Tonto

That's the thin end of the wedge. I'm sure a couple of the 20 odd people on the Formula 1 grid would have decieded that Michael Shumacher shouldn't be competing a couple of years back. No one likes to lose - especially if they do so profesionally. (Hi! My name is......... and I'm a professional loser!) Sport governing bodies are the ones who get to choose - and in this case, they have. t It's the year of the Pig.

While I agree with that point of view I suspect it was the "100% Pure woman champion" that would have got the organisational bodies attention, because it infers that the person on top of the podium is NOT the champion. Personally, I think any man who's prepared to surgically lose his balls to win a cycling race is probably quite competitive. Would you think "Ah! Now there's a way to be a winner!" to be an easy way to victory? t It's the year of the Pig.

Sorry I had to move this. Thread drift. t It's the year of the Pig.

That's funny! t It's the year of the Pig.

So how long before you know you're a survivor? There's a thread in incidents where a 71 year old was killed. People seem quite upset about it. Or are you only a survivor when you quit? t It's the year of the Pig.

I can't disagree more strongly with this statement. Dealing with real fear, as well as better identifying real versus perceived risk all around, is very useful. I think it may depend on your frame of reference. In South africa, where over 30 000 people are murdered every year, you've probably got the "dealing with real fear" nailed by the time you're about 9, and have had classmates die of aids, or their parents raped and/or murdered. Skydiving is simply a recreation, and even it's scary moments are in a pretty highly controlled environment. (12 secs to deal with a mal as an example.) You don't get 12 seconds in a gunfight, and your conditioned response will almost never work. Every situation is different. Whatever. If skydiving helps you, good and well. We all like to think we're doing the right things for the right reasons. Edit: Skydiving is expensive, fun, and can kill you, just like drugs. You may get away unscathed, or with a limp from titanium intrusion, or scarred by the thoughts of all your dead or maimed friends. t It's the year of the Pig.

Small edits made.. Jokes aside, skydiving does very little for us in real life other than have people think we are odd, at best, or dangerous, at worst. When we look at the top (dead) skydivers in the world, like Deug, Tom P, Roger Nelson etc, they were never well suited to a "normal" life. Although the drug thing was meant as a joke, there are many similarities to the two, from the concerns of our parents, the obvious expense, the poor career choices of sneaking off to do jumps at lunch or being unavailable to work weekends, of moving to economically slow regeons for the weather, to the deaths of our friends around us while we continue with our habit convinced we'll be OK stumbling through the ruins of destroyed families. Skydiving provides the most incredible feelings of freedom, and of belonging, but it comes at a very high price. For all of us, that price is worth it, but for those on the outside, it is nearly impossible to understand. t It's the year of the Pig.

My Bad. Sorry. I've been telling people about this particular risk for some time, but few are prepared to listen. Prevention is always better than cure. t It's the year of the Pig.

NO. The lesson was "Don't spend the rest of your life trying to solve the malfunction on your main. Be altitude aware and start your reserve drills at your hard deck." t It's the year of the Pig.

As someone who has had tension knots cause a reserve malfunction, I can tell you that solving the problem can be a lot more complicated than looking for the line you need to cut. It is the tension between the knot and the canopy that causes your problem. Cutting lines is not always the solution. Rather than "having a plan" for this type of scenario, you should have deep understanding of what inputs affect your canopy, and how to try to balance those inputs when they are given by something other than you. An aware, open mind is probably your best defense in these highly variable situations. Sometimes, regardless of experience, skill, currency and choice of equipment, this sport will still kill you. You are never too good not to die skydiving. That is the only simple truth. t It's the year of the Pig.

[child singing voice] I'm a lucky flocker, I'm a lucky flocker..[/child singing voice] t It's the year of the Pig.

My Goodness! She had big legs! t It's the year of the Pig.

They just have to be jumps. Everyone loves different things, and no one has the right to stand in their way, but the thought of a whuffo being Miss Universe, or even attractive, is unthinkable to me. But that's just me.

Miss Universe? How many 1000 skydives does she have? If the answer is "She doesn't have a 1000 skydives yet" or any variable on that scale, then she can't be a Miss Universe in MY Universe. t It's the year of the Pig.

Ditto. I have 3 on both my rigs in the locations you described. When I put my wingsuit on a rig it takes me down to 2 as the 2 on the legstraps are covered by the suit, but I've added a Raptor to the hook knife pocket on the suit leg. t It's the year of the Pig.

The "have to" is pretty much a South African thing. Of course you don't HAVE to. You can always give up and play golf! t It's the year of the Pig.

Since this thread is about cool swoop lingo, and not swooping and canopy control, I'm moving it to bonfire. I'm sure some people there will have great input into what lingo is used for all sorts of things. (Please fill out your profile. I'm usually a little more tollerant if I know who the huck I'm talking to.) t It's the year of the Pig.

It's easier for us to answer if you fill out your profile, so we can see what that experience is. My thoughts? I stopped doing Tandem a couple of years back after I had a partial reserve malfunction. It simply wasn't worth it for me to be responsible for someone else using equipment I had confidence issues with. I've also gone low on a few dives. If you're middle aged, and have put on a few pounds, you may not be able to do what you used to without dressing silly, or defying the laws of physics. A friend of mine hit a windsock a few years back too... and he's now head of National Safety and Training out here - so we do make mistakes. You sound like you set yourself high standards. In this sport there is no shortage of people on the other extreme. We all screw up. The really, really good ones just fix it before anyone notices. t It's the year of the Pig.

It is a cool pic. It looks like everyone is flying right out of the sun! Awesome! t It's the year of the Pig.

That's the 1st really good reason to wear a full face helmet I've seen. t It's the year of the Pig.

I'm with you on the Porter. Everything else with only one engine climbs so S-L-O-W-L-Y.... t It's the year of the Pig.

I'd want out. I work with people who don't love me, but I get paid for that. I'm divorced. My kids are OK. We lead by example, and to teach them to live a lie for a lifetime is criminal. Being in love is the best thing that can happen to us in this lifetime. To say no to that happening again, or with someone else when "the one" doesn't love you anymore doesn't make any sense to me. t It's the year of the Pig.

Looks Yummy! Certainly more South African than 99% of South African restuarants here... t It's the year of the Pig.

Ditto. I moved 1000 miles. They love me, and I will always be the little boy with the skinned knee in their mind. They worry about not being able to kiss it better. They were actually GLAD I had femured 19 years ago cos they thought I would "Come to my senses.." t It's the year of the Pig.

The rumblings I'm hearing ARE from a manufacturer. I'm just looking for independant confirmation. t It's the year of the Pig.