CanuckInUSA

Looks more he's special. Congrats to Connie for her win. I was looking at the scores and her results were very good. Low 3s on speed, mid 200s on distance and good zone accuracy scores. Plus she was the only competitor to fly clean for all six rounds. She's an inspiration to all aspiring female swoopers and a wake up call to us guys. How many of these Nor-Cal folks are planning on being in CO in August? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I'm surprised some people aren't blaming Alberta yet. Alberta has tons of oil, natural gas and an ever increasing warming climate (plus the current PM of Canada calls Alberta home). So yes blame Alberta and all the conspiracies people can come up with!!! I'm just glad I've got strong ties to that province and I got in real estate-wise before the boom. So yes blame Alberta!!! It's the one province that most emulates a State like TX and/or the US as a whole. The rest of Canada is populated predominately by socialist minded people who would rather whine and complain rather than getting out and doing something about their problems. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[rant] 1) Global warming is a problem and we humans are the ones responsible for it. 2) The industrial nations have created most of the problems. 3) The developing nations are only adding to the problem. 4) Unless the entire world can come to an agreement, the problem will only get worse. 5) Is Canada sabotaging the Kyoto accord? Technically the answer is yes. 6) Is Canada solely to blame for this? Absolutely not ... however ... Given the corrupt history of the former governing party in Canada (the Liberal Party), is it any wonder why Canada is now being singled out as the destroyer of the Kyoto Accord. This group of corrupt politicians and their ever so stupid political voter base can only be blamed. The media would like to blame the current governing party, but all they are saying is that "we can't live up to the agreements this former government made". You would have to shut down every car, every truck and every factory in the country to be able to come close to living up to the promises the former governing party made. Then again, one only needs to look at how the Liberal Party made promises they couldn't keep. Like the gun registry program which was supposed to cost only 2 million dollars when the true costs (which were hidden from the public by cooking the accounting books) ballooned to almost 1 billion dollars. Then on top of this the former governing party (once again the Liberals) were the ones who committed the Canadian Armed Forces to a combat mission in Afghanistan without consulting anyone. But now that this party is no longer in power, they are calling foul and claiming that the troops should never have been there and that the current government is at fault for the inevitable casualties of this war. Finally thank god the current government is going to scrap the child daycare programs the Liberals conceived. Given the corruption and mis-spent public dollars in the gun registry and sponsorship scandal, one can only wonder what sort of government waste and theft would have come from this program (I'm sorry if you can't afford to have children, don't have children. The government should not be responsible for the financial costs associated with you raising children). So is Canada responsible for sabotaging the Kyoto Accord? Technically the answer is yes. But before people lay blame on the current government, they need to look at the unachievable promises the previous governing party made. If Canadians don't support the current Conservative government, then fine vote for the socialist NDP. But those Canadians who continue to support the corrupt Liberal Party should be ashamed of yourself as you are ultimately responsible for the mess we've found ourselves in, because year after year, election after election, these sheep called the Canadian electorate allowed this Liberal Party to build that entitlement attitude and it's costs the Canadian tax payer dearly. Now what's all this talk about the uninhabited lands of Canada's north? Well no shit Sherlock ... it's not economically viable to populate those areas. But if you think Canada is the only country with uninhabited lands, some of you guys don't know much about geography. Look at Siberia, or how about the Sahara dessert, the Outback of Australia, the interior of China, shit some of you Yanks haven't even set foot in Wyoming (I used to think Montana was a pretty barren place, but that was before I got to see Wyoming with my own eyes both while driving on the highways, but also from flying over parts of it in a GA aircraft). [end rant] Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I may be mistaken, but there is a BASE jumping couple out of Seattle who has also jumped into it. But I could have my nuclear reactors all mixed up ... na how many nuclear reactors are there/were there in the PAC-NW. Hey I was in that neck of the woods last weekend as I attended a swoop comp down at Skydive Oregon and I also got to spend some time in downtown Portland. I got to see some very interesting punk rockers, but despite what one of the fire fighters I was chilling with was telling me about Portland's homeless issues, I didn't see anything remotely close to what's going on here. But I only saw one small part of Portland within a short time frame. I will have to share notes with you on that town versus this one (Vancouver). But what does that all have to do with this thread? This is what happens when you're stuck at work on a holiday Monday when the weather is shitty outside and you're injured and can't jump for more than one reason ... back to work ... Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

