arlo

...now THAT'S a loaded question if I've ever heard one. Would I do something like that? (nah, I won't make ya...there are already 12 volunteers:) same plane at Nats? full circle dear...full circle. If I end up busting though, I'm blaming it on SK. see ya tomorrow, arlo

hehe...it's gonna happen tomorrow. Believe it or not, there is less than a 3 dollar difference between the yes and no votes. $215.94 in YES, 213.05 in NO. Tomorrow should be interesting. You should come check it out. blues, arlo ...and thank you for the skydiver comment.

Make it a Dt. Mountain Dew and I'm your friend forever. No worries or apology necessary. I'm in total agreement with you regarding people maintaining a questioning attitude in this sport...it's imperative. When people in general quit asking questions, it usually means they a) think it's a dumb question and are too scared to ask, or b) think they know all the answers. B can kill you. Some of the best friends you can have in this sport are the ones that will call your ass out on stupid crap like low turns or bad tracking or unsafe things in general (rapid downsizing is one of my biggest pet peeves). It's better to piss someone off by calling them out on something than it is wishing that you had while you see their dying body in front of you...at least that's MY opinion. Now have yourself an outstanding weekend...and don't worry about the "brother" comment.

Whoa nelly! Before you take that comment to mean there is a heirarchy in the sport, I use the term "big boys" to refer to the better teams in 4-way (since the video that dude spoke of was 4-way). You read wayyyyyyyyyy too much into that...sorry I didn't make it much more specific. It in NO WAY is said with condescension...trust me. People just tend to assume that folks like Craig and Shannon and Joey and Solly do nothing but 4-way. I was just trying to show that it's pretty cool that they go inverted on occasion. :) Not that it isn't equally as cool to see freeflyers kick ass on their bellies...I think that rocks as well. So before anyone goes assuming that I just segregated the entire classes of skydiving by experience or otherwise, I'm telling you that I didn't. You may now return to your regularly scheduled program... blues, arlo

I'm pretty sure the team whose video you saw was PD Blue...formerly known as Deland Genesis. They did outstanding 4-way skydives and would finish it off with all going head down. Don't assume all the "big boys and girls" only fly on their bellies... blues, arlo

I believe the grand total at Zhills for the bikini jump portion was $684. This should be a blast. :) thanks Andrea! arlo

hmmm....Ray, care to volunteer dear? I think you and the crew would look quite sexy in bikinis. seriously, let's chat tomorrow if possible...could use some volunteer video if the YES votes have it. blues, arlo

Never apologize for asking a question you don't know the answer to. :) Spy pretty much summed it up. Throughout the day, people scope out the "voluteers" (identifiable by the Jump for the Cause t-shirts they'll be wearing)and decide if they: a) want to see the guys do a bikini jump, in which case they put money in the YES bucket or b) want them to keep their clothes on so they chunk fistfuls of money (subliminal message, here...work with me) into the NO bucket. It is very easy to organize, you can tally votes periodically (every half-hour worked well at zhills) and posting the results for everyone to see keeps the dream alive. :) It's such a fun way to raise money for a good cause (breast cancer research), everyone gets into it, and everyone ends up feeling really good about what's been accomplished at the end of the day...except for those that have their corneas burned by some bodies that should've stayed covered. This idea was suggested by Bo from Team Funnel at SDC. They did it to raise money for the Make-a- Wish foundation. blues, arlo

How could I forget?? In addition to the t-shirt sales and mens bikini jump for the cause fund-raiser, Skydive Deland is offering $12 jumps this weekend. So come out, make some skydives, and use the extra buck or two to vote for the bikini jump. :) blues, arlo

Dave, naked jumps at Nationals might not be a bad thing....depending on who it is. Bill, you rock! You should try to make it out for Saturday's debauchery to set the example. And for those that don't know Bickner, he is one of the sheep loving Muff brothers that donated his time and body to the Zhills bikini jump. And Bill, I have pictures, LOTS of pictures. hehe thanks for the support! arlo

I'm gonna try to make another go of this since the last one (in Zhills) was so successful. We're gonna try to do another men's bikini jump in Deland this weekend....and I could use some male volunteers. All proceeds from the YES and NO votes will go to Jump for the Cause for breast cancer research. I will also be selling JFTC T-shirts. If you guys remember (I know you tried to repress these images), we had some serious debauchery going on with the last one, so let's get the NO voting started :) Come out and vote!!! My goal is to get Bob Hallett and Mike Johnston in bikinis...or not. :) DO IT FOR THE BOOBIES!!! :) blues, arlo

