fozchek

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Everything posted by fozchek

  1. fozchek

    Thanks Jimmy Halliday

    Did he sleep with this one too? i really enjoy how tough people are within these forums when they have no name or dz listed. the irony of it is, jimmy wouldn't give a shit even if he did know you. i just want to know when DRAMA became synonomous with BASE? i mean, i have to believe that after enough rounds of finger-pointing, the finger will be pointed at yourself. i personally got a good look at my own back in september. there were many people on here and out there that called me 'bounce bait.' then again, all of that was behind my back. of course, i almost did bounce. that would be yet another reason for why i don't spend my days on a computer writing about others' decisions or shortcomings. the irony is this: not once did anyone bother to tell me their concerns. NOT ONCE. ...until after i woke up on my own. it just would have been nice to have known people were questioning my decisions and actions while i was doing them instead of after. has anyone tried the easy fix? talk to the kid/guy. tell him his actions and approach concern you. opt not to jump with him. beyond that, what are you gonna do? stirring shit up on here certainly isn't constructive. you're definitely not dissuading the kid in any way. personally, all of this would have made me more defensive and certain of the necessity to do it my own way. at least jimmy was looking out even if not in a manner that others agree with. did jimmy break some major code of ethics? seems that all of this could have best been handled privately. again, that would be my major complaint about these forums>>> oooh... let's all air dirty laundry and talk shit to/about each other. jimmy h just happens to be the guy that others love to hate. i like and respect the guy. i don't agree with all of his choices; he doesn't ask for anyone to agree with him. none of us is "bullet proof." especially when we are busy casting stones. i know you are all bored. otherwise you wouldn't be on here all of the time. me? i check on here to see who is the latest person i know that's died. and i must say, it hasn't been anyone jimmy has helped along, so for now, i know he's doing something right. with little over 100 BASE jumps, i am no expert, nor have i ever purported myself to be. but i can say this: i feel dumber for having read these posts.
  2. fozchek