He's got me down as a competitor and I haven't even registered yet. Time will tell as to whether or not I will be healed from my torn hamstring injury (my leg is still very tender and turned black a couple of days ago). But I just booked a flight to be there that weekend. So I've got three weeks to get healthy, otherwise I'll just have to be contempt in watching some bad ass swoopers enjoy everything Colorado has to offer. See you in a few weeks folks ... Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Have you seen some of the handicaps that the Pro/Advanced competitors are now running under? It's almost impossible for a Pro/Advanced guy to get a better speed carving score than an Amateur guy who's got some skill and talent. Plus the amateur guys don't need to drag for water points (they automatically get them by just making the gates) in zone accuracy. Based on these current handicaps, I don't think you can fault the guest Pro competitors much any more. If you don't think that they should be allowed to win prize money, then they shouldn't need to worry about paying the entry fees. I think the Advanced guys are the ones who are really getting ####ed with these new handicaps. But it is what it is. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I agree!!! My favorite way to pay down a debt is to spend less than what I'm taking in (something the US government isn't doing all that well with lately) and to take the difference and apply it towards my debts. Sure one can add to the government coffers by taxing their citizens more. But what ever happened to spending less? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Too many Canadians do the same thing. Time to get off of your high horse and realize that we're not all that different from them. Besides, didn't America just pass some recent laws making bankruptcy harder to do? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I can't talk too much because I am on a cross-braced wing, but we had a local non-CPC swoop comp a few weeks back in the Vancouver BC area and 4 of the 6 competitors were on the traditional 9 cell wings. So yes people, you don't need to be flying a cross-braced canopy to compete. It's all about making the entry gates. With the current CPC rules/handicap, the only event where the non-cross braced canopies are really challenged is in the speed carving courses and that's only if you're jumping into a strong'ish head wind. Zone accuracy shouldn't be an issue since amateur competitors have multiple entry gates to choose from and distance is distance. So get out there and compete folks. Guys like me who aren't good enough to be pro but who are running the pro courses are plenty handicapped and you can do well if you make the entry gates. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I'm not sure if I should be sending Gay-Ray some congrats or condolences. But I think it's safe to say that he's a better man than most of us slugs. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

