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stratostar

2007 Richmond The Boogie Roll Call

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Words cannot express mine and my family's, sincere appreciation and gratitude at everyone that reached out of our skydiving community to comfort our family during our time of pain and loss. It is unfathomable the amount of people that my Mom was able to touch so deeply, and to me how to imagine that she is gone and how I will live my life without her and her guidance.

So many people during this time have asked us what they could do and after so many times being asked this question my only response is to say, "please honor my Mother".

She was the megaphone for the skydiving community for over 35 years to the FAA, PIA, and USPA. Ensuring that all things were equal, and all things were in the best interest of the individual skydiver as well as the skydiving industry. Her life was dedicated to you, each one of you... honestly.

She organized the world's second largest skydiving event, second only to WFFC. She did this while running one of the most successful northern skydiving centers in the country and successfully raising five kids and adding one more along the way embracing him as if he were her own. She took us everywhere with her.

In later years of her life she wasn't always seen at the DZ, busy working in her flower beds, playing with her grandchildren and enjoying the time so deserved that she unknowingly had so little of. Nevertheless, Mom was always there with an idea. How to retain first jump students and turn them into skydivers, how to make the boogie just a little more entertaining, how to more efficiently operate a skydiving center, the list goes on and on.

I was just telling someone the other day. My first phone call in the morning was my Mom, and last one before I went to bed. During the day you could count on at least three small calls, or large depending on the available time either one of us had. She is my hero, and my whole life. As I grew older, my relationship with her more precious, with love that only my mother could give. Imagine how busy this alone made her, and realize that she did this for each of her children.

In this horrible time right now, as I sit typing this to all of you, I can only express my innermost desire to honor her and her life. I want to shout out at the mountain tops that this woman was my Mother and she made mine and your life better. I want everyone to know how much personal time and effort she put into making the sport of skydiving a better and safer place to be. I want people to know that no matter how horrible someone treated her, she would always have nice things to say about you, even if I didn't.

Everyone keeps asking... "What can I do?". I will say this again, please honor my Mother.

Many people have been questioning whether or not we would go through with Mom's boogie.Twenty years ago, two Fridays from now, Mom and Dad embarked on a journey that would open the mid-west to the world and bring people together year after year.

Richmond "THE" Boogie 2007 is the milestone that we were gearing up for. Mom and I have been excited about this since last year. This boogie is hers, and is in her memory. She wanted nothing more than it to be a success. Even after a few terrible rain years (03 & 06), she kept persevering and telling me that those that came to our boogie made it all worth it, that we had to keep the ball rolling for them.

Over the past week I have seen people long since out of skydiving as well as very new and fresh babies, coming to us and caring for us. I have told them each that Mom would have wanted them to come and join us for her this year. Jumping is not required. (Come on guys... she had never even made one skydive).

What was most important to my mother was family, anyone that met her felt her mother's love touch them. Come and help us make Mom's boogie the success she always aspired for it to be, one big family reunion.

Thank you again for your kind words and love, we look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,

Jaime

On Behalf of:

Dad Steve, Dad Jim, Jason & Emily, Stew & Emily, Eric & Kelli, Amy, Jaime & Jonny (and "the Kids")

Jaime Praeter
Skydive Wayne County, Inc.


Many have asked what the registration looks like for this year, currently we have the exact same amount of pre-registrations as in the past five years. Pre-registration tends to be approximately 8 - 10 % of the total registration... in other words... we're looking great. Pre-registration officially ends this Friday, August 24 - as do all pre-registration discounts. Click here: or the following www.skydiverichmond.ecrater.com should you want to take advantage of online discounts.

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Gator cart with PD flag flying on it. Or in the Locals tent, when it gets set up in the morning, (Friday) I will be LO'ing for all levels, leaning more towards to low to mid time jumpers. Mullins is here and ready to haul, PAX is to be here 10:30, twotter 12:00.

A number of posters on the roll call list are already here. See you others soon.:)

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

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Sigh. Been there and gone. Now I'm back at work.

I know many of you are still enjoying the last day of the Boogie. Tasha and I had to come home yesterday so I could work yesterday afternoon, but we crammed a hell of a lot of jumping, parting, and boobies (they make Shawn smile! :)
What a great Boogie! You couldn't ask for better weather, aircraft, or people. I only managed to get in 15 jumps, but had some great ones. Did a 7-way with Box Man that I still can't believe we turned all the points on. Completed a 1 point 18-way. Did a 4 way, double-rodeo. Jumped a round. (Thanks for that, Wes)! Got to hear Shawn yelling “It’s hooked up backwards!” after his round opened (REALLY, thanks for THAT, Wes!) Got to do a jump with Tony Hathaway filming it. (Yeah, I went low, sorry Tony.) Got to do three jumps with our former DZO Kenn Heismann. Like, I said, some great jumps.

And of course, did lots of Jell-O shots. Discovered some crazy mixture of Keystone Beer, Vodka, and Country-Time Lemonade that was surprisingly good. Got to reunite with many of the people that I met last year, and meet new ones that I already miss and look forward to seeing again.

Learned from “Tony Suit” Tony how to tie a half-hitch on an angel (using Mardi-Gras beads). (If you didn’t see it, I’m not explaining it.)

I managed to get through the Boogie without meeting a single person that I thought “Wow, that guy is a completely annoying asshole!” And since there is ALWAYS one around that probably means that it was me this year. Sorry to any I offended. (Now, fuck off and get over it.) See you all next year at THE Boogie, or maybe sooner as The Homeless Bardstown Gang roams from DZ to DZ.

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You must not've met Duane then. Not an asshole just really annoying after a few days. You guys made fun of us Friday at the fire just because we laughed 18 hours straight Thursday.
"If it wasn't easy stupid people couldn't do it", Duane.

My momma said I could be anything I wanted when I grew up, so I became an a$$hole.

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well after my first boogie under my belt had a great time !! missed the round but let you make up for that next time stratostar

Did some realy fun jumps and a couple with Box Man a great guy that I walked away with some good feedback.

Had a couple of firsts. A no contact 8 way (didn't mess it up to badlyB|) First night jump !! thaks to the Scott for that it was well set up and was a realy fun jump I'm still stoked from it.

Had some jumps not work out quite as planed but every one was safe and made it down to talk about it and try again.

The Reggae band was good lots of wood was burned and kegs empied Lookforward to next time !!!

SO this one time at band camp.....

"Of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most."

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Well, I survived (I think). Had an absolutely great time again this year, made some great jumps, met some great people, got covered in some great whipped cream, allowed some great protective equipment to expire unused, heard some great special announcements over the PA, threw and dodged some great peanuts, was repeatedly mistaken for a great DZO that sent the Twin Otter this year all weekend, all around a great time!

Had a blast on the round jump, and didn't land farthest out :)
We made the triple "double 0" jump (my 500, another jumper's (Molly) 100, and the third jumpers 1400 (Jeff), an 18 way that completed and held for a good 5 seconds before breakoff, the largest formation I'd been in.

Was on the night 6 way, was a fantastic view of the city and airport lights. We funnelled right out the door, but got the 6 way back together, in the dark, long enough to hold it a few seconds before breakoff at 6500. Nightshot on the camera does work for these jumps, I'll have to remember next time to check and make sure I have enough tape left for the entire jump!

Made my first jump with someone on their head (me sitting), and managed to stay stable enough to allow them to dock, never did get the other jumpers name, but that was a lot of fun as well.

Already looking forward to the boogie next year!

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