chanti

Where's the smiley for "feeling sick"? -Chanti-

EEEwwwwwww -Chanti-

I'm about to cross that boundary and was wondering what it meant, or does nobody notice anyway? -Chanti-

I don't have much 4-way experience, but I've loved every single 4-way jump I've done. It's definitely my most favorite discipline, but it's been a rocky road! Our team has split up after a year of jumping together. It was expected, as all 4 of us wanted something different from the team, but still disappointing. Nationals was in April and I've had a long hard think about where I would like to go from here and have decided to stay with 4-way but maybe join a more junior team (I was in a team with people WAAAYYYY more experienced than me - great for learning, terrible for self-esteem!) Anyway, sorry for the rant! I would like to hear from you guys and girls what your best and worst experiences were, and why you stayed with 4-way, etc. -Chanti-

Pin's coming out on Friday! Yipee!

Not for long ..... I apologise for dragging up an old thread, but that rugby victory on Saturday was just SOOOO SWEEET!!! Ha ha! What say you poms/pohms/pomes now? -Chanti-

It's the best stress-buster ever! -Chanti-

I'm lighter than you (135 lb) and after 230 jumps, my 150 stil scares me! Start with a 170 or 185 -Chanti-

I was at work one Saturday afternoon 3 years ago when I got a text message from a friend that read:"So ... that's how you jump out of an aeroplane!" I thought:"Damn, I've always wanted to do that!", tagged along one weekend to see what it was all about and started AFF a week later! That same friend and I still jump together from time to time.

Ouch ... that still hurts -Chanti-

I'm yet to meet a guy who likes to be the big spoon -Chanti-

Congrats girl! You chix rock! -Chanti-

That's awesome! Congrats!

1. Sprained ankle - 3 weeks off 2. hands badly grazed from landing on runway - 4 weeks off 3. Broken femur - 3 months off 4. torn knee ligaments - 6 weeks off still jumping! -Chanti-

Eeeuuuwwww -Chanti-

The 6 month grounding was an NSTO grounding as it was a serious offence - it meant he was grounded in South Africa, and the clubs enforced it. That would definitely be on record. As for the club's warnings and groundings, I'm not so sure they would have been documented? I get on very well with the CI who was asked by the DZO on Sunday to "talk" to the individual, which he did. I got the feeling he was tired of having to lecture him all the time. The tricky thing is, we're a small and close-knit DZ. Even if this guy is a bit of a Jack-a$$, he is still well-liked and a real charmer. I asked him why he swooped downwind in traffic and he apologised and mumbled something about not realising the wind direction (yeah, right). What I'm saying is that firstly it will take something really big for him to be grounded (again) and me complaining about it to anyone probably won't do much good ... I'm small fry compared to him, a real noob still! If I threaten to leave I'll probably get "OK,bye" Secondly, I love Pta - it's my home DZ, all my friends are there - why should I have to pack up and leave because some jerk is spoiling it for me? It's such a tricky situation because it's serious enough that someone's life could be in danger next time, but also sucks to have to be the one running to the NSTO going "teacher, teacher, guess what Johnny did!" I've tried talking to him - but as you can see talking doesn't help. He apologises and then just does it again. There are no answers -Chanti-

There's this guy at our DZ who's always causing trouble. He's no newbie - has 2000 jumps and is a JM - so should definitely know better. He's had several warnings and has been grounded a couple of times, the longest grounding was 6 months. Some of his "minor" offences include cutting people off under canopy and landing downwind in traffic. The 6 month grounding was for an illegal jump onto a crowded beach. Yesterday again, he swoops downwind into the HP area while other swoopers are landing into wind, only just missing another canopy. He received yet another warning, but I couldn't help wondering if this will ever stop. Consequently when I'm on the same load as him, I feel nervous even though I know he will land before me. I don't feel as if he has any concerns about his safety or the safety of his fellow jumpers. When he gets a warning he protests loudly and always has some "explanation" for why he "was right" even though he blatantly wasn't. Do people like this ever learn, or does it involve an incident before anything happens? What can be done? -Chanti-

:1:0 Learning to sitfly .... not as easy as it looks! Loads of fun! -Chanti-

I tore my anterior cruxiate ligament 2 months ago and have both a hinged brace and a more flexible one for sport. I use the flexible one for skydiving - it's more comfortable and provides enough support (even with dodgy landings! ) I also wear an ankle brace that I probably don't need anymore, but I figure it doesn't bother me so I'll rather wear it "just in case" than not. I'll more than likely also stay with the knee brace for the same reasons -Chanti-

I once stowed the left toggle "funny" - a very rushed pack job! After opening I realised I couldn't pull the left brake further than quarter brakes. Fortunately the canopy was flying straight and I could turn just fine. Couldn't flare tho There was a 10 knot wind so decided to chance it and land on rears. (And yes, I did land on my rear as I stalled the canopy When I asked my friends if they would have kept it or chopped it, the answers were kinda mixed. i'm glad I did despite having a bruised backside! -Chanti-

Welcome to SA Wayne! Don't forget to have a "braai" while u're here! -Chanti-

Hey girl! C'mon and do your AFF already! I need some more chicks for my all-girl 4 -way team! Just kidding. You'll know when the time is right, and once you've done that first jump, there's no turning back! Enjoy and good luck!

The first is me having oysters in Knysna with 2 awesome friends. The second is me and my fiance (Audwiz) -Chanti-

It's short for Chantelle, which means "a song" Boring, I know. -Chanti-

My CYPRES saved my life on jump #121 -Chanti-