Deisel

Yes it's a bust if you are competing. But it is also an excellent technique when just starting out and still learning. There's nothing wrong with grip switching to avoid funneling/falling out of a dive. So I saw switch away! Do whatever you have to to stay in the dive. You learn a hell of a lot more that way. The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Jumping in colder temps I have had noticeably slower openings. Is there any concern of a (dry) canopy freezing? Has anyone looked at the differences in the behavior of frozen nylon (ZP v F111)? The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Well there is plenty of info regarding the effects of hot weather on a rig/cypress/canopy etc. What about the cold? Does leaving a rig in the car in freezing weather have any adverse effects? D The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Before you hit 27 years old or 27 jumps? The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

OK. Please tell me that I was not the only one that just saw the female MMA match on TV. I like to consider myself a pretty open minded guy, but damn! I just was not ready to see that. Now before I get flamed out here, I have taught several women MMA. I've just never expected to see it at this level. How long has this been going on? How big is this? Does anyone know anything about it? BTW, are these chicks hot or am I just a perv? The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

No one owns the sky and anyone complaining about money being taken out of their pocket is one greedy fuck. C'mon. Someone actually has a beef about a student saving a buck? Get real. Just my 2 cents. D The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Nope, not looking for more authourity. Yes, as a Marine I'm used to a very structured environment. Especially when it comes to the education process. What I would like to see is the roles of coaches/AFFIs revamped a little. Instructors should have a role in the development of jumpers beyond obtainng an A. That's all. After talking with a few DZOs & S&TAs, I've got a few ideas on how this could be done. I think that there is a general concensus among those that have been doing this awhile that we can do better. USPA's own data mette this out. Additionally, the USPAs efforts to keep poeple in the sport beyond an A (Parachutist) are addressing exactly what I'm talking about. It looks like USPA leaves it up to experienced up-jumpers to develop younger jumpers. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. We loose people from the sport unnecessarily when no one takes an interest in helping them out, which is why I got into coaching. So maybe it's the Marine in me that wants to see a more formalized process to go from A to D. Surely we can do this without taking the fun out and creating a bunch of DZ dictators? The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

OK, let's back the bus up here. A little truth in advertising - I have an instructor rating as well. I have also been an instructor of many things other that skydiving for nearly 2 decades. I don't think that anyone owes me anything. The entire point here is that I don't think that there is very much oversight involved in skydiving education. To this point the only additional instruction that I have gotten outside of formal courses has been from folks around the DZ. Those that saw what I was doing (struggling) and offered a hand when I needed it. Most of the time it was things that I was completely unaware of. You don't know what you don't know. Someone seeking out additional instruction during the learning process that takes place between jump # 25 and 500 is someone that realizes that they don't know it all. Thats a sign of maturity. What about all of those immature 50/100/200 jump wonders who think the have the world by the balls? Those that will only listen after first aid is needed. I've met plenty. Yes USPA does have canopy and freefall skills progression recommendations, but where is the backstop that ensures someone does not get in over their head? I'm of the opinion that the progression from A to D should be more closely supervised. Instructors should be the ones doing it. The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Point taken, and admittedly a vague hypothetical. I get that the 'line' is the A lisc when it comes to responsibility. But there are many cases where new jumpers still have a lot to learn. I consider myself in this category. I don't think that there is anyone out there that believes that once someone has their A they know everything they need to know. We currently do not have any progression program in place, other than making more jumps in order to get advanced liscenses. None that are enforced anyway. So the question here is "is there anyone responsible for the education of skydivers beyond the A?" I'm of the belief the instructors play some role here. Although it is not defined in any manual, ethically, an instructor bears the burden to educate outside the lines of the hard and fast rules. Am I off here? The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

The SEC will continue to dominate!! The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

