[freakydiver 0]

My only point/thought in this whole fiasco is this. I can just see the average non-skydiver about to become a skydiver. I'd be willing to bet its on average (guesstimate, probably way wrong here heh) some 20-27 year old male with a slightly enlarged ego that sees a jump on TV, has no real clue what the sport entails, goes out to the local DZ and does a jump, gets hooked, etc, etc... MOST of my comrades began the sport this way, in this age group, with that slightly enlarged ego. MOST of my comrades were also rather athletic and MOST of them know who Jim Rome is.

Now with that said, the only reason I am so pissed of is because regardless of what any jumper may say, I'll bet there were a few blockheaded enlarged egoed, 20-27 year old males watching Jim Rome that day and saw just how dangerous it really must be at Skydive Chicago. I'd also be willing to bet that a few of those potential customers will never become potential customers now because of what he said.

To be honest with everyone, I no longer give two shits about this issue, as many of you have said, and I already know this - let it go, its the media, blah blah blah. I just had great love for Mr. Roger Nelson and would'nt mind going up against the media for this man. He was that important to me in my early days of jumping, he was that good of a person to me. In reality, we probably couldn't do squat against Mr. Rome even though he damn well broke the law. I can prove that. PM me if anyone wants proof. But anyhow - it saddens me that Mr. Nelson's heirs may suffer that much more now that they've lost a few students here and there.

Done deal here - is it the FREAKIN weekend yet????

-- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

[freeflyfrog 0]

I think we all need to remember that Jim Rome and others like him say what they do in order to provoke a visceral response from people and thereby to increase their ratings. No one wants to listen to a dry and level-headed discussion of the inherent dangers and perceived benefits of this sport (or of any other similar activity). They want foaming-at-the-mouth and name-calling and graphic descriptions (pictures or video are even better) of these incidents and the people involved. And they want it all in the simplest terms and as quickly as possible. The facts are secondary to the way the material is presented.

Just turn on your TVs or pick up your newspapers and you'll see what I mean. The news should be called the "Bad News" because that's all they seem to care to report. And our society laps it up and begs for more... and so they continue to spoon-feed us the latest soundbite from some second- or third-hand "witness" that has been carefully edited to convey only one side of the story. And it's all over in thirty seconds and they have moved on to the next disaster or outbreak of the Virus of the Week (MONKEYPOX!!! Run for your lives!!!!).

We won't change this... not in our lifetimes. What we can try to change are the perceptions of those that really matter: the potential skydivers out there who may have seen or read these attempts at journalism and are being influenced by it.

So forget Jim Rome and everyone like him. Their opinions are just that... personal beliefs that they are entitled to hold and to speak as well (remember that pesky First Amendment...). Much better to spend your time changing the perceptions of those immediately around you by speaking and acting in a way that completely refutes all the stereotypes and lies and raises you above the base name-calling and finger-pointing of the mass media.

IMHO...

[Push 0]

Quote

Done deal here - is it the FREAKIN weekend yet????

I hear you brother. It ain't the weekend around here but I'm gonna try to get a bit of the old wind in my face later in the day anyway. Rome will be die and be forgotten, but Roger has died and is remembered. I never knew him but I can feel that, as a newbie skydiver, I am a part of his legacy, and I'm gonna go try to continue that legacy and work on my loops and landings.

"I am the breeze you feel as you spot..."

-- Toggle Whippin' Yahoo
Skydiving is easy. All you have to do is relax while plummetting at 120 mph from 10,000' with nothing but some nylon and webbing to save you.

[freakydiver 0]

Frog and others that don't understand defamation and slander - go look it up.

"(remember that pesky First Amendment...)." Free speach CAN be revoked IF defamation and/or slander lines are crossed especially in a large public media forum such as the one Jim Rome uses to air his show.

What don't you people understand about what Jim Rome said? Alas, I do not really care, just a small lesson in law.

Peace out.

-- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

[dreamsville 0]

Two points for non-skydivers (I am trying to be kind, as Roger might have done, by not using the "W" word):

1) The driving analogy may help some people to understand. You can tailgate another driver at a high rate of spead and do reckless things. In so doing, you can increase your risk of dying every bit as much as something like happened at SDC. On the other hand, you can pick another lane and stay away. We regulate ourselves over the LZ every weekend, so if you are watchful and follow the rules of the sky/road, you stand an acceptable chance of dying old and in bed (we have implicitly made that risk choice already). The DZ tries to get people to follow safety rules. However, when someone climbs in a car and goes, the drivers' ed guy usually isn't there with him.

2) Someone asked me Monday if SDC would continue to operate. To me, it was at first a peculiar question, since I knew the answer. After a brief pause, my answer was a frank: Especially now. For all the reasons that the rest of you that also think highly of Roger and this sport have given.
|

I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane.

Harry, FB #4143

[TandemTerry 0]

Terry went back to being the loser he had been before.


Is this how you were taught to Spread the love???

[Gravitymaster 0]

Think about what is being said about Roger on these forums and then think about what would be said about Terry in the same circumstances. Pretty much says it all.

Bob

[tigra 0]

Terry,

I'm TRYING to take the high road. I guess I'm not quite there, yet. Sorry, but I'm hurting right now.

Peace to you!

maura

[betzilla 56]

Quote

Is this how you were taught to Spread the love???

Ask yourself that question, dude.

[diverdriver 5]

EVERYONE!!! ENOUGH!!!!!! Damn, if Terry wants to have the last word let him have it. Do you think you'll actually change his mind by saying anything to him? Just let it go. Terry didn't show up here or on rec.skydiving (I checked) until others started mentioning him. Let this shit go. EVERYONE.

God. Enough already.

[Push 0]

Dunno about you folks, but I did a jump today with my friend. We had a quiet moment when I mentioned Roger and went up for a quick low exit. Got a stable sitting exit in FF and had Peter fly by me on an 88(?) VX, which was cool. We had fun.

Stop arguing with people that will never listen. Just go and jump, Roger would love to see you.

-- Toggle Whippin' Yahoo
Skydiving is easy. All you have to do is relax while plummetting at 120 mph from 10,000' with nothing but some nylon and webbing to save you.

[diverdriver 5]

Quote

Dunno about you folks, but I did a jump today with my friend. We had a quiet moment when I mentioned Roger and went up for a quick low exit. Got a stable sitting exit in FF and had Peter fly by me on an 88(?) VX, which was cool. We had fun.

Stop arguing with people that will never listen. Just go and jump, Roger would love to see you.

In a few jumps I will do my 800th jump. I had a dream last night that I had made that jump and was walking in from the landing area. Roger was sitting on the golf cart in front of the hangar and asked how the dive went. I responded "Really good, it was my 800th!" He got up and came over to shake my hand and congratulate me. Funny, 800th isn't any real milestone other than just being an even 100th. Roger could make any jump seem like it was a milestone jump.

Chris Schindler
www.diverdriver.com
ATP/D-19012
FB #4125