Does the USPA hate US skydivers?

[weegegirl 2]

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Wow, I have actually never thought of skydiving in terms of US skydiving before. Weird.

I assume you aren't a competitor?

What does it matter? The foreign dropzones pay the same amount to be group members of USPA. Why should they be treated any differently?

And no, I don't compete, but I am a vidiot in the sport. I submit my photos and on occasion I am published in Parachutist magazine. I bet you if you submit an article or picture you will be published too. If you don't like what you see... change it. Simple as that.

[4wayFly 0]

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What does it matter?

Do you know how hard the US teams work and the 'pay' they get? To put the French national team on the cover of the USPA calendar is not right. If you competed I feel you might have more of a sense of why it is insulting to do this to skydivers (your peers) who represent your country.

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I bet you if you submit an article or picture you will be published too. If you don't like what you see... change it. Simple as that.

I have. It has been. That's not the issue. Mike McGowan submits hundreds of pics of US jumpers. One of those could have been used instead, in my opinion.

[Remster 24]

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What does it matter?

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Do you know how hard the US teams work and the 'pay' they get? To put the French national team on the cover of the USPA calendar is not right.

I'll ask Craig, Eliana and the rest of the team when I see them next weekend if they are as offended as you are...

Remster

[4wayFly 0]

They are all good sportspeople, I'm sure they won't say a word, no matter how they feel :)

[Andy9o8 0]

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It did not come off as a "discussion", it came off as an accusation or attack. Try to be a little more positive... it's healthier.

If you don't like what you see... change it. Simple as that.

"Change from within" is rarely accomplished in the absence of public scrutiny from without.

Sorry, no free passes. The emperor has no clothes.

[kallend 1,622]

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Wow, I have actually never thought of skydiving in terms of US skydiving before. Weird.

I assume you aren't a competitor?

I am, and it doesn't bother me.

It's about skydiving, not jingoism.

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

[karenmeal 0]

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Ok, so can anyone tell me why in the latest issue of Parachutist, which covers USPA Nationals, at which AIRSPEED MADE A CLEAN SWEEP of 4-way (highest average ever), 8-way, 10-way and 16-way, THERE IS NOT ONE PHOTO OF AIRSPEED? Not in the air, not collecting medals, nothing.

I know someone else pointed this out already - but airspeed has a full page picture for the closing shot!

I guess that is not good enough recognition for you?

"Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

[4wayFly 0]

I meant in terms of the reporting of the actual event at which they won all 4 categories, apologies for the confusion.

Let me just be clear as the two issues seem to have become confused.

1 - In the official USPA report of the RW Nationals there is not one photo of the winners of all 4 categories in that report. I find that odd.

2 - On the cover of the USPA Calandar, there is a photo of a non-US team. I think that is wrong.

I have trained alongside the French team and personally like them. I also like Airspeed and many other US teams/ individuals. This is not personal, it's just about some odd decisions that I think have been made lately regarding USPA publications.

I think the USPA do a great job in general and staff work hard, but this is an area that deserves questoning. I'm sorry if this offends people, I don't mean it to.

[darkwing 4]

I like good skydiving photos, regardless of who is in them. I'd rather see a good photo of someone I haven't seen before, than someone I have.

Write an article and submit it to Parachutist.

I'm not keen on what I perceive as jingoism, which seems to come through a bit in this thread.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[Brains 2]

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Photo selection has been a point of contention with quite a few members over the years (that I've been around at least). Basically the major gripes are that they choose the same photographers time and again . . .

Dave, i can say that with the new layout change, i have been seeing some incredible pics from photogs that i have NEVER seen published in parachutist before
To the OP, French, Canadian, Italian, Russian, whatever. They are skydivers and the USPA calendar looks for and chooses the best PICTURES for publication, period. In their minds they liked that one best. If you don't like it, don't buy one, cancel your membership, write a letter to the editor of parachutist and have them publish it. I have a "rule" in my life that says, "You are not allowed to bitch about something if you are not going to do something to correct it."

Never look down on someone, unless they are going down on you.

[virgin-burner 1]

isnt at least the sky the same everywhere in the world!?

it'd be a shame if it wasnt..

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[4wayFly 0]

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Write an article and submit it to Parachutist.

I have, thanks, on numerous occasions. Some have been published.

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I'm not keen on what I perceive as jingoism

Jingoism = n. Extreme nationalism characterized especially by a belligerent foreign policy; chauvinistic patriotism. [American Heritage Dictionary]

I am simply talking about whether the selection of a photo of the French national team on the cover of the United States' Parachute Association's calendar is the best choice. I hardly thinks that makes me a fascist.

Brains:

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To the OP, French, Canadian, Italian, Russian, whatever. They are skydivers and the USPA calendar looks for and chooses the best PICTURES for publication, period. In their minds they liked that one best.

That is what I am questioning.

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I have a "rule" in my life that says, "You are not allowed to bitch about something if you are not going to do something to correct it."

As I have mentioned more than once, I will be writing to the USPA and I have submitted items myself. Discussing the matter on here is also allowed.

[4wayFly 0]

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I'll ask Craig, Eliana and the rest of the team when I see them next weekend if they are as offended as you are...

