RUN_FMX

Would obviously look cooler if I had some actual talent in the air

Haha Adam Jones is my hero dude! That kid knows how to promote a product!

Haha, I'm sure your not the only person thinking that Sparky

The can was empty so it was hardly a danger to anybody. It was my instructor taking the photos - and it was his idea. Stefan Lipp (who stopped counting at 17,000 skydives) who is my other instructor thought it was such a good idea that he even let me borrow his shiny new jumpsuit for the jump. Personally I think it's awesome that my instructors are allowing me the freedom to experiment with a sport that is supposed to be fun - under their personal supervision. Demon pay me to do promo work for their drinks - so why wouldnt I? It was a super fun jump - cant wait to do more like that

Did a promo photoshoot for Demon Energy Drink for a magazine over here today. Took a can of Demon with me for jump #31. Nothing too amazing but thought Id share the pics

www.jamesleedesign.co.nz Cheers Lee!

Thanks to Gary from Karnage Krew for the Ozone helmet. Im not really a fan of the whole flame deal, but my buddy is a very talented airbrish artist and he went to town on my new lid, i think it came out ok. Also, just cause I have a custom painted helmet doesnt mean I think I know what im doing, cause I dont! Demon Energy (the biggest energy drink here in nz) sponsor me for other sports so when they offer to pay to have my helmet painted I dont say no

I havent known Gary very long at all, in fact ive never met the guy - only ever dealt with him online. But it didnt take me long at all to figure out that he is one of the good guys in the sport. The lengths Gary will go to to make sure you are smiling at the end of the day is unbelievable. If hes not in a position to be able to answer your email in full, he will send you an email apoligising for being busy and explain he will get back to you properly as soon as he is done. I for one am lining up to purchase every single piece of my equipment from Gary and I promise you - you will not be disappointed if you do the same. Karnage Krew is the next level of customer service and satisfaction and a lot of other businesses (not just in skydiving) could learn a hell of a lot from Gary. Enough said.

Thanks for the quick replies guys, pretty much summed up what I was thinking. My reasons are pretty simple: Jumpsuit :$500 MX Gear: FREE Plus I think it would look cool, which is obviously WAY more important than being able to find my handles! I think I'll stick with the jumpsuit

Aside from the obvious like not having grab handles etc, is there any reason why jumping in Motocross top and pants instead of a jump suit would be considered dangerous? Does anyone here actually do it? On the same note, is there any reason why you couldnt use MX / ski goggles? I know a lot of BASE jumpers do this. Your thoughts?

Just wanted to get your attention I really only started skydiving earlier this year because i figured it's a great pick up line, it was never meant to be anything serious i swear, just a bit of fun. But i fear i might possibly be in love with this sport. To all you guys who are already married to this sport, im sorry, i didnt mean to get this involved with your love. But the more time I spent with her, the more i realise she fulfills my every need in life. I now find myself spending every spare second of the day staring out the window at the blue skies. Every month I check my credit card statement there seems to be an awful lot of charges to a certain local dropzone. I find myself having early nights on Saturdays, even when the weather is looking sketchy, just in the hope that I'll need to get up early on Sunday to go for a jump. I cant put on a back pack without doing some practice touches! How did this happen to me!?!? Hi, my name is Steve, and im addicted to sex. I mean skydiving.

Concentration is a fantastic antidote for anxiety. As some one who suffers from an anxiety disorder (I've had the whole panic till I cant breathe, hyperventilate till I passed out, genuinely believed I was dying from it, just from lying on my bed one night), skydiving for me is not a trigger for this, it is a CURE. I spent 7 years of my life as a professional athlete in the sport of Freestyle Motocross performing with the Crusty Demons etc, and yet my anxiety prevents me from simply getting in an elevator. I cant do it. I dunno bout you, but when im at 13k and that door opens and everybody looks at you like 'ok you first', im sure as hell not stressing about the fact that my girlfriend just broke up with me, or that my boss yelled at me yesterday, or that my rent is due and i my bank balance is negative. These are things that are triggers for anxiety. All I'm thinking about is what im about to do, which is possibly the coolest thing any body can do. To put all of your mental power into this one task that takes less than 6 minutes to complete is a powerful, rewarding thing that few sports demand from you. Dont be scared of this fact, embrace it. There are many things in life more dangerous than skydiving, things that have no back up and no amazing instructors and other talented people offering advice. What your doing is calculated, practiced, and incredibly rewarding. I bet all your friends look at you and think ' I wish I had the balls to do what you do every weekend' Your living life, be proud of that. Smile and scream. A CHHHEEEEEEEE HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

I would hope that I am of medium intelligence...maybe not. I do understand the why of it but that still doesn't make it the right thing to do. As I said before the athletes really don't hand out a bunch of stuff...they are too busy. I have been a sponsored athlete and some I repeat some contracts have a stipulation that marketing items must be handed out at events. I have also organized USPA Nationals as well as level 1 World meets. So I do understand. My issue is having someone walk around to ensure that the athletes are complying. Is this a USPA mandate or that of the host? Lastly, we can agree to disagree, but it isn't necessary to be disagreeable in the process with the inference that folks on here are lacking in mental magnitude. I hope I haven't given off the wrong vibe with what I've said, please understand, I actually agree with EVERYTHING you've just said. I am the newest of newbies when it comes to skydiving so I automatically bow down to anybody who has been involved with this amazing sport for longer than I have (which is almost everyone on here!) My comments are based purely on my role as a professional athlete dealing with high-end sponsors on a day to day basis. I would also like to know who this mandate would be working for, anybody know?? Besides all the politics (that go with any sport i guess) this is one event id love to just sit and watch at, the shit you guys get up to in freefall or under canopy blows my mind.

