WOW! Responses to BOD notes posting

[MikeTJumps 4]

I am truly impressed with the number of contributions I've been reading in response to my posting of my notes from the BOD meeting.

What I'm wondering is where was all this thought out input prior to the BOD meeting. Time and time again, I've heard that "The USPA does nothing but hand out rules and dictates policy." Well folks, if you have an opinion on something, you should communicate it with your S&TA, your BOD Regional Director, and your National BOD members. In that way, you'll make your presence far more well known than posting here in a newsgroup that is rarely read by BOD members.

I've been in this sport for 28+ years and I've been an instructor for more than 26 of them. When the old "3-3" program was about to be thrust upon us, the groundswell of opposition made itself well known and the then S&T committee became very aware of the opposition to the propositions.

Get into an active mode and let your BOD members know your opinions personally! Don't just wait for something to happen and then react to it. Call or write them and ask them to keep you informed about what is "coming down the pipe" so to speak. Converse with them. Get their opinions and give them yours. That's what I do and I have been going to the BOD meetings for the last seven years as a non-BOD member.

As the I/E rating is now not being issued, one must look towards the future as to what a course director will be and what hoops we need to jump through to retain our course director privileges. The "AIC" program appears to be the way that is going to be implemented.

All Dropzones must exercise good judgment as to who can jump with whom. The USPA S&T committee set up "minimum" guidelines, not absolute ones.

Again, get involved. Elect someone who represents your thoughts and aspirations. Too many one candidate slates and less than 10% vote turnout gives the impression that the population either doesn't care or can't be bothered to be involved.

Blue Skies!

Mike Turoff
Instructor Examiner, USPA
Co-author of Parachuting, The Skydiver's Handbook

[bozo 0]

Mike who ? :o)


bozo

bozo
Pain is fleeting. Glory lasts forever. Chicks dig scars.

[Ron 7]

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What I'm wondering is where was all this thought out input prior to the BOD meeting. Time and time again, I've heard that "The USPA does nothing but hand out rules and dictates policy." Well folks, if you have an opinion on something, you should communicate it with your S&TA, your BOD Regional Director, and your National BOD members. In that way, you'll make your presence far more well known than posting here in a newsgroup that is rarely read by BOD members.

Yep...Been ignored and told to go away.

I have tried SEVERAL times to talk to the USPA and most times been ignored...One exception, but he was ignored when he brought it up.

1. The competition rules for player coaches.
2. WL charts. (Now they seem to be acting like they care, but that was not always the case)

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Call or write them and ask them to keep you informed about what is "coming down the pipe" so to speak. Converse with them. Get their opinions and give them yours. That's what I do and I have been going to the BOD meetings for the last seven years as a non-BOD member.

I aways get told, "Go to the meeting" or "run for office".

I can't take time off and fly to a meeting just to be ignored.....My Gf has two cats, I can be ignored sitting in my living room.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[bob.dino 0]

It would be nice if prospective changes were posted to the relevant forum on dropzone.com a month or so before the BOD meeting to allow comment.


/not a uspa-member, due to being on a different continent.

[NWFlyer 2]

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It would be nice if prospective changes were posted to the relevant forum on dropzone.com a month or so before the BOD meeting to allow comment.


/not a uspa-member.

I was gonna say something like that.

And I am a USPA member.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[MikeTJumps 4]

I don't think the USPA offices will post anything to Dropzone.com. What is done is to post an agenda on the USPA website. The S&T newsletter comes out from HQ and goes to all S&Ts and (I believe) all BOD members. Find one locally and ask them for help in opening up the channels of communication.

Again, if there is a groundswelling of opinion that makes itself known, the BOD will see it.

Mike

[mdrejhon 8]

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It would be nice if prospective changes were posted to the relevant forum on dropzone.com a month or so before the BOD meeting to allow comment.

There's lots of precedent for this. It wouldn't be too different from a request for public comment, like from city planning, etc.

It plays on human psychology. When an unfavourable change is threatened to be made, people are MORE likely to respond. It's just human nature...

