WFFC Fading??

[rhino 0]

Quote

Last year sucked ass man. There were only 1500ish people there and no special planes.

The only real reason I like to go.. well 2 reasons is Mike Mulling King Air and the Swoop Pond.

If their were a swoop pond at my dz I would likely make it there every weekend. And there would be no need to goto the wffc
It's all about the swoop pond baby.. I got hooked in 02..

[flyangel2 2]

Oh, I understand what SkyFest is about. I was there last year and donated everything I won to some one else. I think what Jay does is wonderful. Should all boogies be set up that way? IMO, if it was like that, then there wouldn't be that many boogies around. The people that put WFFC together, work doing it all year long. They need to be paid for their time, it's a job to them.

I hope you didn't take my post as a put down to SkyFest. I enjoyed myself last year, and was asked back to LO again this year, but for personal reasons, I won't be able to attend. My point to the poster saying that WFFC is too expensive was to let him know that people need to be paid for all the work they put in to putting the boogie together.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[jumpergirl 0]

I didn't take your post as a put down for SkyFest at all.
My reply was not directed entirely at you and I didn't make that clear.

I do think the people who put the big boogies together deserve to get paid. I have learned what hard work it is. But, I do think some of the charges and fees to go to WFFC are over the top, especially for the vendors. It's a shame too. I know MANY people who can't afford to go and miss out, including myself.

It's not ALL about money, but it appears that way.

[skybytch 273]

Quote

Big $..registration
$........parking

I don't get this one. $70 for 10 days is $7 a day. For that you get a place to camp ($10-25 per night value), a place to park, free macro-beer every night (value depends on if/how much you drink), nightly entertainment (value $10-20 per night), free load organizing for all and multiple turbine aircraft to jump from. Not to mention the entertainment value of a couple thousand jumpers there with you (anyone who watched the hop n pop loads last year knows what I mean ) .

Does anyone whinging about the registration fee know what it costs to put on an off-dz boogie? Ferry fees for turbine aircraft ain't cheap. Neither are the multiple tents to keep you out of the sun (loading tents, packing/LO tents, food tent, entertainment tent), fees for the use of the facilities (Rantoul likes skydivers but they ain't gonna let us play there for free), etc.

We all choose how we spend our skydiving money. I've paid $30+ registration fees for a weekend boogie on a dz and gotten a tshirt and a couple bucks off jumps. The dz.com boogie at Perris is a prime example; $30 registration fee got me a tshirt, $15 jumps and a few bucks off an expensive dinner. Since I did only 2 jumps that weekend due to the funky Perris winds and I'm not going to pay $10 for dinner.... that's one expensive tshirt I came home with.

I dunno. For me, in my fun jumper/party animal guise, WFFC is worth every penny. YMMV.

I do agree that the vendor fees are excessive. There ain't much profit in skydiving equipment; $1500 plus travel expenses for a vendor to be there adds up to having to sell a crap load of tshirts (or jumpsuits in my case) to break even much less show a profit (oh, sorry, forgot, profit is a dirty word...).

[flyangel2 2]

You forgot to mention Porta Potties and trash service. What about the water that is used to fill the swoop pond, or for us to take showers? Who pays for the paper that the waiver is on? What about the office supplies that are needed to run check in? The list can go on and on. But I guess no one is allowed to make a profit.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[Snowwhite 0]

Porta Pots,

This year $15,000, don;t leave home with out em!

skydiveTaylorville.org
freefallbeth@yahoo.com

[flyangel2 2]

Quote

It's not ALL about money, but it appears that way.

Well since we aren't in the office doing the paper work, we have no idea.

I'm sorry I won't met you at SkyFest. I'm sure our paths will cross some day

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[jumpergirl 0]

Quote

Quote

It's not ALL about money, but it appears that way.

Well since we aren't in the office doing the paper work, we have no idea.

I'm sorry I won't met you at SkyFest. I'm sure our paths will cross some day

You're absolutely right. I have learned a lot by working on SkyFest this year, though. It does take a lot more time AND money to put things together. I have no doubts or illusions about that.

