Douva

You're not an old Lubbockite, are you? I spent twenty years in that flat, dusty Hub City. I finally found happiness in my rearview mirror. Thanks for the post. "American Pie" is my favorite song. "My momma kept calling me home but I just did not want to hear her..." I used to have that album, but now I can't remember any more of the lyrics than that. I was born in Lubbock, but I didn't live there very long. We pretty much moved all over Texas when I was a kid... never lived anywhere for much more than a year until we moved to Midland... and then I moved to Austin when I was 18 and lived there about 10 years... and now I'm in California (but I miss Texas!) Try this. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

You're not an old Lubbockite, are you? I spent twenty years in that flat, dusty Hub City. I finally found happiness in my rearview mirror. Thanks for the post. "American Pie" is my favorite song. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

....But I'm living the same day over and over. Every time I wake up, it's today. It wouldn't be so bad if it was a beautiful Saturday and I could just keep logging jumps (okay, maybe not logging jumps, but definitely making jumps). Unfortunately it's a dreary, overcast Wednesday, so I'm forced to sit at home watching the same CNN news alerts over and over for the rest of eternity. I am SO bored. I think I'll go rob the bank down the street again. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

You will break down and get one.. mark my words You saw how easy it was at the Byron Boogie.. I'm in the process of ordering another PC. I'd love to go the Mac route, but I just can't afford it. Maybe I'd make it happen if I was doing more professional editing work right now, but most of my film and video aspirations have drifted in another direction. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I had something like this in mind. Where's Waldo? I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Sorry, Justi, but it takes more than a couple of faces to make us miss a weekend of training. L.A.S.T. is going to have to stop living up to our name if we ever want to get sponsors (other than Skydive San Marcos who totally hooked us up at Nationals last year). Why don't you plan a trip to actually come jump at Skydive San Marcos sometime? We're here year round. Surely somewhere in "year round" fits into your schedule. Check the Skydive San Marcos (www.skydivesanmarcos.com) and L.A.S.T. (www.lastskysurfing.com) web sites for upcoming events. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Sorry, #14, but that's getting awfully close to the Rob Harris Boogie, so I've got a feeling Brains and I are going to be training. But maybe if the weather turns nasty we'll all get the bug to make an impromptu road trip and come show you Dealey Plaza. Why don't you just fly down Feb. 11 for the L.A.S.T. Birthday Bash? No pesky seminars to attend; just lots of booze and a stripper pole. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Might want to rethink that: http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/02/01/nepal.govt/index.html Wouldn't that make it even more exciting? Climbing a killer mountain in the midst of a revolution? Count me in! This has "based on a true story" written all over it. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

They call them "Boeing bombs." I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Jeff and I are supposed to be training that weekend, but if y'all get some formation loads together, we might give the board and camera a rest and jump a few loads with the belly flyers. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Self-serving bump. I want enough skilled jumpers out at the DZ to do a 40-way. And if bigways aren't your thing, we'll have plenty of other jumps happening. Be there, or be an old 5-cell square. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Yeah... another type of sodomy no doubt... I hope all you sinners burn for eternity! Hey, Richard, who's your favorite Little Rascal? Is it Alfalfa? Or is it Spanky? Sinner. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Quoted from the related Bonfire thread: I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Film isn't really a "lesser" quality. In fact, the technology to shoot and broadcast video in a quality comparable to film has only been around for, I would estimate, a little under ten years. The makers of the last Star Wars film, which was shot almost entirely on video (slow motion scenes were still shot on film), spent millions to make the footage look more film-like. The blacks in most high definition video systems still look a little washed out, and a lot of people (including audiences) still prefer the color registration and "look" of film to video. I'm finally convinced that video really is the future of cinema, but the technology is still a few years away. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Original question: The question is phrased as "...still fun". However, the title and actual poll is phrased as "...as fun" as you said. We were answering different questions, sorry. I should have read more carefully. The heading and body of the message ask two different questions. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