[NWFlyer 2]

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I don't think the USPA offices will post anything to Dropzone.com. What is done is to post an agenda on the USPA website. The S&T newsletter comes out from HQ and goes to all S&Ts and (I believe) all BOD members. Find one locally and ask them for help in opening up the channels of communication.

Again, if there is a groundswelling of opinion that makes itself known, the BOD will see it.

That's something I guess I, as a USPA member, need to educate myself on then. What *are* the methods of communication that USPA uses to tell its members what the potential changes are (beyond a meeting agenda) and how members can provide input?

[billvon 2,426]

>Get into an active mode and let your BOD members know your opinions personally!

Well, in one case I talked to Q, DJan, and Scott Smith, wrote a bunch of emails and a letter to PARACHUTIST. Took about two years for anything at all to happen. That something did happen is good - but it does takes some effort.

[AFFI 0]

Sorry, I was going to make my opinions known prior to the meeting but "the wind pushed my brain to the wrong handle."

[bob.dino 0]

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I don't think the USPA offices will post anything to Dropzone.com.

Why? It's the Single Best Source for Skydiving Information ©, and a lot more people would see the info here than on the USPA site - a place they don't normally visit every other day.

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Again, if there is a groundswelling of opinion that makes itself known, the BOD will see it.

If they don't know about it, there won't be a groundswell of opinion.

[uponone 0]

Agreed. I haven't been to the USPA website in months but I visit this site every day I'm at work. I hate to break it to you old farts at USPA but this is called the "internet" and this is what us youngins use to communicate with eachother now.

I get the same thing from AMA. "Come to Board meetings", "talk to your district manager". Why can't you just go to the place with the most members present at any given time and make it public? Wouldn't it be cheaper to post here than to hold a meeting at some fancy hotel?

[stratostar 5]

Again, if there is a groundswelling of opinion that makes itself known, the BOD will see it.
(quote)

Yea right, maybe if the groundswelling is coming from a bunch of DZO's or a member of the good old boy network.
Seems to me they could care less about the individual member
other then getting their dues.
Many of us are tired of wasting our time dealing with it, I have better things to do wih my time like talking with a brick wall. The only reason I have a membership is cuz I have to in order to jump.
And spare me the usual non GM dz crap if you want to jump.
That's just my point of view, like it or not.

~

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[happythoughts 0]

As you said, people should get involved. Sometimes easier said than done. I doubt that I am going to take off time from work to attend meetings.

Everything on this site says "opinion". As you have noticed, there is a lot of "discussion" on just about everything. There are 12 sides to every issue and it will be dissected.

I'd say that posting something here on occasion will provide information to the members in a more effective way than the USPA website.

Thanks for taking the time to starting the original thread.

[bob.dino 0]

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Thanks for taking the time to starting the original thread.

Yup, should've said that in my original post. Good work MikeT.

[MikeTJumps 4]

The "WHY" most of the USPA officers or staff won't post on the newsgroup or dropzone.com is quite simple: The "NOISE LEVEL" and attack mode that many posters have created turns them off. This is why personal notes to them is far more effective.

The officers LOSE a lot of their personal time and money dealing with issues (they are unpaid officers). All they get is a meeting allowance and expenses. They have personal career jobs just like the rest of us that demand far more attention and time than the USPA activities do, yet they still try to be responsive to the needs of the community. This is one of the things that is evident in the discussions in the committee rooms because they talk out what they have been told in their discussions with the members and DZOs who have contacted them.

They do not operate "in the dark." The more information we the membership give them, the better informed their deliberations can become.

Mike Turoff

[livendive 8]

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I'd say that posting something here on occasion will provide information to the members in a more effective way than the USPA website.

It ain't much, but I post the S&T newsletter in the Safety & Training forum every time I get one. I used to try to do something called "Monday's with the BOD" on rec.skydiving, but participation by BOD members was pretty limited for a variety of reasons. If USPA doesn't want to use this informal channel of communication, perhaps they could be convinced to post occasional updates, meeting agendas, etc on their official page and someone could just copy & paste it here for broader dissemination. I don't see a great chance of that happening, but it seems more likely than them simply posting it here themselves.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[kelpdiver 2]

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The "WHY" most of the USPA officers or staff won't post on the newsgroup or dropzone.com is quite simple: The "NOISE LEVEL" and attack mode that many posters have created turns them off. This is why personal notes to them is far more effective.

