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airtwardo

Memories!

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We tried one out of the Otter at Spaceland. Jack Berke organized it. Giant fun funnel.

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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Twardo.....just had a flashback laughin fit!
Oct 1985's cover.....the guy lurking in the background was on the dive, and should'a closed 2-3rd. He was all excited that he'd made the cover...till we poured water on that by pointing out
that people all over the world now had a picture of him ...being "out" !

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Twardo.....just had a flashback laughin fit!
Oct 1985's cover.....the guy lurking in the background was on the dive, and should'a closed 2-3rd. He was all excited that he'd made the cover...till we poured water on that by pointing out
that people all over the world now had a picture of him ...being "out" !




***

I had a couple of those...

Kind of like hearing an old song on the radio, brings back what I was doing and where I was when a certain issue came out.

The Aug. 78 had the guy I ended up living with for several year in Ca. named as the Men's Overall 3rd place winner.B|










~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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Doc John (you can see his name on the postal labels on some of the covers) was learing video in '87/88 and took a great still of me when I was at my first boogie. It's still on the wall at home. I like the Yo Mamas, they have fun.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

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Did'ya ever get a letter printed in the mag?
Early on in my long (6 year) carrier...I wrote them and wore'm out about not having enough skydive pics in their dang SKYDIVE magazine...and they printed it!:D

They also printed one I sent in after I bouncedB| Yeeeaaaahhhhh....bouncing pretty much guarantees you some column space!B|

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Did'ya ever get a letter printed in the mag?
Early on in my long (6 year) carrier...I wrote them and wore'm out about not having enough skydive pics in their dang SKYDIVE magazine...and they printed it!:D

They also printed one I sent in after I bouncedB| Yeeeaaaahhhhh....bouncing pretty much guarantees you some column space!B|




***

This is a letter of mine that was published in "Parachutist" in April last year....
It was in answer to a letter from a student about
the high cost of going to the nationals...


*********************************************

I took special interest in the ‘Who Foots the Bill’ articles in Februarys “Letters and Viewpoints” section.
Like the author of the first letter , I went to Southern Illinois University. And like the author of the second, I went to my first Collegiate Nationals in 1980.
Reading the letter from SIU’s Mr. Lee, I question which has changed in these 20 some years, the University or the Student.
I actually decided upon Southern Illinois University as I was told they had an active parachute team. Unfortunately I was to later find out that if there was to be a team, it would be up to me and another rookie jumper to start it. We did, and in the process learned more than any business class could hope to offer.
Perhaps a few ideas on how we got to the Nationals back then, would be of some help to the current club.
You might start by thinking big, endeavor to be the top sports organization on campus. Become visible, generate interest. We advertised like crazy for members, experienced jumpers and hopefuls alike, all were welcomed. We gave presentations in the Student Union, Dorms, Frats, to other athletic clubs and student organizations...anywhere, anyone would have us. In no time, we had one of the largest club memberships on campus. Join the club and get a cool skydiving tee-shirt, and your picture in the club newsletter to send home to Mom. Soon our team/club Name and Logo were everywhere. There is power in numbers, especially if you work toward a positive goal. Our goal was to take ten team members to the Nationals, and the club worked toward it, from every angle we could think of.
We volunteered our people for food drives, Special Olympics, City-Clean-Up day. Skydiving generates media interest, press releases to City and Campus Television, Radio and Newspapers ran often, mentioning what we were up to ‘this week’. All proceeds our volunteer efforts brought, went into the competition fund. I made a deal with the local DZO for a donation of $20.00 for all 1st jump students the club brought to jump at the dropzone. Half went into the fund, half was the club members discount. As a Jumpmaster and Instructor, I taught the static-line course on campus weekly and jumpmastered them the following weekend. We never had a class numbering less than ten.
The DZO made money and the club made money.
Upon invitation, members of the Golden Knights came to an on campus meeting to school us on relative work competition, as well as do a bit of ARMY recruiting. Bill Hayes, then the regional director came to our dropzone to give instruction on Style and Accuracy. Club member’s motivation and morale was unbelievable.
We quickly became one of the more popular sports organizations on campus, with both students and faculty.
The positive press became leverage on our behalf when we approached the university for funds to “assist” us in representing our university in National Collegiate Competition. We researched all aspects of our proposal. We assured the board maximum benefit for a relatively minimal fraction of their activities budget. We represented ourselves in a professional manner, handouts from USPA, DZ photos, press clippings and testimonials were part of the presentation package.
We found the university to be very receptive to our approach.
They agreed to supply us with a transport van and fuel, camping equipment, entrance fees, and enough jump tickets for a few weekends of team practice prior to the nationals.
There was enough extra money in our club fund to pay all expenses for a weekend of inter-club competition to select the top ten that would go to Arizona.
Upon returning to school following the national meet, we gave the school board our written report. In addition to the Parachutist article covering the event, we included our observations, recommendations and goals for the following year. They were impressed enough to contract the team to perform demos into home football games. When I graduated in May of ‘81, there was over a thousand dollars in the club fund, and what the other officers and I believed to be a successful blueprint for a continued involvement in State and National competition.
Recently I visited the SIU skydiving club’s website, and I have to wonder if the club’s officers are utilizing their available resources to the fullest.
In college you are literally surrounded with smart, talented, energetic individuals looking to add achievements to a resume. Take that available labor pool, and build a company. Create a mission statement and break into teams, use the marketing people, the communications people, students of public relations and business.
Be creative, think ‘out of the box’ for ways to achieve your organization’s goals. College is a great place to start developing those kinds of skills, trust me it won’t be any easier once you hit the job market.
It appears as though the relative cost to take a team to the Collegiate Nationals really hasn’t changed much in the 20 years since I competed. I’m hoping my old club’s desire and determination to do what it takes to get there hasn’t changed either.