To answer some of Riggerpauls questions: 1). Yes. Hell yes. Every opportunity you get. 2). Yes. Hell yes. It would with my sponsors. 3). No. Never seen anything like this in 7 years. 4). Only the fact that generally theres more money tied up in 'pro' comps.

Anyone with any kind of medium intelligence would at least understand if not agree with USPA's reasons behind this decision. I certainly wouldnt be silly enough to sit here and argue those reasons. Heres the angle I was coming from though. And please bear in mind i could have a completely distorted view on this because of my experiences in my field, not skydiving. If you are a sponsored athlete (or im assuming more common in skydiving, a sponsored team?) you are getting paid (whether it be cash or product or otherwise) to advertise your sponsor not just at the event itself but in every opportunity life throws at you. The more financially commited to you your sponsor is, the more the sponsor expects from you in way of advertising. I would be interested to hear, for example, if a particular team who is heavily supported by an outside sponsor does really well at the event, would they be allowed to thank their sponsors at prize giving? Would they be allowed to wear their sponsors t-shirt while doing any media interviews? Would they be allowed to plug their sponsors website in a magazine interview? More than once in my sport, top level athletes have been PAID by their sponsor to NOT show up at a particular event because this type of boycotting has been ticking over in the background. In this case, loyalty to sponsor means more than any placing at the event itself. Im seeing it purely from an athletes view, where the job of the athlete is to pump the hell out of a brand, I know theres been a number of events I didnt want to compete at but because it would be great exposure for a sponsor I have done so. As i said, it could be whole different mindset in skydiving, do you think this rule would actually stop any particular athlete from competing in this event at all? If not, then this is really no big deal. In saying that, if sponsors are as important in skydiving as they are in the arena ive come from...this rule = epic fail.

Wow. Ive been a professional athlete (not in skydiving!) for almost 7 years and have never seen anything like this. We rely so heavily (in some cases entirely) on sponsorship funds to be able to particiapte at any sort of professional level in any sport. Being a sponsored athlete is considered the epitome of success in any sporting circle, therefore it does not come easily and I can tell you ive spent those many years carefully cultivating relationships with my sponsors. My biggest sponsor is Demon Energy (only available in New Zealand and Oz), over here it is bigger than Red Bull. They pay me an annual sponsorship salary, give me uncountable numbers of products, amazing exposure on their website, posters, even on some of their packaging. They help me with travelling to events around the country and are generally amazing people. What do they get in return? ADVERTISING! If I went to them and said ' Hey, one of the biggest competitions in skydiving is coming up. I need you you to fly me and my rig there, put me up in a hotel, and all the other stuff that goes with it (which is common for any serious sponsor), but oh by the way I cant display your logo anywhere other than my jumpsuit which few people on the ground will ever notice'. They would laugh at me. I understand what USPA are trying to achieve here, youd have to be silly not to, but this is not the right way to go about it. I dont know what level of sponsorship is involved in skydiving ( over here its fairly minimal) but unless those few Partners are paying ridiculous amount of cash to have that right over everyone else, in other sports this would be a great way to lose a number of 'Big Name' competetitors. Would be interested to hear the thoughts of anyone who has any sort of corporate sponsor in Skydiving, as like I say all my experience stems from a different sport entirely...

Its the same general principal as skydiving...learn as much as you possibly can without hurting yourself or others. Dude I had / have absolutely no natural talent on a dirt bike what so ever. When I was 15 I decided I wanted to get paid to jump my bike, so thats just what I did. Now I want to learn to be a safe / smart / competent skydiver, so im learning! Point is, if you wanna go jump your dirt bike, i cant recommend it enough! Its almost as fun as jumping out of a plane

Many bad falls? Nah not me! Only this short list: Snapped tibia, snapped tibia again, snapped ACl ligament, knee reconstruction, broken rib, broken rib, broken rib, snapped collarbone (came through the skin), snapped collarbone again, cracked shoulderblade, snapped ankle, dislocated both wrists, 3 major concussions and a hell of a lot of skin lost and blood shed. All within 5 years of each other. Im 21 yrs old and have so much arthritis i cant even run. No matter how smooth my skydive landings are, they all hurt. Was it worth it....? HELL YES

