tigra

DUDE! Get over it. It was a 17 year old cat and the person left the rig where the cat could get at it. If HE forgave his cat, why can't you? When you're about 100 years old, (if you live that long) I'll bet you won't always make it to the toilet either!

I don't know- I think those dogs were trying to tell you something!

Maybe someone is trying to tell you that you are ready for another dog?

Well, you are right about that, now that you mention it! I think the deck trap was new last year.

Sorry! I thought all the girls who had been around longer than a season or 2 knew that!

I TOLD you- its his trap for unsuspecting women!

If I'm not mistaken (and someone WILL correct me if I'm wrong) arrest reports and mug shots are public record whether or not there is a conviction. (for adults, anyway!) You may not agree with the website, but it isn't a crime. And, just like skydivers and lawyers, there are good cops and bad ones.

There's a time and place for both.

Beautiful!

Contact manifest directly. There should be an open electric slot for your bus, but I'm not sure what they charge for a weekend.

What about your chest strap? Try tightening your leg straps- that should help with the "slippage". My wings wasn't custom made, and although its a very comfortable rig, I do need to keep leg straps very tight to keep the chest strap from "strangling" me. My handles? I do *try* to check but I'll admit its been a while. I use the "brail" method- start at the top of the harness and run my hands down. Works for me!

Thanks for the explanation however that doesn't negate the fact that it was the responsibility of the more experienced jumpers on the load to look out for the Star Crest candidate on his very first 8 way. My only issue with this is that the new jumper was made to feel responsible for the near miss. That's extremely unfair! He performed very predictably. Let's place the responsibility where it belongs!

Tattoo removal is very painful and usually leaves a scar, right? I've got two. I like them. They are in "discreet" locations and as others have said, I got them for me, not to be "trendy". I also didn't get them in a drunken stupor when I was too young to know any better or do something stupid like have a boyfriend's name tattooed on my neck! (Yes, I know someone who did that. Guess what? The relationship didn't last!) So, no, they are there to stay. I can't think of ANY reason I would want them removed.

Awesome- that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!

If you were diving on your first 8 way, it was essentially target practice. If that was OK with the whole group, they ALL also should have been watching out for you and pretty much planning on the fact that you *might* not make it in and you *might* go low and you *might* be a bit out of control. Its a learning process and we've all been there! You're mistake may have been getting in a little over your head. The LO's mistake was letting you, and no one should blame YOU for not looking for you and not tracking away from you. I said it before- your first shot at an 8 way should not have left you feeling guilty and bad!

Based on that- it doesn't sound like you are ready for an 8 way! Stick to 2 and 3 ways for now, work on the level issues and do try and get some of the experienced guys to jump with you whenever possible.

Keep your closet closed or keep your rig where the cat can't get to it. At 17 I bet she doesn't climb too well anymore! Nature's Miracle would probably do the trick, but I'd still check with a rigger. If its JUST the BOC pouch, it can probably be removed and replaced without too much trouble. But I don't see how the cat could have peed on the boc pouch without getting the pilot chute and the bottom of the rig as well. Might be time to give the rig a good bath and hope for the best. (Or even better, pay your rigger to do it!)

Yes, a custom suit should help. Adding weights might help too. Hip rings will make your rig more comfortable. Try to do more 2,3 and 4 ways and fewer solos. And when you can, jump with people who have more experience. Maybe the people you are doing 2 ways with have a problem falling slow which just exagerrates your floaty issues? You'll still learn from jumping with them, but add in some jumps with experienced jumpers too and encourage them to do the same! Have fun with the otter. If you can get on a 8 way with some experienced jumpers and they know your status, limitations, etc, and you feel comfortable doing it, that's cool, have fun and enjoy! But, please avoid the temptation to organize an 8 way with people who all have less than 50-100 jumps simply because you have an otter to jump from and the "big boys" are busy doing more complex dives that aren't appropriate to your experience! (The otter is a treat for them too, right?)

To answer your specific questions- there are two separate issues. You've got someone who went low, and a low time jumper doing (attempting) his first 8 way. So the first thing the LO should do is make sure everyone else on the load knows its the guy's first 8 way. Then he should put the lowbie in a slot he can fly, and also a slot where HE, the LO can keep an eye on or even control him if things go wrong. Something like launching a 2 way base maybe? And letting the rest of the group know if the base funnels, the LO will make a point of catching up to the lowbie and forming a base with him. If you've got someone that inexperienced on the dive, isn't the point to make sure he has fun and walks away feeling good about it? Good enough that he'll want to try it again? And we wonder why so many newbies don't want to do RW! And the plan for going low? Regardless of the size of the load, I was always told a) get out from under it b) try like hell to get back up to it and at least fly level with it if you can't figure out where to take a grip and c) if there is no way you're getting back up, track like hell and pull at your normal altitude. What bothers me about this whole thread is here was this guy on his very first 8 way, and he should have had fun and landed with a grin on his face. When he went home that night, he should have been able to talk about the awesome skydive he was on and instead he feels bad over a mistake he made! First of all, ideally he shouldn't have been put in the position to make that mistake on his very first 8 way, and second, it was the responsibility of everyone else on the load to look out for him and EXPECT him to make a mistake. If I'm on a dive and someone goes low, I look all over the place for him when I track and dump!

Stepping on you was an accident. Not apologizing was just plain rude, and there's no way she didn't know! (unless she's got a wooden leg or something!)

I absolutely disagree that you were 100% to blame, and I hope the other 7 skydivers on the jump accepted their share of it! As the more experienced jumpers on the load, it was up to them to look out for you and EXPECT you to make some mistakes! 29 jumps is a little early for "target practice" and the organizer should have put you in a different slot if he meant for you to succeed and keep everyone else safe.

I think its OK that he was on the jump as long as everyone else on the jump knew he was a newbie. It was their responsibility to look out for him. I mean, its not exactly unpredictable that someone with that little experience might go low on an 8 way. So, Swoop Dog- don't beat yourself up over it- its really not fair to take on all the blame. You learned something and everything turned out OK. The guys you were on the load with should have known to look FOR you or even flown down to you when you were having trouble. (Now if all 8 of you had less than 50 jumps, I kind of have to question EVERYONE'S judgement!)

Congrats!

Try not to feed the trolls- they're sort of like raccoons- as long as they find "food" they will keep coming around.

Hey, I didn't say I wouldn't go there! I just said I'd be careful who I pissed off! I've been to Wisconsin in spite of Dahmer!