What do you look for in a LO

[Michele 1]

Quote

I have never seen Chris spend his money to help someone or give a packing lesson just because someone was struggling.

I have. He has been more than willing to reach out to me...starting right after my cutaway, and through the last time I've seen him. He was never too busy to give me a hug, some encouragement, and the offer stands from him to grab him for a jump any time. He has answered questions, even when I didn't know he was in the middle of a training day. And trust me, it's not because I was "fresh meat" or "cute".

I have never been asked on any jumps at Perris by you...and while you've always had a cheerful smile and some positive commentary, you have also never once asked me to participate on any load...and *I* would've paid for your ticket - I do that, you see, as a thank you...

Just my personal, first hand observations...based solely on my own experience...which may or may not matter in the big picture, and may or may not apply to other newbies.

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[Albatross 0]

I will try and deescilate this. I am not trying to out down anyone. I am not saying that I am better than anyone, that anyone is a bad skydiver, or a poor LO. In this arena I am looking for what people want.
I will be the first to admit that I have not done much recently with the LO program recently. That is not because I think that I am better than or don't want to but rather because I have spent a ton of money on 4-way. That is my love and my passion. I have also taken a hard lookat my DZ and the sport in general and really would like to and am looking forward to helping people enjoy, learn and stay in the sport. As for not helping people That is not true. I offer advice as often as I can. I am not often in the position to give it as an LO or Instructor. As for packing advice, I don't think that I know enough about it to offer much help.

Chris

[kallend 1,672]

Quote

Sorry: I have a bit over 3300 jumps, every instructional rating that we use in this part of the country, and quite a bit of experience in every aspect and discipline in every part of skydiving I have ever put my mind to.

No need to apologize for having 3300+ jumps!

...

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

[sducoach 0]

Be cool and remember, blue over green is a good thing!

Blues,
J.E.

James 4:8

[Michele 1]

JE,

Quote

make it out to the Midwest

Someday I will take you up on that one, my friend....someday!

'Til then, I've got Elsinore, which has a most fantastic 2, 3 and 4 way camp going every weekend that has no charge, designed for newbies and lowtimers, and is decidedly most excellent. So maybe when I get there, I'll actually be good....or at least not as bad as now. LOL!!!

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[Shark 0]

Quote

JE,

Quote

make it out to the Midwest

Someday I will take you up on that one, my friend....someday!

'Til then, I've got Elsinore, which has a most fantastic 2, 3 and 4 way camp going every weekend that has no charge, designed for newbies and lowtimers, and is decidedly most excellent. So maybe when I get there, I'll actually be good....or at least not as bad as now. LOL!!!

Ciels-
Michele

And what about us midweek people??? Wenesday is the weekend for some.

[Michele 1]

Quote

Wenesday is the weekend for some. [Wink]

Why yes, Sharky, recently, Wednesday has generally been my entire weekend. It's Saturday and Sunday all wrapped into one for me...sometimes I am slow on a Sat. or Sun., and then I can get out there...but it's not often...

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[rjackson 0]

Since I have been jumping LO loads for most of my skydiving career Id like to add to quades point. Saftey is number one and it should be for each skydive. After that FUN is next, after all thats why we do this. Fun means different things to different people. Fun could be getting a great big way together, turing fifteen plus points on a four way or it could be having a great time with friends on a zoo load ((exit, funnel, round, funnel, round...) MB loads @ Perris )

The bottom line, keep it safe and fun.

BTW Darrel, I always enjoyed your loads @ Perris. Good Job.

---------------------------------------------

Randy

[skybytch 259]

Quote

BTW Darrel, I always enjoyed your loads @ Perris. Good Job.

I'll second that. I learned a lot jumping with Darrlyd last year.

[dgskydive 0]

I want to defend Chris. I have just recently made my way back to Perris and Chris has been very helpful. He is doing a great job as LO. He really thinks out his dives and did the dives worked! Which is more then can be said for some of the other LO's. He took time to consider the experiance level of the jumpers on the jump and gave everyone a slot that challenged them and made the jump fun. Is it really an lo's job to teach packing? Isn't that a requirment for your A license? If you can't pack, hire a packer. There is no reason why a licensed jumper should not no how to pack. Being able to pack is a different story, (bad back,bad knees). If I want to jump with an LO I want to be able to jump not have to sit around and wait for him to teach a packing class to someone who didn't pay attention the first time he was taught! Let me make sure this point is clear. I'm not talking bad about any of the Lo's at Perris, and they are not in control of each jumpers actions in the air. It is just that Chris really took the time to ask questions and design dives that worked well. And he gave feedback after the jump which, honestly none of the other LO's I have jumped with took the time to do.

Dom

[cptnstratn 0]

Hi Chris,

Good thread so far. I've currently got a little over 600 jumps. I like dives that work. I like getting advice, pointers or kudos, especially if I did something especially well. Group size isn't all that important to me, just depends what I want to work on that day. I also have no problem jumping less complicated dives to assist lower jump numbered people with their skills. If I want more complicated jumps, I will be a little more selective in picking the group I jump with. That's up to me to make happen.

From personal observations, I think that most LO's could benefit from prior planning. Have a series of jumps already designed for various group sizes and experience levels. This will save time during the dirt-dive. Also, it will generate credibility because the people you organize will see that you have a plan. Stick to the plan, yet be flexible enough to make changes to get the dive to work. For example, remove outfacing formations if the experience level isn't there. Try to stick to the plan, don't change it half-way through the dirt dive. Ask questions, lots of questions. About experience level, comfort level, prior jump success, etc. Stress safety.

It's easy to forget how much stress we underwent when we didn't have more than 100 jumps, so try to destress the jump as much as possible. Smile in freefall, smile in the landing area. Give a thorough debrief. (Even if the jump didn't build at all, a debrief really sends a message of committment to the load.) If someone really screws up, don't point it out in front of the group, but take them aside and talk about it individually. If someone does well, point it out for the whole group. Let people give input, but remember that you're the organizer and sometimes you have to veto that input.

Hope this isn't just ramble, and that you get something from it.
Blue Skies, good luck, see ya soon!!!
Steve

Quote

I am finding myself in charge or setting up a LO program and am tryign to figure out what people are looking for in the program. Do you just want someone to jump with? Do you want an LO who can give advice? Is sucess important or is just getting in the air enough? Would you mind having a small and a big group? Would it bother you if you were asked to jump in the less complicated dives to improve skills?
Lots of questions but bottom line is how many jumps do you have and what would an LO program do for you in the perfect skydiving world?

[livendive 8]

Rather than describing attributes, I'll just give examples. You don't have to go far to see a really good LO. Just go see Walt. Of the LO's I've jumped with in S. Cal (admittedly not a lot), he's the most fun, but he also keeps an eye on success. To state the obvious, uou have a great talent pool to draw from at Perris.

Farther north, at Byron and sometimes Lodi, MadJohn (John Dobleman) is the best organizer I've jumped with anywhere. If you haven't jumped with him at Lost Prairie, you've missed out. He has an ability to seamlessly blend challenge with pure fun, and the results are often worth long logbook entries.

Avoid skygods like the plague.

Blues,
Dave

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

[happythoughts 0]

The primary item is "goals". What is the group looking for? Challenges? Fun? Weird?

Identify the goals of the group. If it is mixed, then split the group. Low-timers want a successful, learning jump. They will not be successful with an experienced group. Experienced jumpers may want challenging dives. Sometimes, groups just want fun, new, and interesting dives.

If there are problems, criticize in private. Praise in public.