28 August 2010 Greetings World Team Members, It is with a very heavy hearts that we send this most recent update on the current World Team record project. As you know, World Team has been aggressively seeking a venue for its next World Team record attempt. In January 2010, World Team began negotiations with the United Arab Emirates. In March, the UAE’s representative offered World Team five C-130s to build a 500-way. Unfortunately, today the UAE revoked this offer and instead offered the use of these aircraft to P3 – a group of five current or former World Team Leaders. Ouch! In May, we learned that the UAE had started negotiating with P3 for a world record attempt. From the the start of their talks, P3 knew that UAE was also negotiating with World Team to use these same C-130s and that, if P3’s efforts were successful, World Team’s project would be derailed. A project that was 12 months in the making, included untold hours of work by WT Leaders, a rehearsal camp by the BASE Team, and countless monies invested by World Team HQ and skydivers. Regardless, each of these five P3 individuals made a personal choice to not inform World Team about their efforts. Double ouch! In June, at the Kaleidoscope event in Russia, we discussed the UAE situation with two P3 members. In hopes of preventing a giant rift in the big-way community, we suggested that P3 withdraw its current efforts and encourage the UAE to support World Team’s on-going two-phase world record effort in the UAE. Following that effort, we offered to have World Team endorse P3 to build its own world record in the UAE or wherever. P3 rejected this suggestion. When the UAE representative said that he would support whichever group had the greatest chance of success for completing a world record, we were thrilled and confident. Although P3 organizes big-way camps and events into the mid-100s, their largest completed formation is smaller than World Team’s smallest. World Team has organized 15 big-way events in foreign lands using military aircraft, but P3 has never done so. World Team provides the most participant benefits for the least cost, etc. etc. So why did UAE make the decision to go with P3? Good question. We have asked, but have not yet received a response. Records are made to be broken, and World Team welcomes others seeking opportunities to set big-way world records. But it is most disappointing that a group of World Team Leaders would work behind our collective backs to impede a current World Team effort that they had publicly supported and in which they were supposedly serving in leadership roles. None of them had expressed dissatisfaction with their commitment to World Team, or signaled their pursuit of a different goal. So now what? Many of you will be put in a position to make some decisions. We want to assure you that we will not try to influence, or be personally offended by, whatever choices you make. World Team continues to seek a host nation to support a world record and is pursuing some attractive leads. World Team, however, will never imply that it has a viable project in the works until it becomes a reality. On an even brighter note… World Team recognizes that the big-way community is in serious need of high quality big-way camps and events that are affordable. Too many big-way enthusiasts and new skydivers entering the scene are discouraged by the upwardly spiraling costs of events. So, in addition to pursuing its world record efforts, World Team will be focusing its energy on raising the bar of big-way skills and methods around the globe. Stay tuned for more news on this front. World Team wishes all of its members – past, present, and future – a great (rest of the) big-way season! Safe skies, BJ and Bobbie