    Karina

    any update on her condition? she is such an amazing woman, and i hope there have been some positive steps forward in her recovery.
  3. cliff was a character, to be sure. i met him years ago in z-hills when i was an aspiring freeflyer, and shared many a jump with him, both there and elsewhere. on friday i was passing briefly through eloy on my way to los angeles, and though in a hurry, i stopped to give him a big hug and catch up a bit. we both spoke of how things had changed for each of us, and that neither of us were 'going as hard' as we used to. i chuckled and brought up 'exanguanate,' which is one of the few words that even a word nerd like myself gives pause to spell correctly when writing (still probably got it wrong). the word means 'to drain of blood.' it was his little code. you had to put it in the subject line if you wanted him to actually open an email you sent to him. i never forgot that about him, and every time i saw him, or even heard mention of him, that crazy word would pop into my head. anyway. there's some fierce bigways going on somewhere if there's an afterlife. later cliff.
  4. i'd hate to go somewhere without my rig and then see a fantastic cliff. gimme an excuse to bring it. i looked at the topos and maps and such, but everything is entirely too vague. nothing has come up in searches either. anyone been?
  5. wow. i truly never considered that would happen. here i thought that taking responsibility was different from taking blame. i also thought that it would maybe help jumpers not some writer write an article. all too true that they had a rght to do it. it doesn't change the fact that those self-serving fucks just cheapened something that actually meant a lot to me. i was trying to move forward. not to mention the unnecessary suffering they are all too willingly plunging his family and friends back into. exploited. yeah, that's the word. ultimately,we all need to make certain that our actions still allow us to look ourselves squarely in the eye in the mirror at the end of the day. how are you doing with that, jano?
  6. I have truly appreciated everyone's comments and sentiments that have been made both publicly in this forum and privately. I feel blessed to have known Adam, though the time was all too short. The greatest blessing has been in having the opportunity to get to know his brother, Ben, his future sister-in-law, Stacey, and his inspiring wife, Tracy. Knowing and speaking with all of the aforementioned individuals has allowed me to let go of any guilt. We all make our own choices. It still doesn't mean that I don't feel sorrow for the circumstances and my role within them. My intention with my post was to accept responsibility for my role in the incident in a way that will hopefully encourage others to partake in a bit of self-reflection. Every jump that I make, I learn more about myself and this sport. On that jump, I learned more than I could hardly stand to absorb, in one go. I just hope that others don't have to learn those lessons in the difficult manner that I did. I was approaching BASE in the wrong manner. Adam was my 'reset button.' I honor him by continuing on as a safer, more introspective, more conservative jumper who has shitloads of fun coupled with longevity. I was blind, but now I see.
  7. I have been working on an appropriately objective report on the incident for the last week now. I realized something, though: that is not what I need right now. This is way too raw and real and life altering for me to try to 'step back' from it. I will complete the other eventually, if even just for myself, but for now, I really just need to let people now just how badly I fucked up that day. Sorry if it comes out a bit choppy, but quite frankly, it's a bit choppy in my head right now, too. I make no excuses, so please don't read any of this as such. I only want to take responsibility for my own role in the events that transpired. I was so excited to get to go down to Southern Mexico to jump a 3000 ft wall. The night after I arrived, we all had a safety briefing in regards to the jump. We were told this was a tracking cliff essentially, and that we should all take it easy. The day jumping was to begin, we all headed over to the landing area, which as has been stated previously was tight, but entirely doable. Really the only issue any of us really had regarding landing was the crocodiles, which were plentiful. Prior to jumping, we did not see any in the landing area, however, on the boat ride back to the van that was to take us to the exit point, we spotted 11 crocodiles. The fear was palpable among us. BASE is full on enough without having to worry about crocs. We took the van up to the viewing area which was adjacent to the exit point. We checked out the cliff from there, and some of us decided to head out to the exit point. Some stayed behind to watch others complete a jump before they did. All the while we all nervously joked about the crocs waiting for us below. It is almost humourous to me now that we were ever worried about crocs. Once by the exit point (the exit point was not to actually be seen until just about to jump, as it necessitated a 8 foot climb down), we all hung out for a bit, waiting for windblades to be put up, and ropes to be lowered down to the exit point. We were told that the launch direction was simply towards the landing area and that it was a 6 second rock drop. As we were milling about, I was scared out of my wits. Hindsight is of course 20/20, and I should have just backed down from the jump, because I think the lurking voice in the back of my head was telling me that it was beyond my experience level. It was. I was capable, but not ready for something of that magnitude. Adam and I decided between 10-15 minutes before we left that we were going to do a 2-way. Right before the first jumper left, we heard over the radio that there was a crocodile in the landing area. We all nervously laughed and dismissed it as a joke. The first jumper did a nice, uneventful wingsuit jump and landed in the water. The second jumper wearing a Prodigy Suit left and did a front flip. Neither Adam nor I saw the second, involuntary, flip, and we did not have radio contact with the viewing area or the landing area. I looked over the cliff and started checking what my line was going to be. Here is where all the holes in my logic started popping up. I looked and I saw something that wasn't there. I saw in my head that I could do a gainer into my track. I saw, but I didn't see. I was looking through inexperienced, naive, ignorant, fearful eyes. I fucked up. I looked over