He's also one damn good canopy pilot who was definitely flying at a pro caliber level on Saturday. Take away a certain blade strike in the speed round (on a flag that shouldn't have been there) and the 1st and 2nd place finishers are flip flopping in the final standings. Tom (the winner) did fly good as well. I wonder if Bryon has been de-slimed yet? I'm glad I didn't chow. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Thanks for all your hard work Stu. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I tore a hamstring muscle trying to run out the back end of a pro 220 foot speed carving course on Saturday and since this is a fairly serious injury, I'm going to be sidelined for a while (I currently have no idea how long I'm going to be out) and even if I was to become healthy enough to jump for the comp, I won't be current. So I regret to inform y'all that I won't be in CO in June to bring up the rear in this PST event. I wish this wasn't the case (I wanted to be there), but my health is more important than a swoop comp. Good luck to all who will be there competing. I did fly safe and I did have fun. But regretably that wasn't enough to prevent myself from getting hurt (old muscles don't work very well under high stress scenarios). Next time I'm either going to need to generate better speed to get through the 220 foot pro course, or I'm just going to have to take the donut. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I'm not sure how to take that. lol. For most of last season (locally), you and Grant were the guys to beat. But guys like myself and Russ came on late in the season. But that was then, this is now. It will be interesting this coming weekend down in Oregon as I compete in the first NW CPC comp of the season. Stu (who's better than me) and myself will be running the pro course (not sure if any of the other existing NW pros will be there) while everyone else is running the amateur course. My only hope for not finishing at the back of the pack is to make sure I can run clean. But that's easier said than done. It's all good though as I'm not going into this weekend's competition with very high expectations. I just want to fly safe and have some fun. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Didn't Kevin Gibson sum it up nicely in the (now kind of old) Breakaway training video "a hook turn is what happens when you screw up and you have to go to the hospital". Or was in Gus Wing which said it? I can't remember except that it was a classic. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Competitive female swoopers will always be cool in my books. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I currently am not using an RDS but I would like to talk to someone about it. I briefly talked to JB about building one, but believe it or not I was waiting to visit you NW dudes. Therefore unless it's obvious that the WX will be crappy this coming weekend in OR, myself and Brad were planning on car pooling down there this Friday. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I agree that the vast majority of the time, bad body position is the #1 reason for off heading and/or line twist openings. But with all due respect, you don't have enough jumps (neither do I) to say that you've seen it all. My last reserve ride (3 to date) was a violent spinner and I swear I had a decent body position when I pitched. The canopy just took off on me (I thought a brake might have fired on opening, but it didn't). Sometimes the shit just wants to hit the fan with these canopies. When you've got thousands of cross-braced jumps, then maybe I'll believe you. But not now. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

But can you promise that it won't try and kill you with a violent spinner and/or nasty line twists? Nope you can't do that. It's just the nature of the beast that every once in a while you cross-braced swoop machine will try and kill you. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I've only been terminal on the JVX about 4-5 times with the first few times being uneventful. It's just the one prior to my reserve ride was spicey as hell (I controlled it before it got away on me) and the other one went to the shitters before I could do anything. But there may or may not be an issue with the terminal JVX openings. I just don't have enough terminal jumps on this canopy to know for sure. Freefall scares me ... Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Damn ... that was too close for comfort towards seeing a double fatality. Maybe this is none of my business, but I'm wondering what happened to both jumpers. Obviously the camera jumper lived. But was he hurt? And I've got to think that the first guy lived as well, but did he get hurt? Don't try this at home folks. That was just too dang close. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I think one of the issues for people of lesser experience jumping cross-braced canopies is that the cross-braced canopy can be a beast when they try to kill you on opening. The lesser experienced jumper may or may not handle these violent malfunctions the proper way. Cross-braced canopies are ultra effecient with very powerful flares (even when coming in straight). But they do tend to try and kill you more often than the traditional canopy designs. Other than that I agree with a lot of what you say about the wing, about dedicating jumps to canopy control and in terms of getting coaching and knowing your wing. Just remember that any one of us is capable of messing up and us lesser experienced guys haven't seen all that there is to see in this sport that the more seasoned skydiver has seen or experienced. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I take it your Velo tried to kill you this last weekend? What happened? Was it a terminal jump or a sub-terminal flop and pop? Plus hopefully your gear landed away from the tractors this time. I've managed to make two skydives (both sub-terminal) since my JVX tried to kill me after a terminal opening. So now I have a new meaning when I say "freefall scares me". Seems that you and Ryan are obsessed with being gay lately. Are you guys secret lovers or something? What does your wife say about all that time you've been spending with the guy? I know, she just says "that's gay". Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

My purpose in life is to finish ahead of Billings and Spizz at the various swoop comps that we enter. I had some trouble doing this for most of last season, but I did manage to achieve this goal the last two times we've competed. Of course you're only as good as your last swoop and I'm not nearly as current as I was in September. So time will tell. But do I have to add Shimmel now to this "meaning of life" quest? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I'm hoping on being there, but I likely will be bringing up the rear in the standing. Oh and one would have to assume that Spizz will also be there. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over