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ElviDan63

USPA 50 year anniversary=FREE Membership

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i just read the "letters" section in the January Parachutist and i have to agree with Christian Navarrete regarding awarding members who have reached 50 years of membership with an honorary Lifetime membership. i only have 30 some years in, but i know i've paid out a ton of cash so far. (ya, i know, shoulda paid the $500 back in the day...shoulda bought a bunch of gold too)

now i'm no Scott Smith or nothin, so we need to get someone with a voice who can rally the members and make this happen. its our organization so we should have a say so. ask your representatives to bring it up at the next USPA get together.

i hope this is something we can do, and i hope i live long enough to take advantage of it.

Cheers

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I got mixed feelings about this. 50 years of dues is a lot of $, but USPA should be applying all of that to functions that you as a member are benefiting from.

Now once you get 40-50 years as a member, you are probably 60-80 years old and with a converted lifetime membership could be another 10-30+ years of magazines for free. I don't want to support a bunch of people getting free magazines for decades.

The lifetime buy is different. By chipping in $2500 up front, USPA SHOULD be able to invest the money and even subtracting regular annual dues withdrawals, through the magic of compound interest be able to easily cover as long a period as you would want to live, so no one is getting anything for "free".

So IMHO, if you want to get Parachutist for the rest of your life, pony up the $ up front, otherwise pay the annual fee.

Of course the smart play would be to invest the $2500 yourself, pay your dues out of that, so when USPA pisses you off, you can cancel your membership and spend the investment on some hookers and blow.
It's flare not flair, brakes not breaks, bridle not bridal, "could NOT care less" not "could care less".

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Hi Seth,

Quote

I got mixed feelings about this.



As do I. And I am one of those 50-yr guys.

I joined PCA in May or June 1964 and have been a member ever since, no breaks in membership.

As of this coming Sunday, for the first time in 50 yrs I will no longer be a USPA member.

I feel that I have given them enough $$$ over these 50 yrs. If they choose to do as they have ( discontinue the lifetime for us, as was available once ) then I choose to opt out.

Just my $0.02 on this,

Jerry Baumchen

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I figure there can't be all that many current members with 50 years in USPA so I like the idea of honorary Lifetime membership. But, I'm not as big a fan if that also includes instructional rating renewals since there are administrative costs to ratings. However, I am doubtful it will ever happen. About 15(?) years ago, USPA did away with even giving out longevity certificates citing the administrative burden of keeping track of membership time. Trying to keep track of lifetime members will probably overwhelm the USPA computer database and cause a global catastrophe!:)

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jimjumper

I figure there can't be all that many current members with 50 years in USPA so I like the idea of honorary Lifetime membership. But, I'm not as big a fan if that also includes instructional rating renewals since there are administrative costs to ratings.



I have a lifetime membership and you still have to pay for and meet the requirements to renew your instructional ratings every year, Pro as well I believe. Otherwise I would still be a Coach, AFF-I and T-I. :D
"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
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I have a lifetime membership and you still have to pay for and meet the requirements to renew your instructional ratings every year, Pro as well I believe. Otherwise I would still be a Coach, AFF-I and T-I. :D

Exactly, you only get the membership portion. i doubt i'll be renewing my tandem rating,(unless i find myself a widower:o), but God willing, i'll be using the AFF and PRO.

if we had it in the past, then it should be that much easier to reinstate it. apparently, the idea got shot down a few years ago, and costs were cited as the reason.

THEREFORE:
USPA could set up one a those trust fund dealies, and the many charitable folk that we are blessed to have in this community, can fund the thing...done and done. then we can continue to include guys like Mr. Baumchen. ;)

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SethInMI

I don't want to support a bunch of people getting free magazines for decades.

