livendive

He's doing one worse. He's propping up someone against Gary Peek for the Regional Director slot so he can: a) remove someone who has been trying to make USPA be an organization for jumpers (as opposed to DZO's) and b) still have a say in BOD actions without getting the flak that the name "Roger Nelson" garners among many people. Plus, this way he only has to raise a couple hundred votes instead of a couple thousand. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Did you just call me a bitch? :-) There are several BOD members who secretly lurk rec.skydiving who may be offended by some of the discussions there, but there are considerably more who do not. Those ones see only the emails from me. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Oh she certainly doesn't owe me a response. Likewise I don't owe her my support. When I ask someone a question and they ignore me, it usually decreases my opinion of them. Your mileage may vary. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Yep, you need to look no farther than Larry Hill's suit against Mike Mullins. That's not to say Don should sue USPA, but it does show that such a willingness is apparently OK with the voting membership. Blues, dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Can you show me, in my words, where I've used such a terrible tone with Buzz Fink? M. Murdock? Marylou Laughlin? More than once with any BOD member or candidate? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

By e-mail. Technology is a wonderful thing. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Just to throw in my 2 cents, here is the link to the pertinent "Monday's with the BOD" answers. http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=acu2og%24sjak8%241%40ID-75676.news.dfncis.de&oe=UTF-8&output=gplain Note they are from Gary Peek (who's approval of the WFFC's GM application was overturned by the executive committee), Jessie Farrington (i.e. the mom of Andy Farrington. He took me on a tandem when he was 19...at the time I think he had around 2900 jumps), Roger Nelson (i.e. Missy and Rook's dad), and Mike Perry (i.e. a BOD member who didn't even know what the executive committee had done). Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

jceman was correct, I saw the last name Thacker and figured it was the same person. My bad. Given that Tony has not been on the BOD, I'll change that grade to a 3, i.e. I don't know enough about him...not that these grades matter all that much. I gave her a 2 for the same reason I (incorrectly) gave Tony Thacker a 2. She's ignored me every time I've asked her a question and has not appeared to oppose the Good Ol' Boys. Hopefully I've not mistaken her identity as well. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I gotta agree with Kallend. In my experience, dumping out of a track makes for a slightly *softer* opening. As a big boy, my comfortable fall rate on my belly is somewhere between 125 and 130 mph. My fall rate in max track is around or slightly below 95 mph, and I'm sure I'm not hitting the perfect 1:1 glide ratio, so my horizontal velocity is considerably less than 95 mph. I believe if Paul does the math with a lower fall rate than 100 mph (100 mph would be a pretty poor track for most folks) and a more likely glide ratio, say 1 foot horizontal for every 2 feet vertical, he'll find that the total speed is a lot lower than the stated 140 mph. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

You are correct. I rated him one notch below "no opinion", (i.e. "somewhat oppose") primarily because he has ignored me every time I've asked him a question. Additionally, I don't recall ever reading in any BOD meeting minutes where he's taken a stance against the Good Ol' Boys club and tried to do something that benefits jumpers more than DZO's. I'm sure that knowing him personally makes your assessment of him more accurate than mine, however the "2" I gave him was not completely without reason. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I don't think wingloading is as critical as shape of the wing, whether by design or trim. I've jumped an out of trim Stiletto at around 1.8:1 that required a hook in order to land it, simply because at straight in speeds, it wouldn't plane out. I've also jumped an FX at over 2.4:1 that was reasonably easy to plane out on a straight in approach (though not nearly as much fun as a hook). "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

There was a tandem fatality due to one a few years ago. However it wasn't a mini-riser, and would have been just a reserve ride had it been the other (non RSL) riser that broke. Since then we've added a lanyard that should prevent such an accident in the future. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I have kiss-passed every novice that I've taken on their first post-student-status 2-way...regardless of gender. :-) I do it right off the hill, and it usually seems to make them relax and have fun instead of treating the skydive like a test. It's my way of saying welcome to the fun-zone. One would think that with a habit like that, I'd remember my own first kiss pass, but I don't. In fact, I think it's quite possible that nobody has ever planted one on me. Of course with my mug, I don't blame 'em! :-) Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

