FallingILweenie

The reason skydiving is not really popular to audiences is that the only way to really view the events is on video...you cant really watch skysurfing or freeflying or rw live. On the other hand i think they should add swooping to the x-games or maybe para-ski to the winter x-games. any thoughts? blue skies Tomas ps. just finished watching More Stuff on the Good Stuff DVD...skydiving seems to be pretty popular on commercials....

we're supposed to get a snowstorm or somethign of the ilk in the next 2 or 3 days.... did any of you skydive on this 78 degree day???? Cuz it's a lot harder to sit on the ground when it's warm and nice out than when it completely sucks, in my opinion.... blue skies Tomas

"Eine halbe Tasse Staubzucker Ein Viertel Teelöffel Salz Eine Messerspitze türkisches Haschisch Ein halbes Pfund Butter Ein Teelöffel Vanillenzucker Ein halbes Pfund Mehl Einhundertfünfzig Gramm gemahlene Nüsse Ein wenig extra Staubzucker ... und keine Eier In eine Schüssel geben Butter einrühren Gemahlene Nüsse zugeben und Den Teig verkneten Augenballgroße Stücke vom Teig formen Im Staubzucker wälzen und Sagt die Zauberwörter Simsalbimbamba Saladu Saladim Auf ein gefettetes Backblech legen und Bei zweihundert Grad für fünfzehn Minuten backen und KEINE EIER Bei zweihundert Grad für fünfzehn Minuten backen und Keine Eier .. " tool goooddd..........

yeah i know what you mean..... the winds were also hauling ass up here in Morris, but we got some quality dives in anyway. I got 3 in (feels so good to get to 14 grand after a month of cessna jumps), and the winds sucked...landed in a corn field and got my shoes really muddy on the last one...still some great freefly dives...god i love warmth. blue skies Tomas

i have not really gone into the politics too much myself, but i see it like this: i personally like someone that will fight for us (like what happened after sept. 11th). The only non-USPA dz i have jumped at was when i jumped in south america. I thought some of the things that went on were somewhat sketchy, stuff that probably wouldnt have flown here with USPA. However it was my choice to get on that plane and jump. My brother wanted to do a tandem down there and i told him to wait till he got back here in the states to a USPA dropzone...at least you know they have some basic rules they gotta follow...i didn't trust the system they had with first timers. Now, all things being equal i would jump at a uspa dropzone out of support but for myself if i saw it was as safe as possible it wouldnt matter to me. but that's me as someone with some (tho not a lot, only like 260 jumps) experience. if i was to go down with a friend to a dz i haven't jumped at before i think i would tell him or her to go to a USPA dz before a non-USPA dz. All in all i think that its never gonna be possible to please everyone, even though the skydiving community is relatively small, so while i think that some things should be changed i think the fact we have an organization with some semblance of credibility is good for the sport. Besides, if you dont want to be USPA, don't be. It's your choice. WIth that choice comes the task of looking for dropzones that will let you jump without being USPA or equivalent but that is part of the choice you make if you want to skydive. This is my own opinion here (as is everything i have written so far), but personally i do like the fact we have an organization that has been able to gain some standing before the government and i do think that skydiving would not be as accessible as it is now without it. that is my .02 blue skies Tomas

it's just you. :)

My parents have always been supportive in that whole "be careful" sort of way...my mom says i used to talk about it when i was little and she'd laugh it off saying "thats cute, no way he'd do that". now i avoid talking about skydiving cuz i know my mom worries but they know better than to tell me to stop....better to deal with me happy with skydiving than to deal with me when they try to take away what i love most.... blue skies Tomas

me laugh at car and voice. funny.

Along the same lines.... I will probably be jumping at Skydive Illinois in Morris this weekend cuz its sposed to get in the mid-50's and i can't make the trip to Vandalia. I've heard that a lot of the regulars havent been there since Jerry sold the place. Any dz.commers jumping there? blue skies Tomas

did my first jump a month shy of birthday numero 19, and am currently 23.

hehehe i remember that one, Marc...we were all laughing at you from the ground....

Weather.com sez 53 degrees and mostly sunny for this sat in vandalia..........the king air better be back!!! blue skies Tomas

I just took my rig to Chile with me, and on my way back we took the scenic route (Santiago, Buenos Aires, New York, Chicago -- it was the only thing i could get on that date that let me fly on mileage). What i did is i put my rig in a hard suitcase and then padded it with clothes, cuz i didn't want to take a chance with security. I dont think it would have been a problem heading down there (the Chicago-Dallas-Santiago leg) but heading back i had to empty out my carry-on bag 3 times in New York and twice in Buenos Aires. I am glad i didn't have my rig there because opening it there would have sucked. Instead, checking it worked out great and i didn't have to worry about it. Just my experience traveling with my rig.... blue skies Tomas

Like Brian said, the Illinois club is handcuffed by the fact that the administration says it's too dangerous to give us money for anything. In the past we have considered buying gear on our own (like helmets, jumpsuits, and altimeters) but there is a liability issue that we didn't want to deal with. Instead, it has worked out great for the club to associate itself with a dz, and have them take care of everything relating to the actual skydive, and the club just gets discounts for its students and the occasional free jump for the officers. blue skies Tomas

AAAAAAAAAhahahahahaha!!!! I can see the t-shirt now.... "rook takes knight...queen takes pawn7...check...NO FEAR!" Geeez.....it's so cliche to call everything extreme. They have extreme deodorant now, for crissakes. blue skies Tomas

from: Santiago, Chile. Current location: St Charles, IL...till i take the leap out to LA. Home Dz and place of first jump: Archway Skydiving Center, Vandalia, IL have also dabbled at Skydive IL and Chicagoland Skydiving in Hinckley.

i dont like blockbuster cuz they dont support indy film, but instead stock 5 billion copies of star wars episode one, possibly the worst film ever made (with the exception of iron eagle 2)

The soundtrack to Run Lola Run works well too..... I got to jump in South America!!!!! Woohoo!! blue skies tomas

I like "what if your reserve doesnt work?" me: "you have the rest of your life to get it to work"

Here's the link to that: http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20011218/3706812s.htm

74 percent success rate? almost doesnt cut it in this league.

me drunk too... just saw some people i hope i see again but i may never as i am graduating....... holy shit........drukydrunkydrunky...

that negative g exit is fucking cool! very nice

Couple of nights ago i had a dream where i was doing a rodeo dive with a friend while another friend was freeflying around us. The funny part was i was jumping barefoot (which i have never done) and on a 135 (i jump a 160) so i was scared i would come in fast and mess up my feet. i remember that i was thinking "this was not a good idea, this was not a good idea". blue skies Tomas

That's awesome, Brian. John looks drunk even though he wasn't drinking....hahahahaha.... Chili party was a ton of fun, and the weather allowed us to jump! Now if only we actually could get to jump at a CASA weekend...it's usually shitty out or too terroristy. blue skies Tomas