Snowflake

It's in between Austin and San Antonio on I-35 http://www.skydivesanmarcos.com JG

plus if you come down you can watch me get drenched in beer or maybe get drenched yourself our skydive U coach will be organizing SCR's SCS's and SCSA's weeeeeee...... JG

it's a good thing for me that ya'll lost.....I for one would not make a good slave.....it's also a reason I tend to stay away from the South East. JG

besides theres no other state that could have a T-shirt that says "Fuck you were from Texas" and be taken seriously (well maybe NY but thats it). Go ahead say it with your state see if it sounds right (it don't).....also Texas is the only state that can secede from the US with a vote of it's states congress.....we are the United State of Texas JG

Houston ewww Dallas ewwww Amarillo do not pass go move immedietly Fort worth is kinda cool Austin is the place got the Hill country, SXSW, 6th st. (live music out the wazoo), and of course Skydive San Marcos home of the purple tailed otter......wait it's to crowded here already. This place is horrible if your thinking of moving here don't it sucks. I wwould take all of the above before ever living in Ohio or anywhere in the midwest for that matter (too many uptight fat people for this kid) Yankee by birth Texan by the grace of god JG

Cool if you need a place to stay let me know I have an extra bed and a futon.....they're gonna be doing SCR's SCS's and hoop jumps maybe even a raft jump......gonna try for my SCS maybe this weekend.....well hope to cya there if not have a blast this weekend (don't know how you couldn't if your jumpin) JG

I loves my Digitude to me it's much easier to read then analog. My DZO and skydive U coach use them too. I always check it on the way up and it's pretty accurate(I have also checked it against someone elses on a jump and they were about the same). If it failed on a jump I would simply use someone elses if I was with someone, otherwise god gave us eyes for a reason JG

Welcome d00d get ready to be poor.......oh wait your on 23 your approaching poverty already aren't you :-P "If you are using the little yellow card with all the requirements there is no longer a test for the A license. All the stuff they make you get signed off on that card now substitutes for the test. I think USPA is calling it the "Integrated Student Program". Once your card is filled in and all signed, faxed and you pay USPA, you've got your license." I think they still have the test orally at least thats what my S&TA told me JG

Hola from Austin good luck and stay safe and have fun.....I'm sure I'll be down that way sometime soon hopefully after your done with AFP and we can play SkyTag....to bad you aren't off student status $10 jumps at Skydive San Maros this weekend Wohooo JG

It makes sense to me I've blown of 2 dates to date, cause I stayed to late at the DZ after the second I didn't get a third chance (I really didn't try that hard cause i knew what would happen goes something like this........"Hi....sorry about calling so late......yea I know it's almost 11, but I haven't eaten yet.......ok ok I'm so sorry (I really ain't) I should have called but the time just slipped away.........yea I guess it's a little late to go out for dinner......wanna go get a couple of cocktails.......yea I'm kinda tired too (how the fuck are you tired....you been sittin on your ass all day).......cool well maybe we can get together during the week....k bye. Skydiving has ruined my love life.......maybe I should consider joinig altiholics anonymous or better yet find a cool Skydiving mama. someone hurry up and start the Skydivers lonely hearts club and hook me up :P JG

I'm looking at the book and it's basic body flight no theory in the title at all. It's from Skydive U and yes it's what I'm using for my skydive U jumps. I'll ask around and see if I can f more copies if anyone is interested. Dutchboy I wouldn't doubt your discontinuince theory, cause with this book all you need is a good jumper whose willing to help you instead of doing fun stuff. I've looked over the book and really like the way the progression goes (especially after playing tag on my first 4 way, not even 1 point sheesh) JG

was I not specific enough on the what else there is to do ya got your pro sports. Lower greenville (clubs...near SMU so there are lots of coeds around). Deep Ellum (about the same as L. Greenville but more live Venues). Denton (UNT quite the party school....I went there for almost 8 years, cause I couldn't fit all that partying into 4 years....could I? if you can't get laid on fry street then you'll probably die a virgin). If you need more be specific when you ask about what there is to do in DFW JG

Coolio My fav color for hair........(I'm resisting making a wise ass comment at this time but it's so hard). am I gonna get to see it this weekend, or are you going to skillz camp? JG

HMMMMM having lived in Ohio and Texas (I live in TX now). I would say come on down. I know go 2 places to jump (there could be more) both are about 45 minutes from Dallas depending on where you are. I think Skydive Dallas has midweek jumping (I'm sure Jess can clarify this). There is also skydive Texas (not sure what their schedule is). If you like pro sports then Dallas ain't a horrible place to be (although I was glad to get the fack outta there and move to Austin where the real party is) you got the Mavs, Stars, rangers, and the Cowboys. Deep ellum is fairly decent kinda like the flats in Cleveland except hipper although the yuppies like to go their now for adventure (it was much cooler there in the 80's early 90's). all in all I would rather be in Dallas then in Ohio anyday plus you get to jump most of the winter ( I did my first jump in February and it was like 70-80 degrees)and thats what really counts. Oh yea the big bummer about Dallas is the TRAFFIC!!!!!!!!!!. Don't live to far from where you work unless you wanna spend 3+ hours a day in it JG