This question is for those of you in the know: What are our chances for a Jet day at Nationals? That gives Perris a little over seven months to clear out the cobwebs, kick the tires, and do whatever else the FAA demands. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I do not believe that there is One Reason for skydiving. There are many facets of the sport, many disciplines, and many levels of participation. Examples - CReW, BASE, and freeflying have widely different goals and reasons for their choice of discipline. Danger is the reason for some people, but not everyone. The question wasn't whether danger is the only reason to skydive; the question was whether or not skydiving would be as much fun without the danger factor. I maintain that a lot of the satisfaction of skydiving would be diminished without having to overcome the danger factor. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Take, for instance, the upcoming attempt to land a wing suit. What would be the significance without the danger factor? It's like climbing Mt. Everest--Who would care, if there were no danger? I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I have the Great Big Bathroom Reader and the Supremely Satisfying Bathroom Reader sitting on top of my comode tank. I've read them both cover-to-cover a couple of times, but it's always nice to have something to flip through. Speaking of which... I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I think surviving each jump certainly contributes to the sense of accomplishment. If somebody who'd never jumped could just strap on a camera helmet, a BirdMan suit, and a skysurfing board, all at the same time, and jump out of a plane without fear of death or dismemberment, most of the accomplishments in our sport would be seriously diminished. Accomplishment comes from pushing the limit. Without danger, there are no limits. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I'll try to let this be my final word on the subject. I respect the hell out of anybody who can strap a camera to his or her head and keep the subject tightly in frame through every backslide, side slide, fall rate change, etc. I have just enough camera jumps to recognize that this is a very difficult discipline that takes a long time to master. For my first couple of hundred jumps, I even thought camera flying was the discipline I wanted to pursue. I'm in awe of guys like Joe Jennings and Norman Kent, and I'm only slightly less in awe of some of the incredible camera flyers at my own drop zone. I say all this because I don't want anyone getting the impression that I don't appreciate what you do or that I'm trying to undercut your livelihood. I am simply trying to look at the long-term future of competitive skydiving. I think it would benefit the competitors and the sport in general to have increased exposure through the mainstream media. The only way I can foresee any television network taking a chance on skydiving is by keeping the cost to the network very low. High overhead was the determining factor in the failure of skydiving in the X-Games. Because most camera flyers are already being paid by the team they fly for and because competition footage is not a very marketable commodity, I do not think it would be unreasonable for camera flyers participating in Nationals to allow the use of that footage for a televised broadcast. If televised skydiving turned out to be a surprise ratings winner for the network, USPA could then demand more reasonable fees for future events, and the camera flyers and other technical personnel involved in the production could be paid reasonable fees for their services. I do not pay my cameraman because he is part of my team. Skysurfing is a little different, in that respect, from most competitive skydiving disciplines. His skill is judged for an equal portion of our score, and he competes for a medal, just like I do. But I appreciate that this is not the case in other disciplines, and I respect that most camera flyers look at flying for a team as simply a job. However, it is my belief that if more camera flyers would look toward the long term benefits of exposing the general public to competitive skydiving, they would see the merit of using this footage they've already shot and probably won't sell as bait. And I don't believe granting that kind of latitude to the USPA would serve as a precursor to free tandem videos or free boogie videos or free record attempt videos or anything like that. In a sport as small as ours, we need to work together toward a positive future. I understand why many of you may disagree with my plan, but please do not assume that I am discounting the investment of time and money it took you to reach this point in your careers or that I simply don't care whether or not you earn a living. I am simply trying to look at a bigger picture. Blue skies, Douva PS. And don't think that because I don't pay my cameraman I don't appreciate the hell out of him. After all, he is one half of L.A.S.T. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Alright, I'm in too. What are we talking about? $20 a pop? Come on people, let's pitch in for AD's wedding present.

Those are friggin nice, Dave. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Let me ask you all this: Is it really more about the principal? I mean, if USPA agreed to pay a small stipend to anybody whose footage is used, would you be satisfied that your work wasn't being used for free, even if the amount was well below what you might get for selling footage in other venues? What if USPA waved their annual renewal fee for any camera flyer whose footage is used in a broadcast of Nationals? Or what if they gave you $25 for each jump of yours that its used in the broadcast? Would you be satisfied in knowing that you weren't being used without reimbursement, or would you not be satisfied until USPA was paying you the $500/minute somebody suggested in the other thread? My goal is to keep the production cost low enough to make this feasible. If USPA has to pay $15,000 for jump footage, on top of all the other expenses, it will never work. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

But don't you think the best way to get people hooked is to "give them the first one for free?" Get it out there, get some people emailing ESPN asking when the next skydiving competition is going to be aired, and then maybe they'll start thinking it'd be worth their while to fork up the money to keep skydiving on the air. I know you guys are under appreciated, but the sport couldn't exist without you, and skydiving will never make it onto television without your support. It's the curse of the person behind the camera to always take a back-seat to the person in front of it, but I do hope you realize that there are those of us out there who understand and appreciate what you do. And if your team knew it was your footage that was going to make it onto ESPN, you can bet they'd care who's behind the camera. Hell, the going rate for a team camera flyer might even go up a bit. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.