*** I believe we have different definitions of "peer pressure." Having DZ staff ask to change the movie seems to me to be a suggestion. Peer pressure would be "go ahead...everyone else is having one more beer" or "35 sq ft less won't make that much of a difference...what are you afraid of?" Do you see what i'm getting at here? I said I didn't try invoking peer pressure....I didn't say I wouldn't give my opinion. If someone is being an idiot (which is, in most cases, a subjective thing), I will tell them that I think they're doing something idiotic in no uncertain terms....and you're right, it doesn't have to be rude. But I will not PRESSURE them to quit being an idiot...I would just try to INFORM them of the consequences of their actions. If they continue to do things that are not in his/her best interest, then he/she is responsible for his/her own actions. Being able to play devil's advocate is a good thing. I think that it's strictly a matter of semantics in this case... blues, arlo

Yes, I read the rest of the thread. I think my point is missed. If i'm offended by someone's actions (i.e. a slobbering drunk), I can choose to ignore it or go somewhere else. Who defines "overly vulgar"? I totally see what you're trying to say, and all I'm trying to say is that it shouldn't be stated as a "dz policy" if it's just a "suggested behavior." I accept people for who they are and I do not try to invoke peer pressure-positive, negative, or otherwise- to get people to conform to my way of thinking or my behavior patterns (thank god for that). That's what makes us individuals. blues, arlo

you know, I was actually looking forward to going to SDC for Nationals before I heard this. The only choice I would have in this matter is NOT to compete and that is NOT an option. THIS puts a different light on things. Something about the First Amendment rings in here... And before something is said about saying "shit" or "fuck" offending them, maybe someone wearing pink or drinking beer or wearing a mullet or having a screaming kid offends me. The staff policy is understandable....employers make the rules. By the way, is there a bar on site? I mean, is beer allowed on the dz at all? I'm just curious as to what else to expect at SDC during Nationals. this should be a hoot, arlo

Let's see Dave...hmmmmmm. The bet for August would be beer for you if you win, dt dew for me when I win. Or should we up the ante like we do with Superfly and just swap out one of our team members? Tail for tail, sorta thing... What did you have in mind dear? all i've gotta say is GAME ON! Looking forward to seeing you guys. arlo

Checkout www.omniskore.com for the meet draw. Quick and dirty: No scores posted yet because T1 doesn't have steady internet access...will try and give reports once or twice daily via cell phone mail. Round 7: P-D-K-N-14 yeah baby! This should be an awesome meet...at least we have Ted over there to keep us updated. Thanks T1 and T2... blues, arlo

per the para-performance rules a couple months back at Perris Valley, the entry gate was 5 feet...and Shannon Pilcher set the record with 418 feet.

for the love of god....this is where the flawed logic starts. We are actually getting to read the thought processes behind it now. OMG. I don't believe there's any doubt that a 250 jump individual can land the smaller canopy straight in. most people here could land a 46 if they needed to...straight in. I'm not saying it'd be pretty, but it's do-able. what happens when there's a knee-jerk twitch of the toggle/rear riser with the higher loaded wing...like someone flying into your space or having to put that thing down in a parking lot between cars or having the toggle slip? Egos, overconfidence and mistakes kill. There are at least 2 in this equation as it sits right now. Add another one to the list. I just sincerely hope that your first critical mistake on that canopy isn't your last. blues, arlo

Hi Viking- The only formation that they would've done in this particular dive sequence (B-F-L-A-N) that didn't require a leg grip of some sort (be it via side body or cat grip) would be the random formation "F" -the open accordian. The other formations will have at least one person picking up a leg grip. Let me clarify that by saying that a sidebody grip (such as in the random formation "P" where everyone has a sidebody grip) still has each person with one arm grip and one leg grip. If you'd like to see the pictures for this, I think you can go to omniskore.com and look for the dive pool. Hope this helps. :) blues, arlo

PHENOMENAL!!! What an outstanding skydive. Kudos Maubeuge and congrats! Kinda gives ya goosebumps, eh? Now let's go rip it up! arlo

We're going to go to the ranch meet in NY this coming weekend. We'll be at the August FSL meet in DeLand though! Cool beans! You guys go rip it up at the Ranch (hello to Jack and the gang for me) and as far as the FSL meet in Aug....GAME ON!! ;) be safe, arlo

yeah Dave, what was scary was the email response I got from her a couple months back regarding my concern about the 1 round minimum. I believe Kurt also posted a response on the NSL website...which was really needed. Shit like that falls thru the cracks and is voted on before we even know it's on the agenda. I'm just glad this didn't get by us....this time. We as competitors have to stay on top of this, but then again, I'm preaching to the choir. :) BTW, how the hell are ya? :) See ya in Titusville next weekend? arlo

...whoops. that should've been $5 increase in the membership dues. damn editor. arlo

Yep, I knew it was on Norm's video, but for those that didn't have it, I thought that would be a nice little aside to watch right then. :) It never ceases to amaze me... blues, arlo

8:43 EST on NG Explorer