Trent

OKAY, after endless hours of work in judging all 8 teams... we've got the results. Just to let you know, EVERYONE has made some great progress since the last meet. It's amazing to see people doing so well. Here's the results: 1st Place: Matt & Rodney: 20.9 total points 2nd Place: Meg & Justin: 20.1 total points 3rd Place: Dre & Rob: 16.9 total points The rest of the standings were as follows in order: Krista & Cassie, Aerodeo, Meg & Rodney, Hoop & Jen, Corey & Lea GREAT JOB TO ALL. We expect some DOPE flying at the next meet (May 22-25)!! Oh, hello again!

Just kidding, we're judging tonight. Sorry for the delay, but we're all back in town this week so you'll get the best judging with all 3 of us doing it. We'll have the results posted tonight or tomorrow... so check back! Thanks again to everyone participating. The competition is tight and EVERYONE is getting visibly better. If you have any questions about how your team can improve, please ask us!! That's what the league is all about, LEARNING!!! Trent Spaceland Anomaly www.FlyVertical.com

I think what people are trying to tell you, BodyPilot, is that you shouldn't post what the media tells you UNLESS it supports THEIR side of the argument. That's the feeling I've gotten over the past couple of months. In short, I think that if you're looking for people who may disagree with your standpoint to have a logical and reasonable discussion here about the news you posted... it ain't gonna happen. They'll just tell you that you shouldn't post this stuff here since they are all clearly in charge. It woulda been nice to see what people thought about this, that is... if they could get past the fact that they might have been wrong. Oh well... Oh, hello again!

Yes it is about the almighty dollar, but not in the way some of you may think. I know, I know... it's trendy to villify government and big business, but there are actually some financially reasonable excuses that fuel prices don't drop as soon as they raise. Primarily, it's because the crude that these companies have in process at the time of the price change was purchased at the price a month or weeks ago. They're not going to take a loss on a whole gross of crude, so their prices don't drop until they've purchased crude at newer prices and processed it. Think about it. BUT, they definitely do not hesitate to raise prices even when they've got a stash of the cheaper stuff left. No excuses for that, except for "that's business". They make money where they can, and avoid losing money whenever possible. Oh, hello again!

mindcool, look at the date that I posted that. When was the last spacegames before this one? That's what happens when threads are brought back from the dead. Oh, hello again!

Due to the weather this past weekend, we're extending the time to turn in your jumps for the second Spaceland Freefly League meet. All teams will have until Tuesday the 29th to turn in their 3 rounds. We'll work with teams to make sure that they can meet the new deadline. Thanks to all who were able to finish their rounds on Friday! Scores will be posted shortly after the 29th. Thanks, Oh, hello again!

It was great having you out. It'll be nice to add another freeflyer to the Spaceland ranks soon. See you when you get here! Trent Oh, hello again!

SPACELAND FREEFLY LEAGUE MEET #2 Moves Drawn Sitfly Only: 1. Toe Touch: Both flyers in a sit position, both flyers touch each other's toes. 2. Dual Flip: A simultaneous flip (front or back) on the horizontal axis by both flyers in a sit position. 3. Hand to Hand Dock: Both flyers in a sit, one performs a single-hand dock to the other flyer's hand. Advanced: 1. Dual 360 Rotation: A simultaneous 360 turn (left or right) on the vertical axis by both flyers in a head down position. 2. Totem: Both flyers in a sit position. One flyer docks with feet to the others shoulders. 3. Spock: One flyer in a sit position and one head down. The head down person performs a one handed dock to the sit flyer's head. Remember, the competition is this weekend! Starting tomorrow, the 17th, and running through Tuesday! We've already got 5 solid teams competing, but you still have a chance to make the finals if you start at this meet! Last shot! Oh, hello again!

Thanks Kerry. I didn't want to post anything until you did. We'll keep jumping the other experimental tails. This week for sure!! I have a feeling you're right on with the lead/sand mix and weight. We're all over that one too! Talk to you soon. Oh, hello again!

Hola again. We're scheduled to host the first Texas Bigway camp this season from May 9th to 11th. This camp will be designed to help people who are on the verge of having the skill to safely dock on a head-down bigway. We're expecting to see some good talent here as well, so we'll have the first 2 days as practice and skill building, then the last day will be our turn to shoot for some decent sized bigways (8-12). For more experienced flyers, we will work on some great point-turning 4-6ways. Spaceland Anomaly (Jed, Stevie, and I) will be doing all of the organizing all weekend. This is a great way to start your summer skills progression! If you have any questions, feel free to contact us! Oh, hello again!