I agree that there is no legal obligation to do anything with anyone other than your student. But I think that ethically there may be. Let me offer a hypothetical: - you overhear two novice jumpers planning something unsafe. You express your concern but they blow you off. Do you drop it with a 'well I told them', or do you pursue it further. Sure, there is no legal obligation to stop them, but is it the right thing to do? Would you be burdened at all if one of them ended up injured or worse? The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Three cheers for Larry Flint!!! Porn industry seeks federal bailout Posted: 05:27 PM ET From CNN's Rebecca Sinderbrand and Mark Preston Larry Flynt is asking for a bailout. WASHINGTON (CNN) — Another major American industry is asking for assistance as the global financial crisis continues: Hustler publisher Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis said Wednesday they will request that Congress allocate $5 billion for a bailout of the adult entertainment industry. “The take here is that everyone and their mother want to be bailed out from the banks to the big three,” said Owen Moogan, spokesman for Larry Flynt. “The porn industry has been hurt by the downturn like everyone else and they are going to ask for the $5 billion. Is it the most serious thing in the world? Is it going to make the lives of Americans better if it happens? It is not for them to determine.” Francis said in a statement that “the US government should actively support the adult industry's survival and growth, just as it feels the need to support any other industry cherished by the American people." “We should be delivering [the request] by the end of today to our congressmen and [Secretary of the Treasury Henry] Paulson asking for this $5 billion dollar bailout,” he told CNN Wednesday. Flynt and Francis concede the industry itself is in no financial danger — DVD sales have slipped over the past year, but Web traffic has continued to grow. But the industry leaders said the issue is a nation in need. "People are too depressed to be sexually active," Flynt said in the statement. "This is very unhealthy as a nation. Americans can do without cars and such but they cannot do without sex." "With all this economic misery and people losing all that money, sex is the farthest thing from their mind. It's time for congress to rejuvenate the sexual appetite of America. The only way they can do this is by supporting the adult industry and doing it quickly." So far, there has been no congressional reaction to the request. –CNN’s Chloe Melas contributed to this report Filed under: Congress The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Do canopy manufacturers check out customer qualifications? Not trying to be a smart ass, I have no idea... The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Based on the Sebastian wingsuit incident, I would like to start a related discussion. At what point are 'instructors' no longer responsible for others around them? The responsibilities are spelled out and obvious when performing instructor duties. Even once a new jumper becomes liscensed, good instructors know that there is still plenty left to teach. I believe that every jumper has a moral obligation to speak up when noticing any safety problem. There is also an obvious additional responsibility on anyone rated as an instructor of anything. But where are the lines between have to/need to/should/no need to check someone else's gear? How does this play out when away from your home DZ? We all have to live with our choices, but what happens when someone else does not live because of choices not made? This is purely an academic discussion and in no way an attempt to poke anyone in the eye. D The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Damn! Now I gotta learn how to swoop... The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Yeah booiiiii!!!!! Snowboarding then drinking! D The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

OK folks, no one pass out or anything. I'm black too (I missed the meeting when it was changed to African American). I jump at Raeford and there are maybe 3 of us (Big Mike, Noah, and I) that are regulars on the DZ. Mike is the guy that does tandems with Bush Sr, Noah is a TI and AFFI, and I just got my coach rating. We also have a guy, Lynn, who is one of the instructors at the Paraclete tunnel. I've been in the sport for just over 2 years now and am completely hooked. Starting out, as with anything, I wondered what the racial vibe would be. This concern ALWAYS exists. So for those wondering why outreach is necessary, that’s part of it. But I’m proud to say that I have been readily accepted as part of the skydiving community. I’ve even stated a time or two that I love my sky-family. I’ve traveled from DZ to DZ and the racial attitude is something that I’m always keenly aware of. Always checking to see what the attitude is. People may think that it’s a fucked up attitude but face it, a lot of DZs are in the backwoods of America and there are still plenty of racists out there. But I’m glad to say that everywhere I’ve been – SoCal, Mid-west, east coast, and even down at The Farm, I’ve been treated like exactly what I am – a skydiver. And by the way, I just started snowboarding! Talk about being the ‘spot’ in the crowd… This is going to be fun just for the jokes alone Louis The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Putting my rig away for a few weeks. Spending Christmas doing the Dad thing. Gotta give the kiddies some love. Then it's snowboarding in N Carolina for New Years! D The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Seems to me that the only favorite on the entire card is Nog. He is going to beat the snot out of Mir. As for the rest the only thing that can be said is congrats to Dana White for putting together a completly competetive fight card from top to bottom. It will be one hell of a fight night! D The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

I noticed that but the main Forums page does show it as the most recently updated thread. Interesting... D The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Mamajumps The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Are you kidding! The real question is how many DZs can you jump on the way there and back! The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Thanks guys. It looks like I was wrong assuming that there wasn't much happenning this weekend. I'm holding out on any commitments until I see just how cold it's going to be. But it sounds like you guys are pretty hard-core about this jumping in the cold shit! And yes I'm a Marine so of course I can never let myself be outdone... D The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Anyone know of anything going on at any of the Va DZs this weekend? I'm stuck in Quantico for the weekend and looking for something to do... D The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Great job on the boogie! I had a great time, minus the hangover friday morning! Sorry I couldn't stay for the whole thing, but if you do again next year I'm down for it! Louis The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.