to Adam and said I was going to do a gainer. He looked back and said that he was going to do a front flip. I felt that click of reality in my head for a brief second before I pushed it away again, and asked "really?" He said yes. I looked over a few more times balking a bit at the jump. We decided I would go towards the left side of the landing area, and he would go towards the right. I did the count, and I left. I never saw Adam again. The moment I came out of my gainer-- even before due to peripheral-- I knew I had just made the biggest mistake of my life. All I remember is thinking "this track better kick in soon." It did, and I realized that I needed the best track of my life to clear that ledge, as there was no way that I could pull with how low I was. I felt relief and euphoria wash over me as I cleared the ledge and headed out over the water. I pulled and was under canopy. That is when my confusion began. I instantly knew how serious the front flip would have been, but we tell ourselves the lies we need to be told in order to finish what we need to do. I thought he must have pulled low. Nope. High, maybe blocked by the sun? No. I settled with the notion that he just must have not jumped for some reason-- loose chest strap or something. I landed in the water and the boat came to pull me out. As I was clinging to the boat, I looked at my friend and asked if he had seen 2, because it was supposed to be a 2-way. The look on his face confirmed the nightmare. They scrambled to the other side of the boat, looking for any sign of Adam along the cliff. I just floated in the water praying that a croc would get me. I finally dragged myself to the back of the boat and with the driver's help, I finally flopped into the boat. It was not until much later that I found out that Adam had gone after me and gone further left; that he had over-rotated his front flip. I have always been a loner, but sitting on that beach for hours, waiting for any word, I have never felt more isolated and singularly alone in my life. That feeling lingers. I had promised someone who I care about very much, that I would not do any aerials on that jump. Adam did the same. I really can't say what it was within both of us that caused us to go back on our word, but I think I have finally found my first ever regret in this life. If only.... So, here's the list of my personal fuck ups on this jump: >I should have waited to see more experienced people exit first, so that I would have a better grasp on the magnitude of this jump. >I should have done a solo for the first jump of of a new cliff with my experience level >I should have gone off flat and stable to "scout out" the new jump for myself >Reiterating the last point: I lost a good 2 1/2-3 seconds doing a gainer. That is time that I would have loved to have had back as I was shitting myself trying to get past the ledge. >I should have gone over the launch direction and briefing again out loud with people that knew better than I what they were seeing when they looked over. >Worry about your own actions more than that of the crocs More importantly, I really feel that I should have been more true to my instincts and not jumped. I was more fearful on that jump than I have ever been prior to it. I did not listen to my body... I just thought I should go go go. Most importantly, I should have kept my word. When someone with over 10x's your experience asks you not to do something, it's probably for a pretty good reason, even if you can't see it then The gainer. The truth of it is, at some point this summer, the gainer became my 'crutch' move. I can finally be honest about that. I had always heard about people that struggled to do a flat and stable exit because all they ever did were aerials, I hadn't realized that I had moved in that direction. I was scared and gainers made me feel confident, so that's probably why I saw what I wanted to see when I looked over that ledge. Beyond that, I really thought that I could pull it off. Of course, the true test of a successful jump is not whether you can 'pull it off,' but rather if you can repeat it. I am so sincerely sorry to everyone at the event for many different reasons. I am sorry to Tracy for telling Adam I wanted to do a gainer. I will never know if he would have done a front flip anyway. I am sorry to the Mexican BASE Crew for my disregard for what you all have fought to open. I am so grateful that my reckless actions did not put an end to jumping in the Canyon. I am so sorry. I am sorry to the other jumpers there for my part in damaging an event that was to be incredible. I am so sorry that I let my inexperience get in the way of my better judgement. I am sorry to the BASE community for forgetting that every jump I do is bigger than myself and is a contributing part to a whole that I am representing, as well. I am sorry to those that told me to slow down. I listened too late. I am so sorry for breaking my promise. I am forever changed. I am sorry that it took you to do that, Adam. giilian parker
  8. going to be cruising through austria and hungary over the next week, and i am hoping to hook up with some jumpers. any out there?
  9. You should definitely bleach first...then you can just dip them into koolaid!! Of course, i personally don't see anything wrong with orange to begin with.
  10. Happy B-Day, Ray. It's been a long time since I have gotten to gaze upon those old blue eyes.... gillian
  11. I have not stopped thinking about the two of you since this happened. I don't think I know a woman with a stronger institution than you, and William must be so very proud of your strength. I am certain that he can't wait to wake up and see you and your little curly-q's! I pray for both of you every day. much love, gillian
  12. just wanted to say how very proud i am of our usa teams that are representing us so very well. i find it incredibly sad that once again we find ourselves questioning the validity of scoring made by judges. i am amazed that the judges could have rejudged round 2 and given anomoly 4 busts with only one of the busts cited, being agreed upon from the 3 busts judged by the original panel. rather than criticize the system (any further), i would rather encourage that anyone out there with any interest in judging should take the steps to become one. i am certain that it is not an easy job, with rules that are ambiguous, at best, to begin with. these athletes train their asses off to get to the world level (not to mention the $$), though, and the least that could be done in return would be to convene and try to work the kinks out of the system beforehand, so as to avoid continually tossing teams onto emotional roller coasters, when all they really want to do is see how their stuff stacks up to the other best teams' goods. i mean, wouldn't it be grand to have just one event where the judging is not questioned? where the teams walk away from the event saying, "cool, we deserved what we got." of course, i am not there, but this seems kinda fucked. keep your heads up, teams, no matter where you are from. grrrrrr. gillian