"I don't know if they sell the book separatly, you can check with Skydive U. I borrowed mine from someone who had already finished Skydive U "The book in this case is more like a pamphlet, and is totally worthless without the video. I laughed when I saw it after they talked about the "book" and video combo." hmmmm my book says Basic body flight, but sounds totally diffrent this is the book used in Skydive U and is over 200 pages. My book also has a ton of exercises that are supposed to be jumped with a skydive U coach. does this sound the same as your book Dutchboy? JG

yep happened to me and right in front of the DZ manager. The DZ manager tells this girl to check me she does then we walk out to the plane to load he stop us both and says "John your dead **** it's your fault" he grabs my chest strap and pulls it loose. Now I can't stop checking it even after someone checks me before we exit. Interesting side note: heard there was once a jumper about 10 years ago that forgot to wear a rig at all, did not realize till pull time. I have heard this from a reliable source and believe it to be true though some you may think I’m full of shit. I heard this story from my DZO. I heard he was doing back to backs and thru his rig in the plane and leaned up against it then at altitude he hops up and jumps out. I think this just might be one of those skydiving urban legends any one really know, and I mean know first hand of this incident JG

OK.....what altitude did you pull at do you know? I didn't think so, you were involved with other things (not trying to be mean). That would be the point they were trying to make. Let me gove you a scenario. we'll start where you deployed now lets say you went a little lower trying to get stable then on deployment you have a spinning mal and your still falling fast as you go to cut away your cypress fires your reserve right into your mal. You can draw your own conclusion as to what would happen after that. It sounds far fetched but you sure don't wanna spend the rest of your life trying to get stable (I'm sure that your JM had thoughts along these lines). The most important thing is think about what you did wrong and how your going to correct it and then execute. Try to relax and smile skydiving is FUN On my level 3 my JM had to pull for me at least you got that far Oh yea did I say relax that will stop a lot of instability honest JG

I don't have the video but I do have the book and there is a ton of info in it. It breaks it down into small peices (starting with foreward movement and ending with swooping). If the video is anything like Skydive U's canopy control then you won't get near as much without the book. Also as someone said lots of high jumpers can't really tell you what they do anymore they just do it, so asking them can be frustrating sometimes. I think that if you get the book and go thru the modules with a high jumper ( I said high jumper...heh heh), and meet all the objectives you will be well on your way to doing some RW instead of playing tag in the sky. At least I hope so since thats exactly what I'm doing at this point in time in my career JG

3 jumps in one day yeaaa baby!! now your cookin. Tip O the day while high up under canopy find an object on the ground are you moving sideways in realtion to it if no do a 90 degree turn and repeat (note it only should take 1 90 degree turn, but sometimes more) once your moving sideways in relation to an object on the ground you have the wind direction (who needs windsocks :-) ). I got that from canopy control 150 and use it all the time. best 17 bucks I've spent in a while "........and then the parachute opens and you float to the ground like a multicolored snowflake" JG

Congrats it must feel good to know you can respond to an emergency correctly. Now let me offer my .02. I had the same thing happen to me last month (no cutaway though). First I look at and grab for my risers on deployment (worry about the slider last). I do this so I can avoid any traffic with a rear riser turn secondly so I have immediate control (i can also flare out closed end cells real quick). The other advantage is I am now looking at my toggles. In my case I opened and was in a left turn, but since I was looking at the risers I saw my right toggle had come unstowed. I simply grabed my toggles and flared problem fixed. I also make damn sure my brakes are stowed when I pack now. I'm sure you will too JG

Tanx all that clears the air for me JG

Try to relax accept the fear it's there to keep you alive but not to control your body (you control the ride and fear is the mind killer were my mantra on the way up). Oh yea the hardest part at least for me was smiling do it while you gear up smile at people on the plane even if you don't mean it it took me till my 2nd lvl 8 to smile in freefall I muffed a 2 way star and all of the sudden the smile appeared and from then on it's all been good "......and then the parachute opens and you float to the ground like a multicolored snowflake" JG

Pyke that is Skydive San Marcos. Jess you could probably do Skydive U jumps here. Let me know if your gonna come and I'll send you contact info for the Skydive U coach here. besides we'll be having a Beer skillz camp here which is almost as much fun Aerofraternally JG

hmmmm nothing like tracking off after a tandem and seeing some skinny black guy pulling right under you huh?....I'm still sorry about that....would those be free pics? ......haven't seen you at SSM where you been? JG

lets see if I can help a little jedei is how it's spelled, bet that'll help a bunch. check http://www.bigairsportz.com/main.htm JG