Just of interest here. I have an MSN account that I've never used. I just needed the account for a dialup service. It wasn't a week before my inbox was regularly filled with over 30 Spam messages. Now, if I never used that address, never registered on a site with it, and never told any friends about it... where'd the spam come from??? I thought I asked MSN not to share my address with any one of their "partners". Interesting. Oh, hello again!

You guys.... I have yet to meet a DZO who is willing to sacrifice safety for the quick turnaround of a load. In fact, most DZO's that I've met have said to me that if separation is an issue... better to take a go around than to jeopardize anyone. Now, this does not mean that the large RW group out first doesn't get bitched at when they wait 25 seconds to get ready in the door... that's different. Although we've disagreed in the past... Apoil is right (in my opinion). We could put freeflyers out first, skysurfers second, and RW smallest to largest third, and maintain proper separation in freefall. It may not be efficient since each group would have a different exit hold time, but it could work. The general rule at most DZs (Skysurf, RW large to small, Freefly, High pullers (5K+, including students and tandems)) is there for a reason. It lets the organizer or pilot set an exit delay time that will work for almost everyone. Again, it's a rule of thumb. It works most of the time. What many people fail to realize is that it isn't really the time you wait, but the actual ground you cover during the wait that matters. If I get out a mile after the group in front of me (assuming the winds aren't changing between groups) I should open about a mile away from them. Now if I'm going faster (freeflying) I'll drift less than an RW group because I'm exposed to the winds for a shorter period of time. Now I'll be even farther away from the group ahead of me. Think about it this way... we're running jumprun at 90 knots, the upper headwinds have a speed of 90 knots. Relative to the ground, we're hovering. Now think about a helicopter that's hovering in a 0 wind environment. What kind of exit separation will guarantee you not to be over the group ahead of you? None, unless you wait till they land. How could you fix it? Have the helicopter cover some ground during jumprun. With the same 0 wind environment, you can now say, "Okay, group 1 got out over the hanger, so if I get out a quarter mile from there, I can't be above open canopies." (unless you track over them somehow.) So you tell me, is that a specific time you should wait, or is it distance covered between groups? The general exit order is a rule of thumb, similar to saying that groups should wait 10 seconds today. What you're really saying is that with the winds today, 10 seconds will give us enough distance between exit points to provide good separation in freefall. BUT, maybe I'm stupid and everyone I've talked to is wrong. Who knows? Oh, hello again!

Our next freefly league meet is this weekend (April 17-20)! We had 5 teams competing last time and I think everyone did great and had a lot of fun. This time it looks like a few more teams will be competing, so be sure to turn up and show us what you've got! There are 3 meets left (including this one) so if you haven't participated yet, this is your last chance to qualify for the overall prizes. Again, we can set you up with video if you need it. Stay tuned to this post for the draw moves this week! Good luck everyone! Oh, hello again!

I generally stayed close to the group. Close enough to be "outside video". I usually waited until the group's breakoff altitude to track just so that everyone could see everyone when it was time to leave. These were usually 3-4 ways that I'd hang with, so identifying everyone was no problem. A good idea when you're with freeflyers who may not know you might be to volunteer to track off a little high and to also dump higher. That might make them a little more comfortable having you out there. Give it a shot! Oh, hello again!

I can only speak from my experiences and what people told me while I was learning to freefly. A lot of what we learned goes into how we coach students today, so it may be of some value. Start with the sit. Sitting is more difficult and less mobile than head down, and therefore requires a lot of patience to learn. You will see many freefliers that can do pretty much anything they want on their heads, but can't do much at all in a sit. I spent at least 250 jumps JUST learning and experimenting with a sit. Most of these were either solos or working with my current teammate. After about 400 or so jumps, I really felt that I was ready to work on my head. I was patient. I did a TON of jumps where I just followed out a group and stayed outside. That gave me a reference and some way to figure out if I could fall relative to other freeflyers. Once I felt comfortable that I could move around and fly relative, I went with 2 ways. That's where I worked on flying docks and transitions. I would say be careful with 2-ways at first... unless the other flyer is very disciplined and a few steps above your level, there is the chance that he/she will be compensating for your movements (backsliding, driving, carving, etc.) In my opinion, ball jumps are great to demostrate your abilities to fly down the tube and transition in place, or for competitions. Otherwise, it's just one more thing to worry about. Besides, you can do the same stuff with a coach who's flying in front of you with a fist extended. For what it's worth.... Oh, hello again!