My first save was myself, during a hop & pop I was doing while waiting for a couple tandems to show up. I was a little bit into the basement when I chopped, and, realizing I was gonna owe myself a bottle, I took a slight delay with a very loud "WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO" in between cutaway and reserve pull. Reserve opened perfectly. I looked down and saw an unfamiliar car in the parking lot with two people standing next to it, so I flew down and landed at the edge of the landing area, just on the other side of the street from them. I said "Hi, are you here to do tandems?" The guy said "Yeah", I said "My name's Dave and I'm gonna be your instructor". Both their faces went white. The gal pointed at my still falling main and said "bb..bb...bb...but..um...you didn't pack OUR parachute did you?" I grinned and said "Yeah, but I also packed this one (holding out my reserve) and it worked, so I figure we've got a 50/50 chance here." They both jumped, but both seemed a little more nervous than I'd have expected. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I would hope the phrase "afro-engineering" is less offensive than the (commonly used) phrase it replaces, i.e. the one that starts with the letter n and ends with "rigging". I also think that most anyone who searches Google for Winsor's posts containing "african", "negro", or "sub-saharan" will find that your concerns are not founded in any prejudice on Winsor's part. "I work with people from all over the planet, and consider it entirely unimportant what is someone's ethnic origin. Ability, like incompetence, recognizes no such boundaries." Winsor Naugler, 5/24/01 Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

If Treetop is elected, I think you'll be pleasantly surprized by the difference between his online and offline demeanors. There have been numerous people on the newsgroup over the years who made a point of being misleading. Most of the time it was funny, once in awhile it was mean-spirited. I think that those people who haven't gotten to know Don will, if given the chance, find that the "mean" portion of his personality is reserved for those people and actions that negatively affect himself, his friends, or our (skydivers') ability to do what we want. I understand the people who are offended by his online personality, but that ain't all of his personality. He's one of the good guys. "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