  13. Hello Dave, I believe that Rusty Vest, our Customer Service Representative, has already replied to your email. However, to reiterate for the benefit of those present on this forum: Performance Designs will not do artwork on a reserve, as it would be in violation of the TSO. The only possible way that "Oh Crap" could be on a reserve, would be if the owner applied it after they received it. Based soley on this fact, it is pretty safe to say that "Oh Crap" is "Full of Crap." Good luck to you on the recovery of your payment. I truly hate to see skydivers taking advantage of skydivers. I hope this is not the case. Gillian Parker Marketing Representative Performance Designs, Inc. [email protected] www.performancedesigns.com
  14. I have no idea what you mean!? What's the matter Lou? Did you visit Florida on the wrong weekend? [shameless plug]Gee, those girls at PD sure are nice, though, aren't they?[/shameless plug] Gillian Parker Marketing Representative Performance Designs, Inc.
  15. I heard a rumor somewhere that there is going to be a sneak preview of the Katana at the Skydive South Beach Boogie in Pahokee this weekend! Wow. I sure hope I can get the chance to fly one!! Gillian Parker Marketing Representative Performance Designs, Inc.
  16. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone here for the support. It was absolutely amazing to have been a part of this whole experience. I met some of the most incredible, strong, beautiful, intelligent, and talented women ever. The beauty of it is, 16 of us managed to be in the same place at the same time with just the right grips and *presto* we had our 6th world record of the event. I think this record will be able to hold its own for awhile. The energy there was incredible. More than once the comment was made tht this event had become so much bigger than ourselves. It felt like it was just meant to happen. I know there were some angels smiling down on us. It was a surreal experience, and I can't wait to see how many NEW faces will be at the record breaker in the future. Keep training ladies, cuz... Chicks really do rock!!
  17. I think it is a good idea to get coaching in headdown after you feel you are able to hold headdown pretty stable and feel pretty comfortable with your transitions. It sounds like now would be the time for you, girlie. It's always good to get in a coached jump before any bad habits that you have picked up become ingrained in your muscle memory. One coached jump now, should set you on the right path for the next dozen to ?? jumps (there's no magic number). Then get another one when you are ready to move on towards the next step. ...and work the hell outta those transitions!
  18. Who inspired me? Wyat Drewes- for not treating me like a 'newbie' when he met me at 75 jumps. He made me believe that ANYTHING was possible in skydiving, and taught by example that some of the greatest joys come from teaching others. PD Swoop Team- Heath, Jay, Bobo, and Shannon. I mean, c'mon! Is that stuff really possible? I still keep looking for the special effects team that must be following them! Ability combined with hearts of gold. They have all helped me in one way or another, and they have helped countless others, as well, for no other reason than because they are in a position to. BendyWendy Waller- for taking the time to teach me some new things, at a time when others were 'too experienced' to help me, and I was too proud to beg, too poor to pay. She is the consummate professional (until the beer light is on ) and an incredible friend. the Sugar Gliderz- I really can't get into why (too many words) other than I would not be able to do even a fraction of what I am capable of today were it not for their vision of unifying the women in freeflying with the upcoming record. Spaceland Anomaly- the story book The Little Engine That Could was actually written about these guys. I wish everyone could have the opportunity to jump with Trent, Jed, and Stevie! Libby Smith- for mentoring me. Wow. This woman has class and can fly her ass off. More- TJ Landgren, Nathan Gilbert, Hunter Roberts, Stan Gray, Chris Fiala, Sean MacCormac, Thomas Hughes- Everyone of these individuals has made me fly beyond perceived limitations and made my learning curve 'spike.' Trevor Hill- for believing in me, for teaching me, for loving me. I have found inspiration EVERYWHERE in this sport, but these are just those I have jumped with. I really could go on forever, but I will spare you all. I think that about does it. g
  19. Holy Shit, Wendy! I just saw this, and I don't think I have ever been more flattered! ...well, maybe when my friend's 4-year-old said I looked like a cupcake, because cupcakes are beautiful...er...but I digress! What all of you should know is that Wendy was one of the first 'experienced' jumpers that gave enough of a shit to teach me something new. She took me on 2 of my first headdown dives ever. Her and Patel. You see, I viewed Wendy as the bad-ass, beautiful, strong female freeflier-type that I aspired to become. Plus, she swoops! Get yourself a Velocity, Wendy! Girl, you are one that inspired me! Any chance I ever have to share the skies with you, my dear, is a great day, indeed! I am soooo grateful for your gracious compliment! Anytime you can set aside a weekend to "pound out a bunch of jumps," it will be GAME ON! g
  20. fozchek

    That was fun

    I have just got to say that it was my immense pleasure to meet both the bytch and her cohorts. We managed to chat about dealership stuff, safety and training, how to entice impulse buyers , and even a sizable amount of smack condsidering the short visit. I am looking forward to making it down to Sebastian soon! Thanks for stopping by.
  21. http://www.nypost.com/seven/10292003/postopinion/opedcolumnists/9341.htm 's advocate.
  22. Awwww, crap. How long of a drive is it from Deland again? Talk about dangling a carrot in front of a horse.
  23. Tomato juice bath is the only thing I know of that will get rid of it. Otherwise, check "ask jeeves" online for other potential options.
  24. You are incorrect. Gillian Parker C.S. Representative Performance Designs, Inc.