~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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SO how many times does the altimeter have to go around before it's reading properly?




***

It was special one of a kind altimeter...cost old Spectre 2.7 million dollars, but he said it was worth double that...because of the tax write off from the Smithsonian he got....which worked out even better than hoped because at the presentation..he met Jay Leno..and his whole comedy career was launched!:ph34r:










~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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Does anyone know if that is the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia on the cover of the October 1982 Parachutist Mag? It sure looks like it. If so, does anyone know who the CREW Dogs are in the picture? I also wonder who's plane they jumped from (obviously not a base jump) and where they landed. That picture looks like they would be directly over the middle of the Delaware River. I know several people that have base jumped the Ben Franklin and landed in the river and along the banks of the river.

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Well, I found the issue and just to set the "record:)"Artist Paul Bond is a skydiver and commercial artist in Des Plaines, Il. He first envisioned this 12-way 'planet' after seeing films on TV of the first 50-way at Elsinore, CA. Bond has spent much free time since then drafting, sketching and painting this artwork, an appropriate symbol of skydiving in the decade to come. He feels this dive 'is the next logical step in freefall formations,' and adds 'I hope people have fun trying to figure out how to do this one in freefall.'"

HW (packrat)

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I hope people have fun trying to figure out how to do this one in freefall


Well, I do know that holding on really really tightly, and rolling it out the door of an Otter, doesn't work :ph34r:

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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> Cool . . .

> Why hasn't this one been actually done yet?

> http://manifestmaster.com/...utist/big1980_02.jpg

I believe that formation was invented by Matt Farmer
in 1975 at the Gulch.

His "sketch" of the dirt dive was a model built out of
pipe cleaners (those long white things with a wire inside).

We tried it a couple times a year or two after that at
Pope Valley, but is was just a big funnel.

I should imagine that with today's skill and a tail gate
it would be possible.

Skr

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Not to mention that establishing a 'rapport' with the figure-skating club, the x-country ski club, etc., is a great way to meet cool chicks!
If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

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