...Unless of course the advertisements, based on circulation numbers, cause those magazines to be profitable or break even to the USPA. I wondered the cost of the magazine, anyone from the USPA want to share the Consolidated Financial Statements mentioned in the meeting minutes but not published with them. ;-)

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tdog

*** I don't want to support a bunch of people getting free magazines for decades.

...Unless of course the advertisements, based on circulation numbers, cause those magazines to be profitable or break even to the USPA. I wondered the cost of the magazine, anyone from the USPA want to share the Consolidated Financial Statements mentioned in the meeting minutes but not published with them. ;-)

As an advertiser I would not be excited paying higher ad rates to fund magazines sent to people who were no longer in the sport, as I suspect most people with 50+ years of membership are or will be soon. This would be even more true of people who were not paying anything (more) for the magazine, cause who knows if they are even reading it.
It's flare not flair, brakes not breaks, bridle not bridal, "could NOT care less" not "could care less".

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SethInMI

****** I don't want to support a bunch of people getting free magazines for decades.

...Unless of course the advertisements, based on circulation numbers, cause those magazines to be profitable or break even to the USPA. I wondered the cost of the magazine, anyone from the USPA want to share the Consolidated Financial Statements mentioned in the meeting minutes but not published with them. ;-)
As an advertiser your target audience isn't people who have been in the sport for 50 years anyway. They already have their gear. The numbers of people who pay for an active membership for 50 years or more is fairly small and they have contributed for half a century to a member owned organization in order to further the sport they love. In return for that contribution, these members have gotten a magazine every month and insurance they probably never needed. Many members will never use the other benefits available to them. If advertisers don't want to pay to run an ad in a magazine for the largest member owned organization representing skydivers, based solely on the fact the magazine is provided for free to people who have been using these products for 50+ years then I don't want to buy their product.

The people who make these products and sell them are skydivers. They are part of this community. I don't think they would have a problem with honoring those who have shared their passion for that long.

As an advertiser I would not be excited paying higher ad rates to fund magazines sent to people who were no longer in the sport, as I suspect most people with 50+ years of membership are or will be soon. This would be even more true of people who were not paying anything (more) for the magazine, cause who knows if they are even reading it.
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jimjumper

... About 15(?) years ago, USPA did away with even giving out longevity certificates citing the administrative burden of keeping track of membership time. Trying to keep track of lifetime members will probably overwhelm the USPA computer database and cause a global catastrophe!:)



Jim,
This is not 100% accurate.
USPA does give out the tenure awards.
The change (about 6 years ago) was that members had to request them when they went over x many years (I forget what x is)
The reason was related to the records that USPA did _not_ have because of clerical errors, or DB migrations or just incomplete records from the early days.
Any member that can 'prove' that they were a USPA member for such-n-such years can apply for the tenure award.

The tradeoff was that HQ staff had to track down many people's records, only to find out that they didn't meet the requirements.
It was deemed to be in the best interest of USPA's staff time that the awards would be distributed based upon the squeaky wheel member asking for the certificate.
I fully believe that in the future, records will be maintained and propagated much more efficiently and accurately and the 'problem' will go away.
If one considers the staff time that was previously involved and what it is today, you'd agree that USPA's bottom line and the membership are better served with the current policy that a tenure award recipient must knock on USPA's door to get it. USPA in no way intends to deny such awards, it's just too expensive to scour old and incomplete records.

.
.
Make It Happen
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mcordell


The people who make these products and sell them are skydivers. They are part of this community. I don't think they would have a problem with honoring those who have shared their passion for that long.



If I was in the skydiving biz, I would not have a problem giving back to the community, but I would like to decide how that giving back is done. Maybe I have a "give back/charity" allocated pool that I use to fund safety day raffles, leap for lupus raffles, etc. Maybe I would like that extra $10 bucks a year to go into that pile than the free magazines for retired skydivers pile.

Everything has a cost, every dollar has plenty of awesome ways it can be used by USPA or its members to give back to the community. I am all for honoring members who have put in 50 years, but I am not sure decades of magazines is the best way.

