Skydiving Magazine, How much does it cost to become Skydiver of the Year?

[kelpdiver 2]

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Okay, but just for the sake of argument - who thinks her team mates didn't "carry" her until she came up to speed?

She wasn't "skydiver of the year" back then, so it seems like an irrelevent point.

I don't see the relevence of her free time available either. Most sports are dominated by those that train full time without other jobs. I'm not sure any of them have a Most Valuable Player That Also Worked a 40 Hour Week. And what about the Golden Knights - getting paid to train with some of the best out there?

There usually many outstanding candidates for this sort of recognition, and people's varying value system will rate some higher than others. I think it's nicer and defendable to say: "I think this person's year warranted the award" rather than "This person bought it."

[Zenister 0]

well there is a fine example..

i'd imagine (i could be wrong) that EVERY GOLDEN KNIGHT did more this year to promote skydiving (both in and out of the military) this year than she did...

but i guess that doesnt count either since it IS 'their job'

but ultimately it is a popularity contest, nothing to do with promoting the sport...

so the hot, female skydiver who's been jumping at DZ's all over the world got the most votes... imagine that...

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[billvon 2,379]

>given the lack of other responsibilities to interfere with training time,
>its not exactly difficult to enter the upper echelon of anything.

There is far more to being an outstanding skydiver than having time and money. When you don't have money it's easy to think that having money would make you as good as anyone else, but it just ain't so.

[loudtom 5]

I'd like to give it a try once...
It ain't about the money.
lt

tom #90 #54 #08 and now #5 with a Bronze :-)

[DSE 3]

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Shannon P from the PD team won it last year.

Shannon and Ian won it jointly for 05, didn't they?

[Dazzle 0]

So go for it, jack yourself up in debt and try. But until you try don't critize those that do put the effort in and do it. Anyone can really try to do it. It depends how much you want it and how much you are willing to sacrifice to get it.

That said you can try, you may not succeed. She has tried and she has succeeded. For that she should be applauded rather than criticized.

[kelpdiver 2]

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i'd imagine (i could be wrong) that EVERY GOLDEN KNIGHT did more this year to promote skydiving (both in and out of the military) this year than she did...

but i guess that doesnt count either since it IS 'their job'

The difference that comes to mind is that her team beat the Knights in the nationals (sudden death jump off)

The the Knights do it as a job doesn't diminish from their accomplishments anymore than it should from her being able to treat the sport as a job as well.

[PeterB 0]

She got the reward for being able to be on a team that won and for getting there in only three years. Practically unheard of in modern skydiving and definitely an achievement.

The getting there in only three years thing separates her from say Babylon Freefly or three times champion Niels Predstrup. What also separates her from them is the fact that the former have won multiple times, given lots back to the community and generally have a very strong presence and influence outside their own teams.

Doesn't count though. Yuropeean furriners.

[Zenister 0]

there were 3 components required.

Not having to worry about 2 of them makes anything simpler.

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[Madison 0]

1)It's a mag. award-so what!
2)Being upset at her over $ is as useful as being bitter at the "Daddy owns a plane/DZ" brat who is an amazing jumper. Or being mad at one's neighbor for having a better car, wife, or lawn. Such is life. If one compares themselves to others they will become vain and bitter, for there will always be greater and lesser persons than ourselves. Right?
3)replying to PeterB who wrote< ...getting there in three yrs....practically unheard of in modern skydiving..>
Ah, you forget tunnels.
4) So maybe a Tunnel award, IMO I'll always be more impressed by the jumper who learned their skills whilst diving thru the sky, hence the name of the award "Skydiver" of the year.

Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.

[billvon 2,379]

>IMO I'll always be more impressed by the jumper who learned their
>skills whilst diving thru the sky, hence the name of the award "Skydiver" of
>the year.

Eh, I'm sure there are skydivers who are more impressed by people who do RW without booties, or do accuracy under rounds, because 'back in the day' that was the way it was done. That's fine. The sport keeps changing, though, and wind tunnels are fast becoming a requirement if you want to be competitive as an RW team.

[PeterB 0]

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3)replying to PeterB who wrote< ...getting there in three yrs....practically unheard of in modern skydiving..>
Ah, you forget tunnels.

I still can't think of someone that got that far in that short amount of time, tunnel or not. Maybe that Russian camerawoman who films the skysurfer.

Can you come up with some? Maybe Predstrup, he didn't have more than a few thousand jumps and 3-4 years when he became world champion the first time. He's male and was in a different discipline though.

There's this guy with only 200 something jumps. 60 hours in tunnel. He got me beat on all things in the tunnel and on a good number of things in the air. Tunnel time or not he still impresses me.

[loudtom 5]

Right.
I didn't want it for myself...
And I guess it ain't her or her money but the selection comittee and the criteria they used.
She got in the way...I said I was sorry sheesh.
I agree with number 4 too...
Maybe my total disregard for 4-way colored my view also...now 10 way owwwwww is another story.
lt

tom #90 #54 #08 and now #5 with a Bronze :-)

[billvon 2,379]

>Can you come up with some?