If they post a summary like you did here, and then just read the responses before going on to the meeting, the noise is manageable.

Engaging is a different matter, esp on usenet.

[skybytch 259]

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The "WHY" most of the USPA officers or staff won't post on the newsgroup or dropzone.com is quite simple: The "NOISE LEVEL" and attack mode that many posters have created turns them off.

Perhaps a highly moderated forum on the USPA website specifically for USPA related issues would solve that problem.

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The officers LOSE a lot of their personal time and money dealing with issues (they are unpaid officers).

They knew that was the case when they ran for the office...

[jlmiracle 7]

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Perhaps a highly moderated forum on the USPA website specifically for USPA related issues would solve that problem.

I think that would be a great idea. Unfortunatly headquarters is slightly understaffed they way it is, and not all BOD have or uses a computer.

I know for a fact, (skybytch is not one) that most of the people on here bitching and whinning DON'T contact the BOD with their concerns or suggestions.

What's kinda funny (but not really) is the BOD probably got more e-mails on saving skyboarding then they have on canopy issues.

j

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[skybytch 259]

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Unfortunatly headquarters is slightly understaffed they way it is

No reason why it would have to be set up or maintained by USPA staff. I'm sure there are plenty of web savvy members who would be capable of doing so and willing to volunteer their time.

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and not all BOD have or uses a computer.

According to the list of BOD member contact info in this month's Parachutist all of them have email addresses. If they can manage to check their email I'd think they could find a way to read what members have to say on a USPA forum. If not, perhaps members should consider that when voting in the next election.

[jlmiracle 7]

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According to the list of BOD member contact info in this month's Parachutist all of them have email addresses. If they can manage to check their email I'd think they could find a way to read what members have to say on a USPA forum. If not, perhaps members should consider that when voting in the next election.

Very very good point. At the last summer BOD meeting a few Board members were slightly uninformed on a few issues because they don't and admitted to not checking their e-mails.

I think now would be a good time for someone to put together a list of what would makes a good Board member. I think most have been elected because its a name people are familiar with, not because they are doing a good job or are looking out for the best interests of the MAJORITY of the skydivers.

What I've seen lately in skydiving or at least reading some of the forums, is the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many. I would like to see that changed.

There are good BOD members but there are too many bad ones that keep getting elected and that's why things don't change or get better. Some good ones that get elected quit out of frustration after the first or second term, some are still hanging in there.

Judy

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[klingeme 0]

If the USPA actually cares about what skydives have to say, they would pay attention to sites like DZ.com. Does their website get more hits that this one? Which do they think skydivers frequent?

If they cared what we thought, they would go to where we are rather than making us come to them.

[MakeItHappen 15]

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The "WHY" most of the USPA officers or staff won't post on the newsgroup or dropzone.com is quite simple: The "NOISE LEVEL" and attack mode that many posters have created turns them off. This is why personal notes to them is far more effective.

This is a copout. If there was a plethora of posts made by BOD members that were attacked, I can see it. The truth is that only a few BOD members post here.

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No reason why it would have to be set up or maintained by USPA staff. I'm sure there are plenty of web savvy members who would be capable of doing so and willing to volunteer their time.

You mean something like this?
I couldn't even get the BOD to discuss BOD matters in a forum that was open only to BOD members, staff and advisors.

The technology is there. The resources are there. USPA doesn't want to do it. I'm not insane, so I won't be banging my head against the wall and expect different results.

If there are enough other members that want this and ask for it, it is available.
You won't get any sandbags from me.

.

.
Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[Andy9o8 0]

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If the USPA actually cares about what skydives have to say, they would pay attention to sites like DZ.com. Does their website get more hits that this one? Which do they think skydivers frequent?

If they cared what we thought, they would go to where we are rather than making us come to them.

My feelings exactly.