PLFKING 4 #26 October 2, 2001 Two words.....GRO - TESQUE !!I stand corrected, Kris.....although it humbles me to say so, your suit is MUCH more hideous than mine....Don Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Merrick 0 #27 October 2, 2001 Ahhh. C'mon Kris, I loved Charlie's jumpsuit... his is still one of the coolest I've seen (hint, no sarcasm, I'm serious). You wouldn't happen to have a pic of it would you? That was the first side-tracked thought I had... "ahhh man, they're going to have to cut up his jumpsuit!" Ahhh well, Maybe Kris (diff Kris for everyone else) can fix it.... or we can all even chip in $20 or so to help him get a new one when he's ready!"Pammi's Hemp/Skydiving Jewelry" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tee 0 #28 October 2, 2001 Hey Pammi. I don't have children, but I do know how you feel when you say you briefly experienced second thoughts. Within 2 weeks I saw 3 of my friends and a student seriously hurt.The first was my boyfriend. He was doing a moderate carve on his '97 Stiletto which he has done 1000 times (literally) and all of us were laughing because he was starting it high, but he caught some weird air and the canopy never pulled out of the dive and he bounced 3 times with a 360 degree flip in there too and we all thought that he wouldn't be alive. Trust me, your heart sinks and for a split second you can't do anything but think "please move, please move". I never want to see that again! Fortunately he managed to walk away with a fractured vertebrae, sore ribs and knees.Then the following weekend, another friend suffered through the exact same incident and broke his femur in half and his arm was going the wrong direction. They had to air ambulance him out, but thankfully after hours of surgery to repair arteries and bones he lived.Also that same week, another friend broke her Tibula (sp?) in over 5 places on a wanky landing. Shortly after that, we had a student coming in on final, following all of the radio instructions and 500ft up burried a toggle and spiralled himself into the ground, unfortunately he didn't make it and his boyfriend was there to sadly experience it all. Those 2 weeks I pondered my own mortality but came out realizing even more now then ever that when it is your time, its your time. Some people can skydive their whole lives and NOTHING...others can cross the street and die. Live your life the way it makes you happy. Tee Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chopchop 0 #29 October 2, 2001 Kris - hideous is an understatement. What were you thinking when you ordered that thing?Pammi - Sorry to hear about charlie's landing. glad to hear he'll be ok.Re: Kids seeing it all. We can't protect them from life. I love bringing my 5 year old daughter to the dz and she has a healthy respect for the possible consequences of each jump. It would hurt her deeply to see one of her dz friends / surrogate parents get hurt but I think she could handle it. Hope she never has to.chopchopPD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymedic 0 #30 October 2, 2001 Tee,Tibia I think is what you were trying to say...or was it Fibula.they are both in the lower leg.....MarcBecause I fly, I envy no man on earth Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tee 0 #31 October 2, 2001 Quote Tibia I think is what you were trying to say Yes, that's it, thanks. Tee Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymedic 0 #32 October 2, 2001 Yep, I bet her scar is that big. One of my best friends is an orthopedic surgeon....and he LOVES to leave BIG scars!!!MarcBecause I fly, I envy no man on earth Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeflir29 0 #33 October 2, 2001 "We can't protect them from life"That reminds me of a funny story. When I was about 3 my Dad hit a really nice 10 point buck with the Vega. Of course, he picked it up and took it to the house to prep it for the freezer. My Mom was all worried about my (older0 brother and sister seeing a dead animal. She was so over protective of those two! Well, next thing you know my sister and brother are out running around in the yard with the deer's legs. Pulling the tendons and making the hoof move...LMAO My Mom about had a heart attack. Kids are tougher than most people think."The sky resembles a back lit canopy...with holes punched through it"- IncubusClay Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DZBone 0 #34 October 3, 2001 QuoteThe third was a man with about 68 jumps. I was talking with him on Saturday night.This guy was the first (and only) person I ever saw go in, and it gave me a similar reaction to Pammi's. I didn't really know him, although he had been friendly, even offered to let my wife and friends use his chair rather than sit in the grass.He was on the load ahead of me. We knew there was something weird going on when we took off, but I didn't think anything of it. When I was the ambulance and police at the edge of the dz, I figured that someone else had twisted an ankle or something.When I flew over them, and saw the guy's twisted body motionless on the ground, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I have had moderate exposure to death, being in EMS and hospital jobs for several years, so it wasn't that. It was more like something that had only been an abstraction suddenly became a reality. I knew people died in the sport, but seeing it is something different. It took awhile for that feeling to wear off. Since then, I must say, emergency procedures and safety have quite a different meaning. I had been getting lax about altitude awareness. This incident cleared that right up.Luckily, I have lost no friends. I have one who is in a wheelchair, but he is still associated with the sport, and I get to see him and share war stories with him.Bill, your story was very moving. Thanks for sharing these very well-spoken feelings with us.Carl Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeflir29 0 #35 October 3, 2001 Kris...I just want to know how many altimeters that student can see at once....."The sky resembles a back lit canopy...with holes punched through it"- IncubusClay Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kris 0 #36 October 3, 2001 Okay... Okay! I get the point. I have a loud jumpsuit. Since I have lost so much weight recently, I am probably going to buy a new freefly suit before winter is up. To match my new gear I think I'll leave the green behind and go with purple, white and silver and I'll be cutting all of the alien pattern fabric off of my old suit to get put onto my new one. Call it a karmic thing...As for the student and the altimeter's, Clay... There are two chest-mounts and two wrist-mounts in that picture. I don't think he had a problem finding one to