Formation names, and other stuff

[Orange1 0]

I tried a search but it didn't seem to give me what i was looking for, which is how did skydiving formations get their names - other than the obvious ones just describing the shape ... are others (like meeker for example) named after people, or what? who "invented" the formations? when did the "dive pool" as such actually begin, and what factors cause it to change from time to time?

Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.

[quade 3]

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are others (like meeker for example) named after people, or what?

Yes. In that particular case, Scott Meek. From what I recall about the story, he was on the USPA competition comittee or an advisor to it and wanted to come up with something symetrical and easy to take out the door. Works!

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who "invented" the formations? when did the "dive pool" as such actually begin, and what factors cause it to change from time to time?

Old-school formations where mostly named for the shapes. Snowflake, diamond, catepillar are all pretty obvious.

The dive pool NOW chages as a result of the FAI/IPC, the organization that if responsible for international competition. The USPA, follows their rules (for the most part).

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[ltdiver 3]

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Yes. In that particular case, Scott Meeks. From what I recall about the story, he was on the USPA competition comittee or an advisor to it and wanted to come up with something symetrical and easy to take out the door. Works!

If memory serves, he fought the idea of it being named after him. He lost.

ltdiver

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

[wmw999 2,163]

No "S" in Meek. Scott Meek. He started in Houston. He was also an early traveling jumper, going from Houston to SoCal for team training in the 70's.

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)

[quade 3]

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No "S" in Meek. Scott Meek. He started in Houston. He was also an early traveling jumper, going from Houston to SoCal for team training in the 70's.

Wendy W.

The fault is mine, not hers.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[patworks 5]

History of formations.
Today: Formation Skydiving
Yesterday: Sequential RW
Before yesterday: post-star maneuvers
Before that: fun jumping
- - - - - -
The earliest names described no-contanct dances in the air. In times of pre-history when dragons flew (Puff, the Magic Dragon), Skratch Garrison mentored sky art with not-round formations which focused upon the flying between the formations and not the formations themselves. Some involved close proximity flying without contact. It was skydancing. Formation names included some terms from square dancing that reflected the movement not the touching. Terms like allemande left, do-si-do, cross to the center self explain. Beautiful visions and wonderful dives.

Many (most?) of the names came from the early 4-way events which preceded 10 ways by some years. Then, the clock for points started after exit and after an initial 4-way star was completed. This was followed by a mandatory back-loop. Then the 4-way team started doing the assigned formations. Named for their shape and whimsy, they included the star, line, accordion, caterpillar, and a few others. Competitors on the USPA Competition Committee added new formations annually.

Before 10-way competition got recognized some teams did alternate formations as a part of their 10-way speed star practice and competition routines. In the early 70's The James Gang (Hinckley) and the All Stars (Ca) did a 10-way star; ten way-line; two-five man stars; ten-way star in competition.

Also during that time we did things like an 11-way accordion in bathing suits. Later, in about 1974, in the Oregon and Washington areas, large 15-way formations were created and named by their creators. Carl Boenish captured many of these.

Smaller groups in California, Arizona, Texas, Illinois, and Florida were doing the same thing. About then BJ Worth wrote "Tempting our Imaginations." And the recorded history of formation skydiving continued. The resulting USFET and Cottingham's photography and the early sequential meets helped set the stage for today.

A bit later, one of the original types, Pat Works grabbed his experience and melded it with SKRs vision of skydance and formed a 9-way team that did only 3D skydance maneuvers such as Up fountain, front loop entry, elevator, swinging-gate, patty-cake, red-rover and more. The team name was Skdance Medley (Perris).

So, the language of formation skydiving started about 1963 and its dictionary has enlarged ever since. Our Language evolves.

Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

[jdobleman 0]

Damn, Pat, it's good to hear your words once again.

madjohn

Main goals in life: Be on the "Jumpers Over Eighty" (JOE) World Record and attend the Lost Prairie Boogie once after I'm gone.

[ZigZagMarquis 8]

... yeah... I figured Puff... the magic dragon had something to do with some of those names...

[Orange1 0]

Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.

[skr 1]

> Damn, Pat, it's good to hear your words once again.

Yes, it is.

I haven't been around much the last few months but
I've seen several Pat-posts as I'm dipping back in.

I can even still understand what he's saying!

I probably shouldn't tell my doctor that though,
he might order more tests :-) :-)

Skr

[AMax 0]

amazing ... thanks for posting this :)

[howardwhite 5]

Well, there are names for things, and then there are whuffo perceptions about what those names mean....
This is one of a set of cartoons, published in Canpara in 1983 by Sandy MacHattie. Others later.

HW

[fastphil 0]

Dragging a two way outta the plane is what we usta call a "Dallas Pin". I figured it was because thats the only way they could get together in Dallas...

[howardwhite 5]

And how 'bout "Docking a wedge" ?

HW