I have only been a member for 10 years, but if I get to 50, I would like to think I stay a member till I die, and pay my dues every year knowing that sending in the money means I am still pulling my weight and contributing to the sport I love.

sdc
It's flare not flair, brakes not breaks, bridle not bridal, "could NOT care less" not "could care less".

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Jan, you're correct. I spoke off the top of my head. I guess the point I was trying to make in this conversation was that even long time USPA members tend to drop their membership when they no longer see a benefit to having it. I see the awards program as recognition by your peers of accomplishments, be they personal or as a group. Longevity awards were one of the few awards that didn't have to be applied for. Since they became an "on request" only award, they are rarely seen anymore.

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SethInMI

I got mixed feelings about this. 50 years of dues is a lot of $, but USPA should be applying all of that to functions that you as a member are benefiting from.

Now once you get 40-50 years as a member, you are probably 60-80 years old and with a converted lifetime membership could be another 10-30+ years of magazines for free. I don't want to support a bunch of people getting free magazines for decades.

The lifetime buy is different. By chipping in $2500 up front, USPA SHOULD be able to invest the money and even subtracting regular annual dues withdrawals, through the magic of compound interest be able to easily cover as long a period as you would want to live, so no one is getting anything for "free".

So IMHO, if you want to get Parachutist for the rest of your life, pony up the $ up front, otherwise pay the annual fee.

Of course the smart play would be to invest the $2500 yourself, pay your dues out of that, so when USPA pisses you off, you can cancel your membership and spend the investment on some hookers and blow.



so maybe they offer a reduced membership fee - say $25 a year to cover the cost of the mag. The other thing is, how much longer do you think the hard copy of the mag will persist before going to a digital download only, which is a way cheaper option?
If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
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skypuppy


so maybe they offer a reduced membership fee - say $25 a year to cover the cost of the mag. The other thing is, how much longer do you think the hard copy of the mag will persist before going to a digital download only, which is a way cheaper option?



The thought had occurred to me that by the time I get to 50 years, there won't be a paper mag. I am sure it will disappear sometime before then, but it may be a while; people like their paper magazines.
It's flare not flair, brakes not breaks, bridle not bridal, "could NOT care less" not "could care less".

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SethInMI

***
so maybe they offer a reduced membership fee - say $25 a year to cover the cost of the mag. The other thing is, how much longer do you think the hard copy of the mag will persist before going to a digital download only, which is a way cheaper option?



The thought had occurred to me that by the time I get to 50 years, there won't be a paper mag. I am sure it will disappear sometime before then, but it may be a while; people like their paper magazines.

I liked my daily newspaper. Then the newspaper decided to cut back to delivering only on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Nowadays I don't even read the paper anymore, yet it still gets delivered.

Come to think of it, I haven't looked through or read a Parachutist issue in probably a year or so...

I keep thinking maybe I should cut my costs but never do. :S
"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

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I agree. I've always been raised to respect my elders. The men and women that are able to even say that they reached the accomplishment of 50 years as a member should be shown that respect and gratitude! With their blood, sweat, and tears they laid the foundation for what this amazing sport of ours is today. If they need to raise my dues to help sponsor the pioneers of the past then so be it!

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SkymonkeyONE

I remember back when lifetime memberships were only like $240!!!!!!

Do you remember back when there were no annual fees to "renew" your ratings? That was the case 30+ years ago. What the hell do I get for all that extra dough I pay in every year? I always felt it was a slap in the face to all of us that built their membership base for them. [:/]

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JohnMitchell

***I remember back when lifetime memberships were only like $240!!!!!!

Do you remember back when there were no annual fees to "renew" your ratings? That was the case 30+ years ago. What the hell do I get for all that extra dough I pay in every year? I always felt it was a slap in the face to all of us that built their membership base for them. [:/]

You get the USPA cruising around doing the bidding of the tandem manufacturers. YAY!

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The USPA is frustrating to me.

They do things that make no sense. They can't fix a broken website after 5 years? They care more about their own interests than ours. If I could jump and do the things I do without being a member I would.

Mostly it's just sad to me.
~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

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