Be sure to ask them how they felt when Parachutist put the French team on the cover after they (the US) won the World Meet, too.

Have a look at other countries' national publications (for example Skydive, the British mag) and what they do in the same situation.

[4wayFly 0]

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I'd rather see a good photo of someone I haven't seen before, than someone I have.

Me too.

There are thousands of US skydivers in every discipline who have never been featured in the magazine or the calendar. Photos of the French national team have appeared in plenty of worldwide skydiving media. It remains a strange choice for the cover of the USPA calendar.

[kallend 1,622]

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I'd rather see a good photo of someone I haven't seen before, than someone I have.

Me too.

There are thousands of US skydivers in every discipline who have never been featured in the magazine or the calendar. Photos of the French national team have appeared in plenty of worldwide skydiving media. It remains a strange choice for the cover of the USPA calendar.

You are entitled to your opinion. So am I, and I think it's a good choice.

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

[4wayFly 0]

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I think it's a good choice.

Why?

[kallend 1,622]

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I think it's a good choice.

Why?

Because it's a pictorial calendar, not a political statement.

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

[4wayFly 0]

Yes it is.

Don't you think featuring the team that beat the US most recently also makes a political statement? And that the natural choice would have been some US team or skydiver?

[kallend 1,622]

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Yes it is.

Don't you think featuring the team that beat the US most recently also makes a political statement? And that the natural choice would have been some US team or skydiver?

No, and no. I think the natural choice is the best skydiving picture fitting the format.

There is absolutely nothing stopping you from covering your walls with pictures of Airspeed if you want to make a statement.

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

[4wayFly 0]

They receive hundreds of pictures. Photo of freeflyer from Michigan = not political. Photo of French national 8-way team = political

[Andy9o8 0]

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They receive hundreds of pictures. Photo of freeflyer from Michigan = not political. Photo of French national 8-way team = political

Depends on whether you think each country's respective Para Assn, or that assn's magazine, should have a nationalistic agenda. As a USPA member, you're certainly entitled to your 1 vote, as well as to publicly advocate it. But let's just acknowledge it for what it is.

Hey, I have an idea. Instead of calling them the French team, let's call them the Freedom team. Problem solved.

[virgin-burner 1]

there you go! very clever..

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[Rdutch 0]

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Ok, so can anyone tell me why in the latest issue of Parachutist, which covers USPA Nationals, at which AIRSPEED MADE A CLEAN SWEEP of 4-way (highest average ever), 8-way, 10-way and 16-way, THERE IS NOT ONE PHOTO OF AIRSPEED? Not in the air, not collecting medals, nothing.

To the disinterested observer, you have to admit, it looks a bit odd.

And why, on the COVER of the 2008 USPA calendar, there is a PHOTO OF THE FRENCH 8-WAY TEAM?

I mean, come on, are we mean to believe there are no decent photos of US teams which could take that slot? I find it insulting, to be honest.

Unless I'm missing something.

(I apologise as I posted this in The Bonfire before realizing that's for non-skydiving stuff, I think it would be better posted here, sorry for messing up.)

I kind of agree, I think the USPA doesnt do enough to promote the competative side of skydiving. There are many NSL and other major meets every year, how often do you see results or interviews with teams during the other than US Nationals skydiving season? Or stories about the meets? There are stories here and there usually when a competator writes the story himself and sends it in.

With every other sport that has a magazine they usually focus on the best in the sport and what is currently going on in the competition circuit. You would probably see attendance grow if there was more attention paid to the competition's, swooping, and 4way. Check out most skateboard/bmx or wakeboarding magazines. While they focus on the best, they also show up and coming athletes. Parachutist is usually way behind the curve on this. Gear manufacturers also dont often use their sponsored athletes for advertising/ promotion. You would think with Airspeed clearly being the best in the US at this time they would be all over the magazine, from adverts to spotlight stories. This for one would help generate income to help with their training as well as promote the competition side of skydiving.
Especially with the interest of bringing skydiving to the public eye and promote the sport. Im often surprised to meet new skydivers and non skydivers that have no idea that competition skydiving even exists.
Im not just blaming parachutist, skydiving magazine is also lack in this department.

If we gave our best teams in the country more exposure, it would help to promote the competative sport and help them to support their training and overall costs, as well as help them to generate coaching work which basically pays for their training now.

Ray
Small and fast what every girl dreams of!

[PhreeZone 15]

The reason that the only time you see articles about the comps is because the USPA does not have field reporters and relies on the jumpers to write the articles to get published. With out having a USPA reporter onsite at a meet how are they to know what happened if no one sends in a report? If you want to see these articles then someone needs to write them and send them in. People send them into Skydiving but not Parachutist, why is that? I know Parachutist tended to be more hands on and would edit articles more then Skydiving in the past, is that still true?

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[4wayFly 0]

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Depends on whether you think each country's respective Para Assn, or that assn's magazine, should have a nationalistic agenda.

By being the United States Parachute Association it already has an implied nationalistic agenda. If it didn't then anyone with USPA membership could medal at the USPA National Championships or represent the USPA at world level competitions, at any time. As it is, there are 'nationalistic' stipulations that must be fulfilled in order for that to happen.