TallGuy

Well there ya go Slug. With Amazon as your personal body guard you have nothing to fear. Besides even with the local situation it's still an amazing time and well worth attending. I'd really hate to think that anything I said would sway you to decide not to come. I think you did an excellent job of demonstrating the effect of the situation. If nothing is done more and more skydivers may opt not to return or come for the first time. I guess what I'm saying is that perhaps we should at least establish some sort of consensus/petition with the DZ and the bar that we want something to be done. I'm worried that I'm overreacting. Certainly with last year being my first year there. But as you stated and as I've heard from so many others this is a problem and it just isn't getting better. Just in case anyopne else is reading this and deciding whether or not to come. Last year was the best time of my life. In my opinion even better than the WFFC. The jumps are a blast, the scenery incredible, the side activities will make you feel like a young kid again, and the sense of community and friendship is like nothing I have ever experienced. I hope that if you are the type of person that can appreciate that kind of environment you will come join us there this summer.

I don't know how much of it really falls under the DZ. Certainly they need to be able to take in tandems and students. However if the bar is promoting the parties as open to the general public that should probably stop. Especially as the majority of the general public were under age kids many of whom were stealing from the campers. I think it might be a good idea if they were to handle it like the WFFC does. Everyone gets a wristband which identifies them as Jumpers and Guests. If they don't have a wristband then they aren't welcome. Of coarse this means we'd need some form of security to enforce it. Non-jumpers (excluding friends and familly of tandems and students) could pay a fee which could go towards paying for a private security person to enforce the rules and help keep the peace. I know it sounds dramatic but everyone seemed cool with it in Rantoul. And I'd hate to be the guy brought up on charges for teaching a whuffo to show a reasonable amount of respect for the people I care about if it gets rougher than it did last year.

I sure hope it's not needed. Playing with friends is so much more fun. In fact I'd really like to know if there is anything we can do to keep this event more private this year. I heard last year the bar posted an add essentially inviting the locals to their own personal Mardi Gras and that a tour bus actually dropped a bunch of them off. I don't know this for certain. It's just something I heard. I think it would be great if we as a community let it be known that we don't feel good about the effect of the locals on OUR event. It'd be fine if they could come and be respectful but that's just not happening. I witnessed a lot of really bad tension and aggression on both ends. I genuinely fear that if it happens this year someone could get hurt. Anyone got ideas on what could be done?

Oh sure now I'm your hero. But where will I be 30 minutes from now when someone worthy posts.

Sorry Sunny, I'm not lurking as much as I used to. Gimme some warning next time and at least I'll be able to make an effort to be there. Sorry to hear about your ankle.

Oh I guess I can come out of hiding to keep this thread alive. I can't wait to make it out to LP this year. I had such a fantastic time in 2003. I'll likely be just short of 500 jumps by the time it rolls around so I really hope the D license requirement for the Brewery jump is reduced to a C as a result of the new USPA license requirement. Man I get a warm fuzzy just thinking about it. Anybody writing songs for the choir and/or chorus?

I've only let one girl fall. But she had it coming. She though climbing me in involed her jumping on me and me lifting her the rest of the way.

Thanks Bigun. I still look up to you. I normally jump in Byron, CA at Bay Area Skydiving on the weekends as well as at any nearby boogie. Just ask to climb me and I'll do what I can to accomodate.

I certainly did! You're a good man to make it all smooth like that for me. Is this a personal hygene / shaving thread now? Shaving? What are you talking about? Get your mind out of the gutter!

That's true. And did you notice how it was free of hair?

Rosa my future kids will likely feel that smack you laid down on me. Word to the wise guys. You take you life in your own hands when you pick on this one. Thanks all. I just got a haircut within military specs but as of today I'll get to work restoring my mullet to it's former glory. It was great getting to know all of you, even Sunshine (thanks again for getting my reserve all neat and tidy after that thrilling cutaway). I look forward to being your jungle gym in the future.

Thanks RkyMtnHigh. It's a lot of hard work. Here's a photo to prove it.

--- Ride Share from/to San Francisco Bay Area --- I live in Alameda, CA and will be looking to ride share in my car with up to 2 more people to and from Eloy. I can leave as early as the evening of December 24th and depart Eloy as late as the early morning of January 4th. I'm flexible up to a couple days on either end. I'll want to split up gas cost and time behind the wheel.

No I'm sure I'll never forget that. Nor will the people we passed. I think the thing that scared me the most was you intent to get eye contact as tried to keep my attention propperly directed. Two lanes are fine for CarW. They don't even need to be in the same direction. I'm sorry I missed you. If I had known you were coming I wouldn't have. Fantastic since most of my jumps these days are in a birdman suit I think you'd get an extra big kick out of it. Shannon seemed to enjoy it.

You know something Bex? I was still confused about who you were after mentioning the camel thing I figured you were someone I had met at the Byron Boogie (since we tried it again there). But now that you mention going to school in Scotland It's clear to me that you are Ben's friend. I gotta tell you that you were definately missed when you didn't return to Byron. If you come back to the states you are under strict orders to pay us another visit. In the meantime I'll keep an eye out for you on here.

Wow I don't know what I did to deserve that but let me know so I can keep it up. Jim was definately thinking of making it out to Lodi but right now (especially with weather conditions) all plans are in the air.

Hi Bex, So I take it you are no longer in the states? Yeah it seems no party is complete without me being used as a jungle jim. If I try real hard I can pretend I don't like it.

Just wasting away again in Margaritaville.

Count me in.

You know I've been hearing about another skydiver in my airspace that goes by the nickname "Tree" I wonder if it's you. Back in High School that was one of the many nicknames I went by. So you've never borrowed a BirdMan suit before and now you want to borrow mine to go base jumping? Gee I don't know it's still kind of new and it'd be a shame to get it all torn up and blood stained. But if we ever are at the same DZ I'd be happy to let you take it out at a reasonable altitude with propper training from an instructor.

Or better yet, the "Tall Man" from the Phantasm movies. That would be Angus Scrimm Ahhhhh Once again my ears are burning!!! What about Gary Coleman or the guy that played Tatoo and Fantasy Island?

Heck I would have thought a confirmation from Jari president of the BridMan company would have been good enough. But if you say so...

Yeah Shannon got a big kick out of the photo too. She accused me of making her look like a midget.

Thanks Lou, that's real nice of you to offer to do that. I'd be a real jackass to refuse. I just hope the poor packers at my home DZ don't starve to death afterwards.

I would definitely say that I have the absolute opposite perception. When I bought my canopy it was so large, slippery, and self inflating that it packing it totally stressed me out. So I took a few people's advice and let someone else pack it for the first 50 or so jumps. Problem is that the pack class I had taken to get my A license wasn't so fresh in my head after I put 50 jumps on it and I knew it would take me like 40+ minutes to pack it so I just said to hell with it let them keep packing. Now I'm known as the skydiver that can't pack. Of all my 315+ jumps I think I've packed 5 of my own. I keep telling myself I am going to get refresher training and at least pack for myself on occasion but I never do. I think that people who pack for themselves are a couple notches higher on the coolness scale. Especially now that I'm flying a BirdMan suit which requires slight modifications on my pack job. So you're the Fonz in my book.