Julie Richter? 2 years in the sport/300 jumps when she got invited on the 300-way - and set a world record a few months later.

[PhreeZone 14]

Thomas Hughes went from ground up in 1999 to winning the Intermediate gold in at USPA nataionals in 2000 with about 100 team jumps. He earned his spot on XL soon after and was part of the bronze duel at Gap in 2003. He was part of the Black Majik team that literally turned the sport of 4 way upside down in 2005 and flew every point on their backs.

John Hart of Fastrax has made a similar progression starting somewhere around 2000/2001 and has been at Open level in the top 4-5 teams for 2-3 years now.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[HillerMyLife 0]

My post doesn't really have that much to do with the rest of the thread but I figured I'd just post it in here rather than start an entirely different one with only a slightly different spin. Anyway, my 2 cents on the discussion so far. Obviously she IS talented, cute yes(Celeste pulls(ed) off the blue hair way better IMO though) and apparently she had the money and time to dedicate to the sport. As others have said, life is not a level playing field people come from all different spots on the income graph, blah blah. Thats about all I got to say about that...

My main issue with the article isn't Natasha, her money, her number of jumps, or any of the minutae(thats "bullshit" for you keeping score at home) that goes along with winning any kind of award or being recognized as a standout in anything.

No, my beef is with whoever impregnated Skydiving with that horseshit excuse for an "article". Not only is their writing style boorish and plain, it time and again falls in the direction of arrogance and a sort of "elite" old boy way of thinking.

"Many consider 4-way FS to be the most demanding of all our sports various competitive disciplines. This is probably because 4 way is the most popular FAI recognized discipline, if popularity is measured by the number of competitors in active pursuit of medals". Thats nice and all but I could already tell that this was going to turn out to be a "4 way FS Skydiver of the Year" article rather than the plain ole SDotY article I expected. Nothing against 4 way at all its just that its only 1 of a great many ways to jump from an airplane. Some would call that "Skydiving", a crazy notion eh?!

"So few would have thought that a skydiver with only 4 years in the sport could develop the skills to not only run with the big dogs but beat them all". News flash: Wind Tunnels(not to mention turbine DZ's) are the wave of the future and if you can get time in those sweet things your skills will progress at an exponential rate. I've been in the sport for but a blink of an eye compared to a great many jumpers but that doesn't mean I can't grasp a rudimentary concept such as that. The sport is changing and todays new skydivers have many more options and assets to grow and improve in a span of 4 years than someone who started jumping 10 or more years ago.
Where have you been??

"...the two teams entered a sudden death(and those that who have been there know that IS the correct term) jump off. The winner would go on to represent the US at the World Meet; the loser would go home(or to Iraq or Afganistan)" Wow I never knew the stakes were so high...I mean if her team hadn't won, Deland Fire would have packed up their rigs and grabbed assault rifles en route to the sands of Iraq?? Shit thats one more reason I won't compete in 4 way FS!! Wait you were only refering to the Golden Knights?? Oh nevermind then. Besides the Nationals are definately much more of a pressure cooker compared to a tour in a war zone right?? I wouldn't know only having participated in one of those 2 events but I think I have an idea...

"In fact, that she she was willing to lay down the big bucks impressed the panel. Many jumpers with excellent skills never achieve greatness because they are unwilling to pay the price -literally in dollars or Euros or whatever- to make it happen." Unwilling?? Are you F***ing kidding me? Unwilling huh?? Wow. There must be plenty of jumpers who want to improve their skill set and have the cash but are just plain "unwilling" to drop the dough. Yep. Thats it for sure. I mean if you forget about all the jumpers who starve or don't drive a car just so they can skydive.But who cares about those guys anyway?? They were unwilling to spend right??

"In short, Montgomery would deserve to be SDotY if she weren't a she" Glad to see having a vagina doesn't disqualify anyone from this award because that would be tragic.

In short the article was about as subtle and informative as getting kicked in the balls. Appriciate it.

Someday Never Comes

[arlo 0]

don't ya think you owe natasha the apology? apologizing to everyone who has posted here doesn't mean shit. she's the one you hammered on.

