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Color me honored to have sat next to Nancy on the way up -- there was just an unbelieveable amount of enthusiasm beaming from her in the plane, I only wish I could have been in the air personally to see how much fun she had in freefall. Congrats Jimmy, and here's hoping to many more jumps between the two of you!

I just came back from Tommy's wake, and it was truly beautiful and mesmerizing. There were too many people to count -- it was obvious he touched so many people's lives (myself included, although I barely knew him). I offer my sincerest condolences to his family, who were most gracious and understanding in their welcoming of his skydiving "second family." And of course, the thoughts of everyone at Frontier Skydivers are with Chris and Fritz, as well as the rest of the Finger Lakes crew. Tommy was a great guy, and he'll definitely be missed. BSBD... Jeff

Hi Sunshine

Jeff from RIT here ... Even if official recognition by the school isn't an option, there's no reason why an unofficial club can't have a presence -- all that's needed is a few dedicated members, and lots of creativity. Right now, my club has no prospects of getting recognized, meaning no budget and no advertising in official club listings and literature. To that, I say, 'so what?' Despite not having a budget, I'm able to get discounts at my dropzone, and I can still litter the campus with flyers and get write-ups in the school magazine. It's a constraint I have to deal with, but it forces me to think of other solutions. Whereas funding would help us be able to travel and compete, that's not our primary goal. I think a lot of students want to try skydiving, but they're few and far between -- and not real willing to go to the dropzone by themselves. Finding all of these people and going as a group is a great way to introduce people to the sport, and this has led to a number of individuals making additional tandems or AFF jumps as well. And no one's going to tell me we're not a club, just because the school's risk manager says it can't be. http://www.skydiverit.com -Jeff

I'll be arriving in Phoenix on the 24th a bit before noon -- is anyone out there arriving at a similar time and is interested in splitting the costs of a shuttle ride to eloy? My apologies for yet another one of these threads.

I have made a total of 57 jumps within the past three year; I have a super-over-protective mom. I've stopped counting how much I've spent on the sport so far; I have a mother who's always concerned about how carefully I spend my money, as I'm still going through college. Not exactly the best conditions in which to tell her, so my solution is... I didn't! It took some careful planning and plenty of imaginative tactical excuses, but I've managed to keep this thing a secret from my family for far longer than I've ever expected. In case you're wondering why I'd ever do such a thing, it's because I truly feel that being truthful about my activities is exponentially more dangerous than jumping out of any plane; I swear there must be a big red warning label on my mom somewhere... Honestly, though, although I sound like I harbor ill intentions towards my family, that's totally not the case. I love them, and in due time--I imagine not too far off--I will come clean, and maybe invite them to try it out. But right now, that whole prospect is just too scary. -Jeff

I visit these boards often, but this is my first time posting here. I figured after this past weekend's events, I should share my interesting experiences. I have 30 jumps total; 6 of those from this weekend. Out of my first three jumps between Friday and Saturday, I had two reserve rides. One was a cutaway from a malfunctioning canopy, the other was a pilot chute that wouldn't come out of its pouch. Not quite what I was expecting when I arrived Friday afternoon for a weekend of fun. The actual skydive portion of Friday's jump was fun but uneventful, and when the canopy first opened, all looked good. The slider began coming down, and before I knew what was happening the canopy began spiraling. I had control of both brakes, so that wasn't it. Looking up, it appeared that one corner of the slider got caught on the lines (strange as it sounds, but there was nothing wrong with the canopy when I looked). Pulling on the toggles didn't work. Pulling on the risers didn't work. I'm still spiraling, and my altimeter is reading 2,000' and going down fast. I stay cool, and chuck that sucker. Aah! A nice open canopy. I followed my main down most of the way, only veering off towards the ground so I would have a good area to land in the field. While it's not mine (I'm still using school rentals as I can't afford my own rig yet; though I didn't pack this one...) I'll be damned if I'm going to lose it. After a nice, slide-in landing, I gather my reserve, and search for it. I find it, and eventually make it back to the DZ (after some nice neighbors saw my landing and picked me up). So, my first cutaway! I get congratulations and pats on the back; I also owe my rigger a bottle of vodka and the DZ plenty of beer. :) Added details aside, I jumped Saturday morning without incident. Great! My pack job opens marvelously; I'm happy. I go up again for a two-way RW jump a few loads later; the skydive goes great, but when I go to reach for my pilot chute handle, it doesn't come out. I try two more times, it won't budge. I reach for my ripcord handle, and no doubt shock everyone on the ground yet AGAIN. Note that I wasn't scared the second time around, but I was PISSED. I land standing up on a field across from the DZ, but I'm almost afraid to go back as I know what kind of reactions I'll encounter. Thankfully, 95% of the people there were extremely supportive, and that really helped me get through the weekend. There would be no more jumping for me Saturday... no way. Why didn't the pilot chute open? I packed it the exact same way I was taught, and patted it down before getting it on. After the jump, another instructor said that the method I was taught could sometimes lead to a stuck pilot chute, and showed me an improved way to fold it up. I just wish I didn't have to had learned it the hard way. Although I was skeptical, I came back Sunday and did three more jumps. How can I stop--it's skydiving! Each was more or less a success (well, except for the one where I lost my contacts, but that's a whole 'nother story; I digress...), and really boosted my confidence, which I so greatly needed. Lessons to be learned: 1. Having a successful reserve ride will earn you the congrats and respect of your peers. Having a second one the day after will earn you a reputation you probably won't live down for at least three years. 2. No one person at the DZ knows everything about everything. Everyone seems to have their own individual techniques especially when it comes to packing, and it may save your life (or at least the cost of having a reserve repack) if you get differing opinions on better ways to pack. 3. Having an emergency can be scary, but they only become truly dangerous when YOU lose control. Also, while taking a long sabbatical or quitting may look like a good option, it's probably the worst. Do a couple more jumps; you'll be more careful, and after a few good openings, you'll regain whatever confidence you lost, and probably gain some more. Safety training and reviewing definitely work, and because of that, I'm still here typing this probably unnecessarily long account of what happened. Nonetheless, it'll be a weekend I'll never forget... Blue skies, Jeff P.