[RastaRicanAir 0]

Quote

Quote

Quote

It's because SkyFest is going to replace WFFC.

DUUUB-LINN!! DUUUB-LINN!! DUUUB-LINN!!


I haven't been around long enough to deduce a real reason. Last year I didn't go because I was still a homebody as a jumper, and NONE of my friends were going.
I do know that in nature, when the big fat lions get lazy, the young hungry ones are always there to grab the meat.

OOoohhhh... you will be punished for that.

Your paddle or mine? 'Cause I'm bringing mine.

OrFunV/LocoBoca Rodriguez/Sonic Grieco/Muff Brother #4411
-"and ladies....messin with Robbie is venturing into territory you cant even imagine!-cuz Robbie is

[RevJim 0]

Quote

Not to mention the entertainment value of a couple thousand jumpers there with you (anyone who watched the hop n pop loads last year knows what I mean )

Oh, look, another CYPRES fire.

It's your life, live it!
Karma
RB#684 "Corcho", ASK#60, Muff#3520, NCB#398, NHDZ#4, C-33989, DG#1

[jumpergirl 0]

Quote

OOoohhhh... you will be punished for that.

Your paddle or mine? 'Cause I'm bringing mine.

[upndownshop 0]

Quote

Quote

Not to mention the entertainment value of a couple thousand jumpers there with you (anyone who watched the hop n pop loads last year knows what I mean )

Oh, look, another CYPRES fire.

And so on, and so on,
or hey he never opened his parachute!

[RevJim 0]

Quote

Quote

Quote

Not to mention the entertainment value of a couple thousand jumpers there with you (anyone who watched the hop n pop loads last year knows what I mean )

Oh, look, another CYPRES fire.

And so on, and so on,
or hey he never opened his parachute!

leading to an announcement that all skydivers exiting a plane must deploy their own parachute, or they will be kicked out. Huh?

It's your life, live it!
Karma
RB#684 "Corcho", ASK#60, Muff#3520, NCB#398, NHDZ#4, C-33989, DG#1

[carbonezone 0]

Scotty and I are going this year and we really couldn’t even imagine NOT going
There is no other place that you can run into long time friends not only from the states but from across the seas. And like everyone else has mentioned MAKE NEW FRIENDS!
This season has been a very tuff season for us financially and we have literally had to scrape up the funds for our vendor fees….but all the scraping is SO worth it.
I do agree on the aircraft argument I personally would love to Jump the Jet as would TONS of other people. I do know that some people don’t go anymore because the Jet isn’t there, so with that in mind don’t you think that if Don could get the Jet he WOULD get the Jet? That’s just my .02 on the aircraft.
This year we have also staffed the Carbonezone so that Scotty and I can spend some more time jumping with you all as well. Of course the Carbonezone will not suffer from this so bring on your Happy Buddha Bellies and PLEASE PLEASE as least stop by to say HI and sign our guest book!
Counting the Days,
<>
Scotty and Tami

[upndownshop 0]

Quote

Quote

Quote

Quote

Not to mention the entertainment value of a couple thousand jumpers there with you (anyone who watched the hop n pop loads last year knows what I mean )

Oh, look, another CYPRES fire.

And so on, and so on,
or hey he never opened his parachute!

leading to an announcement that all skydivers exiting a plane must deploy their own parachute, or they will be kicked out. Huh?

which was right after " you must deploy your parachute by 2000'..

not safe but quite entertaining

[RevJim 0]

Quote

sign our guest book!
Counting the Days,
<>
Scotty and Tami

Is this new? If not, I've got a few years I've missed signing....

See ya shortly, sweety. (You too Tami)

It's your life, live it!
Karma
RB#684 "Corcho", ASK#60, Muff#3520, NCB#398, NHDZ#4, C-33989, DG#1

[carbonezone 0]

Quote

Is this new? If not, I've got a few years I've missed signing....