[peregrinerose 0]

Send that in to Skydiving Magazine.... you had some good points there.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[marks2065 0]

elianna ? i can't spell her name but she is with airspeed - maybe a little longer than 3 years but does alot of jumps with jumpers outside her team and is always happy to talk to anyone - been on a couple teams and has supported the sport very well - and the rest of the airspeed group is probably better than her (past and present members) tom doesn't want to downplay anyone's achievements he just wants to know why someone with so little time in the sport could be chosen over someone that has hands down done more for the sport . congrats to natashia for her achievements (i know i will never be able to reach the level she is at) and i hope each year gets better for her. i hope that next year skydiving mag will show apreciation to some of the dedicated people that dedicate their time and efforts to making all of skydiving a better sport (like the instructor with the most students to graduate aff - or the organizer that organized the most loads at the most boogies - or combinations of everythig)

[EirAnne 0]

The original posting for this discussion was a pretty vicious rant about how Natasha bought her team, US Nationals and a world meet ,and how unworthy that was of any accolades let alone the Skydiver of the Year Award. It also addressed the issue that she had made no other contributions to the sport, nor would she in the future and that this was not the purpose of the award, therefore the committee who selected her should be hung, drawn and quartered.

This skydiving award is for Skydiver of the Year. It refers to the previous 12 months and seeks to recognize an individual for a significant contribution that affects people on a national or international level. I think this criteria naturally narrows the field. Within that group, Natasha's selection is not so surprising. The award is a subjective choice and there were only a few people who qualified. She had as good a chance as many, better than most. As with most things, not everyone is going to agree with the final choice.

And so to the money issue............ how sad that it all is portrayed so black and white. If you have money you win, if you don't ...boo hoo to you. You could have been a contender, if only for the money...... How could it possibly be that simple, how many people with money have tried and failed?

Any National Team and some very good teams seeking to become National Champions have sponsorship. Do you think Airspeed, The Golden Knights, The Norwegian and French National Teams, or the Russians pay for their jumps? Of course not. Did it make any of their victories any less spectacular? No.

Why does it matter that the jumps of DeLand Fire were paid by Natasha Montgomery rather than Larry Hill, the French Federation or in terms of the Golden Knights, the US Government. For some reason, the fact that she was willling to finance her own team is seen as impure and tainted, whereas all of these other teams who also have had funding are seen as virtuous and that their victory's are not marred by filthy money. There is an argument that because she was willing to spend her own money maybe the victory was even sweeter. I don't believe that, but the argument is just as valid.

Natasha's achievement was to break an invisible barrier. Prior to her victory, it was always believed impossible to achieve a gold medal in 4-way without many years and an investment of huge numbers of jumps, yes even with the advent of the wind tunnel. When she set her sights, no one had done it before. They had tried, even people with money. Tried and failed. Like Roger Bannister breaking the 4-minute mile, in the future, this will happen more often because people now believe it is possible.

I see someone who had a dream that very few people in the world would either understand or recognize, the courage, determination, means and talent to see it through, (broken vertebrae and all), and the ability to take the victory when it came. I find it easy to find that inspiring.

[brianfry713 0]

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This skydiving award is for Skydiver of the Year. It refers to the previous 12 months and seeks to recognize an individual for a significant contribution that affects people on a national or international level.

Is that the selection criteria quoted from the magazine? I think it was run a few months ago when they were looking for write in nominations.

To all that are complaining about her winning because of her money, don't forget that this isn't a cheap sport for any of us. Most of us spend a reasonable amount of money just getting licensed, buying gear, travel, and jumps. I know I have lots of friends that would love to get to the A license, $20 a jump point but can't afford the $5,000 or so it would take to get there. Some of them are probably jealous of the casual weekend skydivers, like some of us are jealous of the superstar or rich skydivers.

I haven't read the newest mag yet, but I thought they did a good job with the previous article they ran about her. It being a news mag they're probably looking for someone who's done something interesting or newsworthy in the last year. I think Natasha probably qualifies for that.

[Pulse 0]

I think the Skydiver of the Year award should be given to all of us.

That way there are no losers! How great would that be?

"Any language where the unassuming word fly signifies an annoying insect, a means of travel, and a critical part of a gentleman's apparel is clearly asking to be mangled."

[DSE 3]

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I think the Skydiver of the Year award should be given to all of us.

That way there are no losers! How great would that be?

Everyone that jumps is a winner...just that some win bigger than others.

[PeterB 0]

Ah seems I was wrong. It's been done before by several people.

Crap there goes that theory.

Kind of tips the scale from SoTY-worthy to a 'Impressive. Most impressive. Obi-Wan has taught you well.'.

[Vallerina 2]

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Some of them are probably jealous of the casual weekend skydivers, like some of us are jealous of the superstar or rich skydivers.

Right on!!! I think that was the best made point in this thread. I remember being a poor, college student thinking how nice it would be just to have my own gear!!!!

As I said before, I don't know Natasha, but it is inspiring to see someone achieve so much so fast. I have no desire to "blow out someone else's candle to make mine shine brighter." I'm never going to win a gold medal in skydiving (I plan to put my nephews in the tunnel soon...so maybe they will ). The fact that someone else can, and can achieve it so quickly, doesn't take the joy of the sport away from me. If anything, someone like her working hard/training hard makes me appreciate the sport that much more. I think it's great that nothing is unattainable in my favorite hobby.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...girls kick ass

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning