newbie2jumping

Jo, I have followed this thread for a very long time and have read EVERY single post! In the beginning you came off as a lady asking for help looking for information. The original purpose of your post here has been answered (by no answer). You asked if any skydivers knew Duane Weber...silence is it's own answer. Since then you have given several other alias's of Duane, one very recently, and still you get silence on the names. I continued to read as you were sometimes very rudely attacked and you continued to post pleading for help looking for information. In the more recent months (since Ckret arrived here) you have become very abrupt and aggressive and have alienated many of the skydivers who tried to help you! Many times you have stated that this would be your final post...but yet you continue to come back. You make demands of Ckret that are very much out of line. You get mad that he ignores your posts, but you also ignore the skydivers posts when they ask/tell you to please stop using all the underlines, bolds, caps and definitely the smilies which make your posts hard to read!

5 years ago at our DZ I was taught two hands per handle (arch, look red, reach read, look silver, pull red, reach silver, pull silver, arch) This has remained the same the past 5 years with the DZ now adding clear (arch, look red, reach red, look silver, pull red, clear red, reach silver, pull silver, clear silver, arch). In training they said to throw away the handles. After graduating and watching a friend on a borrowed rig throw away the handles (thus having to pay for the handles) I realized if I have the presence of mind to hold the handle I will, but I will not worry about it if it is hanging me up from performing my EP's correctly and quickly. I like the added clear as Wendy said because it is mechanical...and I have heard a million times if you have "muscle memory" you will do that every time. Try it and you will see it doesn't take ANY additional time to do a mechanical sweep clear after pulling. As several people have said though, whatever way you practice for your EP's do them that way...don't stop to think about it.

Quoted from post #61: I have had very mixed emotions about the list. I have read it from beginning to end. I visit it on occasion. I always pause at #103, take a deep breath and scroll on down to #104. I start to cry and I want to scream at Nick "he is more than a number on a list! He is my husband! #104 is Joe Lathrop, the love of my life!Wonderful Father to 3 children! The kindest, funniest, sexiest, thoughtful, most remarkable, beautiful man that ever walked the earth!#104 is where my life stands still. Where my future ended. It is the shattered remains of all my dreams, my hopes, my happiness, my heart, my world, my everything. NOT a number. And I cry and yell at the world for awhile. Then I dry my tears, and take a step back. I think about "why" the list is there. Joe, knew about the list, and certainly never wanted to be on it. But, if one person reads his story, and learns from it, than it is quite possible, his story may have kept someone off the list. That is what he would have wanted. As a future BASE jumper, the list is very sobering. I believe it should be read by anyone considering BASE. The only suggestion I could add if it were to be changed. Because, everyone feels so different, and it is so personal. The public or media should not be a concern, they don't have to get it, or approve. Maybe if a spouse or close family or friends have strong feelings about their loved one on the list, a photo and or name could be witheld out of respect for them. As much as it pains me to see my husband there, I think you do a good job, Nick. And I'm sorry the list keeps you busy. I am truely sorry for your loss Jimmy, I just had my closest friend (I considered her my sister) die unexpectedly from cancer...not the same, but yet still the same in the feelings of loss. The above quote is from the wife of one of the fatalities. You have not had to lose your wife yet and your wife has not lost you, so you cannot know how much more of a loss this is to ms.sofaking unless you know her. Any loss hurts, but the loss of the father of your children and the love of your life...I can't even begin to imagine. Yet, she wants the list to continue to help others out. Her husband's death in base came from probably not removing a packing assist (IIRC). Don't you think people could learn from that. For me, I think I learn more by putting a name and a face to the lesson so it becomes more personal than just having faceless statistics that mean nothing to me. Nick, I can understand you taking the list down. It has to be so hard to do the list and it has to weigh very heavily on your heart too. I am sure this was just the final straw that broke your back and made you say...it's not worth the fight anymore. I would like to ask you to reconsider your decision based on the fact that from what I have seen, most people here understand and need the list, and want it to remain the same.

As someone who's friend is on the list, I would request to keep the list up. After reading this thread the other day, I went to the website today so I could see his pic and remember him and the others I have heard about on this forum...several people died around the same time. The list is not available. I am not a base jumper, but have considered it. *After* reading the list I decided that for me, the risk outweighs the benefit...after my son and grandson are in college maybe, but not before that! The list reminds me whenever I think I want to have an adventure, that skydiving is enough adventure for me for now. I find the list necessary to help people make informed decisions.