OK, I'll add my two cents: National Director candidates: Chris Welker: Runs Mullins' Tennessee dropzone. Opposed to the group membership program. Interested mostly in student training. Likely (in my opinion) to side with Mullins on most issues. Willing to stand up against the status quo. I voted for him. Danny Page: Was on the BOD preceeding the current one and took 9th place in the voting, less than 100 votes behind Larry Hill. Seems interested in competition and somewhat open-minded, and says he believes USPA membership should be voluntary rather than "required". Fairly well spoken and seems pretty relaxed. The only reason I didn't vote for him was a nagging feeling that he'd be more of the same, i.e. "the good ol' boy's club". Jan Meyer: Would probably be an asset to the BOD, as she's more than willing to do her homework, take a logical approach to things, and regularly interacts with the jumping membership. Still, I didn't vote for her due to my concern that her ego may play a role in why she wants a slot as well as a concern that she may get too caught up in the details surrounding issues and thus miss the forest for the trees. I could be off-base here, and those who know her better than I may have different opinions. Mike Mullins (incumbent): If he's not the best National director candidate on the ballot, he's at least 2nd or 3rd. Intelligent, dedicated to USPA being an organization for the jumpers, generally a thorn in the side of the good ol' boy club. He was the only (national) incumbent I voted for and I can't think of a single good reason why any jumper shouldn't give him a vote. Glenn Bangs (incumbent): I can't find where he's answered a single "Monday's with the BOD" question that I've asked him, out of 66 chances, including one that I specifically asked him (by name) to answer. USPA got into bed with the FAA to get formal recognition in the regs and INCREASE regulation of skydiving during Glenn's watch as Director of S&T (IIRC, he had to resign that position of employment to run for a slot on the BOD, but was instantly made a contractor operating in the same capacity). I most certainly did not vote for him. Madolyn Murdock (incumbent): Had a big hand in excluding Mike Mullins from the last election ballot, essentially saying he was less qualified than someone who made the ballot with 850 jumps and 4 years in sport. I did not vote for her. John DeSantis (incumbent): I've jumped with John and talked with him a little bit, but am a far cry from knowing him personally. I voted for John in the last election because I trusted the opinion of others in the absence of personal knowledge. Now that I've had a couple years to see him in action, giving documents he wasn't supposed to have to the attorneys for a family sueing a DZ (granted a REALLY BAD DZ), and ignoring every question I've asked him, I didn't vote for him. B.J. Worth (incumbent): The epitome of the good ol' boy club, in my opinion. He's a smart guy and really knows his way around the sport. Still, I want to see improvement in the way USPA treats it's membership and I don't think BJ will be an agent for the kind of change I want to see. For the most part, I voted "out with the old", and I don't think getting BJ off the BOD would constitute throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Larry Hill (incumbent): DZO of Eloy, barely made the cut in the last election. Seems to me to be on the BOD strictly to benefit himself/his business. Took legal action against another BOD member over the name of his dropzone. Certainly would not vote for him. Buzz Fink: Group Member DZO. Seems pretty smart, and we share similar opinions on several issues, however I didn't vote for him primarily because of his mandatory CYPRES rule. Winsor Naugler: Pure fun jumper. Smart, articulate, great sense of humor, always willing to help, plenty of experience with skydiving and with project management (a skill that readily transfers to many arenas). He got one of my votes and I can't imagine why any other jumper wouldn't vote for him. Don "Treetop" Jardine: Pure fun jumper. His online demeanor throws many people off, but his intentions and "can-do" attitude are great. He's willing to work hard and does his homework, and my offline interactions with him have shown me that he's a person of integrity. I'm positive he will represent jumpers very well (as opposed to special interests), and will provide a "most excellent" alternative perspective on issues. I voted for him and strongly encourage others to. Max Cohn (write-in): A late entry, and his intentions seem good, but I haven't had enough time to form a solid opinion, so I (admittedly unfairly), judged him by my impressions of BOD presence of the last "famous" freeflyer, Mike Ortiz, and didn't vote for him. Regional Director candidates: The kind of detail given above would make this already too long post absurd, so I'll be brief and just judge them on a scale of 1-5, where 5=very strongly support, 1=very strongly oppose, and 3=don't know or don't have much of an opinion either way. I'm sure I'll miss the majority of write-in candidates. Central Gary Peek (incumbent) - 5 Any write-in's - 1 (we need Gary back on the BOD) Eastern Mike Perry (incumbent) - 4 Gulf Don Ellisor - 3 Mid-Atlantic Tony Thacker - 2 Mideastern Sherry Butcher ("appointed" incumbent) - 2 Mountain DJan Stewart - 4 Marty Jones (incumbent, but possibly not running) - 2 North Central John Goswitz (incumbent) - 4 Northeast Marylou Laughlin (incumbent) - 2 Northwest Pete Hill (write-in) - 5 Rob Herndon (write-in) - 4 Jessie Farrington (write-in incumbent) - 2 Pacific Craig Stapleton (write-in) - 4 Jess Rodriguez (incumbent) - 2 Bill Dause (not running, but I'd love to see it!) - 5 Southeast Frank Arenas (write-in) - 5 Richard Schachner (write-in) - 3 Barry Chase (incumbent) - 2 Southern Larry Stapleton (incumbent) - 5 Southwest Lee Schlichtemeier (incumbent) - 2 Western Harry Leicher - 3 Scott Smith - 3 "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Irrational...seaweed. Swimming through it triggers a first class panic attack with hyperventilation etc. I can deal with it in an emergency situation, but not for recreational purposes. Occasional and generally manageable...sharks (sometimes), heights (but I still rock climb, skydive, etc), and spiders (but only when I accidentally walk facefirst through their webs). Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Our justification this year was easy. We've got a Boxer pup, so it only made sense to buy a Boxster, right? :-) Plus, it was a lot cheaper than the Z8 that I really wanted, so in a way, we didn't so much spend money as save money! So off we went to the dealership and grabbed this one (http://www.live-n-dive.com/boxster.html). It's now parked in the garage for the winter, (and I need an old round to throw over it), but during the summer it was a blast. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Jump tickets. Surgeries. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Try the Parachute Center at Lodi (California). On my first visit there, Kathy said "we're kind of different, our waivers are on the back of the jump ticket", and I responded "well, I guess I need a couple of those". Her reply was "I also collect the jump tickets, so you don't really need one. The next load's in 10 minutes, and you're on it." Of course this was less than a week after my first visit to Perris, where the waiver takes a freaking hour and a half to get through, including videotapes, etc. I've been back to Lodi several times, but don't remember ever actually reading a jump ticket, and I know I've never signed anything. I've been back to Perris exactly once...and had to go through the whole waiver process again. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

You do understand that some situations are pretty simple don't you? Sometimes the number of jumps a person has can be enough to exclude them from a certain load, e.g. they have 125 jumps and want to get on the 40-way state record load. "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)