antonwestman

Hi, my name is Anton Westman and I am a skydiver in Sweden - I would like to invite you to the First Open Swedish National Championships in Indoor Wingsuit Flying, in Stockholm, Saturday 1st December, 2018. The competition being categorised as Open by The Swedish Parachute Association means that nations other than Sweden may participate. Info here: http://www.sff.se/phocadownload/Tavling-dokument/inbjudan_RM_2018_inomhus_vingdr%C3%A4ktsflygning_p%C3%A5_engelska.pdf Blue Skies Anton Westman. First Open Swedish Nationals Indoor Wingsuit 2018.pdf

My contact data are: Anton Westman Department of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Umea University Hospital 901 85 Umea Sweden Work phone: +46 90 785 0000 Private GSM: +46 702 202 557 E-mail: [email protected] With best regards Anton Westman.

My name is Anton Westman and I am a Swedish skydiver and medical doctor. We are discussing diabetes and skydiving in my country right now and I would like to invite anyone with experience, MDs, nurses, or persons with diabetes, to share their knowledge and opinions. In December 2010, a symposium about diabetes and risk sports was held at the annual general meeting of the Swedish Society of Medicine. The last years have seen improvements in therapies and monitoring technologies and the question was raised at the symposium whether people with type 1 diabetes may safely participate in some aerial activities. Skydiving was mentioned in particular and patient group representatives present at the symposium expressed a specific desire for skydiving participation. During the closing panel debate, an assembly of representatives from various fields of aviation and medicine recommended that a select group of people with insulin-dependent diabetes should be allowed to participate in skydiving under controlled forms. Nothing would make me happier than to open the sky to people who want to jump but have previously been excluded in Sweden and several other countries. However, given the risk and present rules and regulations, this needs to be done with caution. If we are to do this under controlled forms, I am also thinking that perhaps we could contribute to the sport internationally, and try to propose some simple guidelines for people with insulin-dependent diabetes to safely participate in skydiving. I expect some to call it madness to say that people with type 1 diabetes may safely participate in skydiving, and others to call it overly prohibitive to exclude this group of people from this sport. I would really welcome all opinions. With best regards Anton Westman, Sweden.

A late reply regarding diabetes and skydiving. My name is Anton Westman and I am a Swedish skydiver and medical doctor. We are discussing this subject in my country right now and I would like to invite anyone with experience, MDs, nurses, or persons with diabetes, to share their knowledge and opinions. In December 2010, a symposium about diabetes and risk sports was held at the annual general meeting of the Swedish Society of Medicine. The last years have seen improvements in therapies and monitoring technologies and the question was raised at the symposium whether people with type 1 diabetes may safely participate in some aerial activities. Skydiving was mentioned in particular and patient group representatives present at the symposium expressed a specific desire for skydiving participation. During the closing panel debate, an assembly of representatives from various fields of aviation and medicine recommended that a select group of people with insulin-dependent diabetes should be allowed to participate in skydiving under controlled forms. Nothing would make me happier than to open the sky to people who want to jump but have previously been excluded in Sweden and several other countries. However, given the risk and present rules and regulations, this needs to be done with caution. If we are to do this under controlled forms, I am also thinking that perhaps we could contribute to the sport internationally, and try to propose some simple guidelines for people with insulin-dependent diabetes to safely participate in skydiving. I expect some to call it madness to say that people with type 1 diabetes may safely participate in skydiving, and others to call it overly prohibitive to exclude this group of people from this sport. I would really welcome all opinions. With best regards Anton Westman, Sweden.

Dear Howard and Jerry, I was flattered to see that you found it worthwhile to discuss my PhD dissertation in this Forum. Howard is right in that I am not advocating a hostile takeover by the government of the sport. A regulation may be a local dz rule as well, perhaps I should have clarified that. I am happy to see that Howard noticed my thoughts on recreational value. Though this may be obvious to participants, it may not be to others. If you have the time, please read my overall discussion, in which I write: The optimal strategy for prevention of injuries in a recreational activity is one that lowers the risk of injury while preserving recreational value. In fact, if it would be possible in a recreational activity to implement an effective strategy for prevention of injuries that increases recreational value, it would be desirable. I try to summarize this thought in my conclusions as: More safe more fun. Extrapolated to society at large, this means that I think that injury prevention and traumatology should be made more fun, more playful, or something like that. I know this sounds terribly silly, especially in an academic setting, but I think that one reason why some of the safety measures that society has tried to implement, for instance in road traffic, has met so much resistance is that they are, well, boring. If a central government commands its subjects to do something for their own safety, and thus for their own health and well-being, and then needs a police force to, ultimately at gunpoint, coerce them into actually doing it, it all seems quite strange to me. Injury prevention and traumatology, in society at large or at skydiving drop zones, may face some new difficulties in trying to come up with safety measures that are fun, but it is my hope that it would increase acceptance and compliance, and thus lead towards the goal for us doctors, to keep people healthy. As a citizen or local jumper, I also think I might become happier if the authorities paid some attention to what makes me happy. With Best Regards, Anton Westman, D474 Sweden.