see. Kris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kris 0 #37 October 3, 2001 Quote Ahhh. C'mon Kris, I loved Charlie's jumpsuit... his is still one of the coolest I've seen (hint, no sarcasm, I'm serious). You wouldn't happen to have a pic of it would you? That was the first side-tracked thought I had... "ahhh man, they're going to have to cut up his jumpsuit!" Ahhh well, Maybe Kris (diff Kris for everyone else) can fix it.... or we can all even chip in $20 or so to help him get a new one when he's ready! You know... I should have expected you to say you liked his suit. After all, I have seen how you dress in public (Pammi, help him!). As for getting him a new suit, I'm way ahead of you. I'll let you know the skinny as soon as I know something.Also, let me know how your new suit from Tad's turns out as I am in the market for a new freefly suit.Kris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FreeflyPlaymate 0 #38 October 3, 2001 "We can't protect them from life" I had to sit back and let that one sink in for awhile. We can't protect them from life, which is true, my little bro has about 45 jumps now, and I still am playing the big sis, always will I know it, even though I trust his judegement, I don't want to see him get caught up in a jump and forget safety, because that's in essence what happens. Bringing your kids at the dz helps, they see human nature at its best, helping, when something happens they learn to pull together, and not run. And they also learn to cherish the human spirit, before it is taken away. I've noticed jumpers appreciate either verbally or through hugs, love and how grateful and happy they are just because of others pressence, regardless of how they look. I think it would be hiding your children from something positive and a shame if you kept them away from it...so my hats off to the parents who bring the kids out!**BLUE ONES** BITE ME.... :P Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Merrick 0 #39 October 4, 2001 I just wanted to take a second to update you guys on our friend Charlie.... Here's a PM I got from Kris a few days ago. This shit is fucked up!!Quote"New news on Charlie... He was discharged from Cushing Hospital on Sunday evening and in a totally brain-locked maneuver, decided to drive himself home. Larry was following him until he got to his exit, Charlie flipped his new Tahoe a few minutes later and luckily, only got a couple of bruises. Someone up there must either really like or really hate that boy. We haven't decided yet...He's in Midwest City Regional now after going to their ER on Monday for a second opinion. Turns out he has two fractured vertebra, a fractured ankle and his intestines have shut down. They expect his intestines to recover from the trauma in 2-8 days. When he is able to digest food again, they'll release him but he's going to be in a back-brace for a couple of months...Kris"I started to think that Charlie must have done something to really tick someone 'upstairs' off, but I'm starting to think that it was just the opposite. He needed serious attention & didn't get it, so someone made sure he did, even if it meant trashing his brand new Tahoe. Granted, I'm not a doctor, but I can't believe that the ER doctors & the 'specialists' in Cushing screwed up that badly... I mean hell, even I can tell what a broken bone looks like on an x-ray. Needless to say, if I EVER get hurt at our home DZ and any of you just happen to be there.... you'd better take my ass down the road to Tulsa!"Pammi's Hemp/Skydiving Jewelry" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freaksister 0 #40 October 4, 2001 That is just terrible!! That is why my dad transferred from Cushing to Tulsa (St. John's) because they are all sort of asleep down there...no one should have let him drive home, that was a bad move, to say the least!Glad he's okay, and I would have to say that somebody upstairs *DOES* love him...he could be dead twice now!The Freak KittyI lust for the ultimate rush... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tee 0 #41 October 4, 2001 Glad to hear that your friend, once again, is okay. Why my sweetie burned in on his '97, we all thought it was such a terrible accident, but even with the broken bones, he managed to walk away. BUT, the accident also turned out to be a blessing in disguise because when he was being treated in the hospital, they discovered that he has advanced osteoporosis at the age of 29! If he hadn't hurt himself, we may have never known until it was even worse!It sure reinforces that everything happens for a reason!Tee Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pammi 0 #42 October 5, 2001 Hey Kris...nice 'package' ...heheheHemp/skydiving jewelry pics! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pammi 0 #43 October 5, 2001 QuoteYou know... I should have expected you to say you liked his suit. After all, I have seen how you dress in public (Pammi, help him!). ROFL Kris! I like your jumpsuit! Remember to hold onto it for me ;) Hey, I got Merrick to start wearing a bit of color (besides grey, white or black), that was a huge deal in itself. I'm not a miracle worker! heheHemp/skydiving jewelry pics! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kris 0 #44 October 5, 2001 Charlie is at home and doing surprisingly well. He mumbled something about wanting to visit the DZ to see his friends this weekend so I mumbled something back about my kicking his ass up one side of the hangar and down the other. So I think he'll be visiting the weekend after, it will give him more time to heal as he can't stand for long amounts of time right now.Quote no one should have let him drive home, that was a bad move, to say the least! Tell me about it, April. But you have to know how stubborn and persuasive Charlie is. If he wanted to drive himself home not even a team of crazed skydivers could have stopped him.Quote Hey Kris...nice 'package' ...hehehe Ahhh.... Pammi, my little blonde nymph. It's the purple isn't it? Sure... Everyone talks about what it would be like to have sex with Barney the Dino but nobody ever follows through. Sheesh, people today, no commitment to principal. Quote ROFL Kris! I like your jumpsuit! Remember to hold onto it for me ;) Hey, I got Merrick to start wearing a bit of color (besides grey, white or black), that was a huge deal in itself. I'm not a miracle worker! hehe I'm glad you like it. As soon as Merrick gets his new suit in from Tad's, his opinion will decide whether I buy my new one from them or from Firefly. As for Merrick wearing color, good luck. I know what that's like. My old favorite t-shirt used to read, "I'm only wearing black until they come out with something darker". Kris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