No not new at all. Its always located on the serving table or out somewhere on the seating tables. We have markers and pens and you can write whatever you want. We have boxes of them from all the Boogies we go to. It is so much fun to sit and read what people have wrote or look at the pictures they drew
<>
Tami
Tami

[Zeemax 0]

hmmmmm carbone zone... alrgghhhhhhhhh drooooool....... thats worth the airfare alone!

Phoenix Fly - High performance wingsuits for skydiving and BASE
Performance Designs - Simply brilliant canopies

[Douva 0]

Quote

Is the WFFC losing its allure??

It seems that this year there just isn’t quite the Buzz about the convention that I have seen in previous years. The DZ.com attendee’s list seems to be shrinking faster than its Growing. Very few people that I talk to who were there last year plan on going this year.

Any speculation on why this is??
Too many other Major Boogies too close together?? (Skyfest, Lost Prairie, Summerfest)

General Slump in the economy and outrageous gas prices keeping people closer to home????

Or is everyone just waiting till the last minute to start talking up the WFFC??

Or is this just in my imagination and Rantoul will be just as big as and better than previous years.

I remember the good old days of nearly 6000 registered skydivers, whuffos fighting over who could drive us back to the airport when we landed off, completely unregulated, out-of-control parties, Rod's wild helicopter rides, and speed star competitions out of a 727. For a nineteen-year-old with 150 jumps, it was a wet dream come true.

I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

Quote

You forgot to mention Porta Potties and trash service. What about the water that is used to fill the swoop pond, or for us to take showers? Who pays for the paper that the waiver is on? What about the office supplies that are needed to run check in? The list can go on and on. But I guess no one is allowed to make a profit.

I personally am not complaining about the WFFC staff trying to cover the margin and try to make a profit for the amount of work they put in. Nothing wrong with that.

As it is, people did plenty of complaining last year about the showers and not enough porta potties - Beth said they were going to work on that. My thoughts are that will cost more money for them. People don't consdier that stuff.

I am not knocking what the WFFC staff do. I've organized a small boogie for the last few years and it's HARD work.

However, I stopped going to the vendor tents last year. Why? I got tired of hearing nothing but complaints about cost and how they would never come back again. All that bitching did a good job of ruining the fun. And yes, there was that much bitching from every vendor I went to.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[RastaRicanAir 0]

Quote

Quote

OOoohhhh... you will be punished for that.

Your paddle or mine? 'Cause I'm bringing mine.

You take yours, I'll bring mine, and I'll use both. You deserve it for marking out SkyFest.

[carbonezone 0]

Quote

hmmmmm carbone zone... alrgghhhhhhhhh drooooool....... thats worth the airfare alone!

You are too kind sweetie....We will be posting our Dinner Menu on the WFFC website in the next week so drooooool away baby!
<>
Scotty and Tami

[jumpergirl 0]

Quote

Quote

Quote

OOoohhhh... you will be punished for that.

Your paddle or mine? 'Cause I'm bringing mine.

You take yours, I'll bring mine, and I'll use both. You deserve it for marking out SkyFest.

WOOF!

[namgrunt 0]

ok here it is

the folks running SKYFEST are a class act ,no little u's and big I's.They are interested in having a safe ,fun ,event that uses profit to help the sport grow.

at some time we all must ask how we can return to the sport all that the sport has given us. skyfest is the best example I have see that does just that .

my wife's and my instructers Norm Johnson and Preston Ford said it best

after teaching us its up to us to pass on for free what we got for free. Its about safety and fun not money.

Preston Ford has passed but we are trying to keep his idea alive and skyfest is a great example of just what norm and preston taught.

skyfest ....yes
wffc..........$no


..

59 YEARS,OVERWEIGHT,BALDIND,X-GRUNT
LAST MIL. JUMP VIET-NAM(QUAN-TRI)
www.dzmemories.com

[Zeemax 0]

i for one am very much looking forward to that!

it makes it seem like i dont get fed doesn't it...

Phoenix Fly - High performance wingsuits for skydiving and BASE
Performance Designs - Simply brilliant canopies