I know, I know, bumping my own thread... But we're down to 1 slot for our tunnel camp. We're going either way, so if you'be been thinking about it e-mail me and come along. If all goes well, we'll be hosting another camp in the fall when the air is cool again! Oh, hello again!

Call it what you like... I for one cannot believe that our country is pure corporate evil, like some of you would have us believe. I do not think that an American president's desires to be remembered will motivate them to start a war. I do not believe that it is a decision made lightly. I've said this before, and I'll say it again, although we (Americans) make mistakes I believe our hearts are in the right place when it comes to situations like Iraq. Do you honestly still see no reason to depose Saddam now that you've seen how happy people are (even if you only watch Al-Jazeera you've seen it)? Do you not think we should help people who are oppressed? Do you not think that we should expect a tiny bit of gratitude? Do you think that anyone else has the balls to step up and do what others only talk about? Who? I made no assumptions in my last post about France or Russia's motivations to block removal of Saddam. Do YOU only think that the US is so evil as to go to war for a buck? Or is your suspicion and conspiracy theories directed equally across the board? Yes, I love and believe in my country. Call that what you will. But if we're the bad guys, who are the good guys? NOTE: All references to "YOU" are plural. Oh, hello again!

You guys are right! I finally get it! The US LIKES to go to war and kill people and in turn lose a few of our own! The president has no conscience and was DROOLING to send our military to the middle of the desert for some good ol' ass whuppin! Yeah, those are reasonable. Freeing the Iraqi people of a brutal dictator, ensuring that he didn't use any WMDs, getting rid of a pain in the ass that supported anything against the US, and making sure this same lunatic didn't have access to the oil money to do all this seems a pretty good reason to get rid of him. So tell me, if France and Russia's financial interests aren't their only reasons... what are their other "legitimate" reasons for not wanting to get rid of someone who is pretty universally accepted as "bad"? Oh, hello again!

You sure you could win? Even with the pantz? Uh oh, whassup now, Ted? Bring it! :) Oh, hello again!

pshaw Oh, hello again!

I can find ZERO single stitching on my Wings. I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "single-stitch", but I can tell you that every stitch I found was reinforced with another. Every bit of binding tape is held in place with 2 stitches. Looks solid to me, and I trust my life to it every day! Oh, hello again!

Even though the publicity is on the downlow... Time for the 3rd Annual Fly Free Festival at Skydive Spaceland. Bring your money, bring your skills, and get ready to win some great prizes! We have a speed competition sponsored by L&B Pro-Track! How fast can YOU go? We have a tracking competition for all you people who think you're the flattest and fastest tracker around. And FINALLY, we have a scrambles freefly event open to ALL SKILL LEVELS. Random partners will perform a series of moves to see who can work the best together! Fun, prizes and more good stuff. Come on out. PD and Vector will be here with Demos of both mains and RESERVES. Come find out what you're wearing in your reserve tray, and win some prizes! Love, Oh, hello again!

2 Slots left. If you've got the money and time, now is a perfect opportunity to split the cost of the tunnel and coaching with 6 other people. Let us know as these slots won't last forever. Oh, hello again!

Our rigger loves our team Wings. In fact, he's thought about switching from his Vector! Oh, hello again!

Thanks to everyone who participated in this 1st round of 4 of the Spaceland Freefly League. Everyone did a great job, and shows a TON of potential for the coming meets! Remember, this first batch of scores is a baseline. Improvement is key in this competition, so it's only going to get better! 1st Place: Krista & Cassie (chicks rock!) 2nd Place: Matt & Rod-nasty 3rd Place: Levin & Brit (aka AeRodeo) Everyone is still in CLOSE contention for a top spot. Over the next 3 meets, we'll see some big improvements. Remember, your team only needs to compete in 3 meets to qualify as overall winner! There's 3 meets left, you get the idea... Oh, hello again!