Thanks for the comments guys. Yeah theres definitely a little bit more airtime with skydiving! The downside though, is that on my bike im used to being able to do 500 jumps a day until I get the trick dialled. If you could do 500 skydives in a day imagine how much youd learn! If I was having any more fun, I wouldnt know what to do with myself. Every aspect of it is something Im so glad has become part of my life. Now, if only I could find some way to get paid as much to skydive as I did to jump bikes...Hmmmmmm.... Another FMX pic attached for anyone who cares :)

Well I gotta say, I had one of the best days of my life last weekend! Got to my DZ nice and early with only 7 jumps under my belt and up to AFF5, and 8 hours later I left the DZ with 14 jumps under my belt having done my first 2 solos! Had perfect weather throughout the entire day, one of those beautiful deep blue skies that looks like it was made for skydiving. My AFFI is one of nicest guys your ever likely to meet and very, very good at relaying info back to me as a student. I gotta be honest, I think I was more nervous doing my first freefall backflip and solo exit than I was the first time I tried to backflip my dirtbike! But it all came together for me on the day, I progressed and learned more in that one day than I have the last 6 months put together. Theres a lot to be said for doing a number of jumps in a row as opposed to a couple a month like I was doing. Im learning so much, loving so much, and everyday I my respect for the likes of my instructors and other eexperienced jumpers goes through the roof. You guys are amazing. Hope to see you all in the sky one day soon. Steve Gregor www.runfmx.co.nz

Thanks heaps bud, always love talking to fans of the sport! In fairness I should point out im not one of the big name Crustys, like i dont tour the world with them! I rode with them when the tour hit my neck of the woods, which only 4 people in this country can say so it was a real honour for them to call me and ask me to ride with them. Its considered the epitome of awesomeness if you crack into a Crusty show, something not a lot of people achieved so certainly a career highlight. BUT those days are behind me now. 21 years old and officially retired from FMX, even have to hold down a 9 to 5 like a normal person! Its hard getting used to! Luckily ive got this new sport to stop me from getting too bored! If you wanna see something cool then check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1wmOysNbdA

Thanks again guys. I know exactly what you mean, and at the risk of sounding less 'hardcore' skydiving scares the shit out of me and therefore i respect the shit out of it. I think as long as that deep respect for what it is your doing and the people around you doing the same thing stays with you at all times, you will have a much easier time staying alive and staying out of people ways. The whole FMX thing actually worked against me at first as after the instructors met me and learned of my past they took on a bit of an atitude like 'ah this will be nothing for him then' and i felt like I wasnt allowed to be scared. I have since changed DZ's (I now drive 5 hours every time I wanna jump) and my new instructors are very well aware of the fact that being good at one thing doesnt qualify me for another, a truth that I keep at the forefront of my mind at all times. Im not your typical FMX rider. My buddies are some of the best FMX'ers in the world and they are crazy. They ride crazy, drive crazy, party crazy, live crazy. Im the opposite. Im a deep thinker, analytical, dont touch drugs or even alocohol, in the gym, eating right etc, im the cleanest kid you will ever meet to come out of this sport. Thats why I love the thought of skydiving. There is less of a 'fuck it ill give it a go' attitude and more of a mental thinking process to it. Im claustrophobic as all hell, cant even get in an elevator, so having to sit in the Fletcher and sit calmly talking through the jump is a challenge in itself, and I enjoy that challenge. Hopefully some of us might cross paths in the future

Thanks for the replies guys, Nah im just over the ditch from you in NZ my friend!

Hey crew, So since I was 15 years old ive been getting paid to jump my dirt bike in front of thousands of people at shows all around my country (on the other side of the world to most of you). I rode with the infamous Crusty Demons, I won our first and only amateur championship, I signed a lot of autographs and broke a lot of bones (9 bones in 4 years). Generally just had the time of my life. Then one morning earlier this year I kinda woke up and went 'Wow, im over this now, lets do something new'. So I set about trying a whole bunch of other sports to see what could replace the constant adrenaline rush and mental workout i was used to. NOTHING even came close. Nothing mesmorised me like the sport of Freestyle Motocross has for so many years. That was until I did my first AFF jump! I have since made 4 AFF jumps and I am so pumped to have finally found something that is not just a sport, but a lifestyle. Granted im not even living in the same world as most of you guys who have hundreds or thousands of jumps under your belt (so jealous!) but I am accustomed to the feelings you get and the thoughts that go through your head every time you do it. I have huge respect for you guys on here. I have lined up in front of 8,000 people to do backflips on my dirt bike and that made me no where near as nervous as my first few dives, even though statistically I was far more likely to get hurt jumping bikes (and i did!) So you guys really impress me. I just really wanted to introduce myself and join in on some of your convos. I know very little about the sport of skydiving in general but it has captured my imagination like nothing has before. Well, nothing apart from launching a 100kg bike off a 3metre high ramp, floating 80ft through the air while doing a trick and trying to land on another ramp. Doesnt sound very smart huh? So hey, Im Steve, and im in love with your sport. Let me in! Ive attached a pic to give you more of an idea of what i do, or did until recently. Steve Gregor www.runfmx.co.nz