BikerBabe

How the hell did I miss this thread? Obviously from my name, I ride a bike. I still consider myself a newbie motorcycle rider, though, and I've been riding for 4 years. I would highly recommend the MSF course...it's totally worth it, and will teach you how to be as safe as possible on a bike. Also, an almost unanimous opinion among bikers and dealers is that a Suzuki SV 650 or SV 650S is a wonderful starter bike. That's what I have, and I'll probably not sell it for a good long while. It has a shorter sit height than most sportier bikes, and it is very light compared to others in it's class. I think the advice to get a dirtbike and ride that for a year is really good. It doesn't have to be a big one, and you can pick up a used 100cc dirt bike for cheap. Good luck, have fun, and be safe. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Wow, I just got mine today...what a lovely (and bittersweet) surprise when I turned to that last page. I knew it would be in there, but I didn't look at the attachment to this thread on purpose. Thanks, Kevin, it looks great. "And there’s a blue sky Got your name on it, got your name on it And when the sun shines Got your name on it, got your name on it Even this heart of mine Got your name on it, got your name on it So I never will forget you" -- Feel Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Well, I checked what I WANT to do, which is 2000 or lower. However, realistically, if you realize you're low, I have a feeling that most people will do what muscle memory and possibly hundreds or thousands of jumps experience and built-up reflexes tell them to do, which is go for the main. Not saying if this is right or wrong. I'm just trying to be realistic... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Yep, this is a big deal. Actually, the way the law was originally written, it did require coverage and payment for all injuries, including recreational activities. However, as the actual legal codes were written, this got overlooked and twisted around to where it is today. I would bet that USPA is already teamed up with other organizations such as AMA (Am. Motorcyclist Assoc.) that represent people who participate in these activities to fight this. It's been covered almost every month in the AMA magazine lately...it's an even bigger issue for them, since there are so many motorcyclists in this country. The following link is a recent article by AMA, and includes links at the bottom to more articles written from their position...lot's of good info. http://www.ama-cycle.org/legisltn/releases/2003/G03011.asp Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

I also thought this, as well. (well, it was my second thought. My first thought was unipod, stairstep diamond, murphy flake, etc ) Anyway, the letters just indicate stages of your requirements/training for your A license. If you look on the USPA site, you can download the A-license proficiency card, but I would recommend getting your hands on a Skydiver's INformation Manual (SIM) which will explain in more detail what each one means. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

true, but I never understood the point of this product, anyway. Either you use it like a protrack, or you use it like a digitude. So why should I get rid of my perfectly serviceable alti-2 and my perfectly serviceable protrack to buy one of these? Or should I buy two? You can't use both functions at the same time, unless the beeping is REALLY loud! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

To add to that, on those type of exits, it is really important that the point goes UP and doesn't just dive straight out of the plane...that will cause the formation to turn and make it really hard on the inside center. Also, it's really important that the tail drop down as much as possible. On the meeker, stairstep diamond, etc, there should be almost no "out" motion whatsoever...I've always been told to try to hit my head on the bottom of the door. On the star, there will be a little bit of the "out" motion. Like I said, it depends on the formation what exactly each person needs to do to make it work. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

oh, she won't win. but right now she's doing pretty well. All the male golfers are pissed that she's there, blah blah blah. I wonder what it was like 50 years ago when Babe Zaharias played on the men's tour. I bet there wasn't such a huge outcry. Seems we've taken a step backward... here's another interesting perspective that refutes a lot of the "rock-solid" arguments against her playing: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/golfonline/news/2003/05/20/from_the_gallery/ Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Not that I care a whit about golf, but I still find this very interesting: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/golfonline/news/2003/05/22/colonial_thursday_ap/ Can you imagine the pressure she must be under? Stay cool, girl! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Well, each slot has something to do, but a lot of times it really depends on what you're trying to exit. Are there any specific formations that you're trying to exit that aren't working? That being said, it's hard to coach over the net, but darkwing's advice is good. Can you find a coach or someone with 4-way experience to help you at the DZ? Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

hmmm... "Is it all in that pretty little head of yours? What goes on in that place in the dark? Well I used to know a girl and I would have sworn that her name was Veronica " From the song "Veronica" by Elvis Costello... Good song. He could have cited it, though. I recognized it right away. Very weird stuff Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Mark, It's not on their website. It's a little thing they can print out for you at the ticket counter in the airport (when you check in). It's the same size as and on the same paper as the boarding pass. It's in their baggage system database, or something like that...not sure of the actual name. Ask them to do a search on "Airtec" or "Cypress" (with 2 "s"'s they spelled it wrong) and it should come up. Of course, since they started doing that I've never needed it. Knock on wood... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Since 1 Jan 03 and the impplementation of the "TSA can go through your checked bags without you present" rule, I've carried on my rig. Like I've told my teammates, I don't want some half-literate TSA monkey pulling on anything he shouldn't be when I'm not around. *no offense if you happen to work for the TSA* I come prepared with Southwest's little printout that the dept. of transportation has deemed Cypres's as "not regulated", my cypres card, and a good attitude. I also use a gear bag. I don't give any information unless asked, and then I give as little info as possible. I say the Cypres is a barometer that acts to pull the reserve ripcord in case I'm unconscious (if asked). Also, I tend to wear casual clothes and tennis shoes (so I don't have to remove them), and I put every extra thing that I can INTO my purse, so I don't set off the metal detector, nor have lots of extra free crap in one of those little bowls. Since then, I've only been stopped once, and then they guy was more concerned about my metal reserve handle than the Cypres, for some reason. I've been through security with my rig in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Ft. Walton Beach, Albuquerque, LAX, and Phoenix. Maybe I've been lucky, but I feel like the more I travel, the more TSA agents see my rig, and perhaps I'm doing my small part to educate them. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

oooh, I didn't mean to confuse...I guess I"M confused! Kelli, are you talking memorial day or the CASA boogie??? Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Well, from my "home" DZ, I live about an hour away. From my OTHER "home" DZ, I live about 7 hrs by car or 1 hour by Southwest airlines. I consider both my home DZ, but either way, it's still too far! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

I can't believe I'm going to miss you guys. Ah, well, I'm sure I'll be back in CO soon enough. Looking forward to the weekend, though! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Yes, there are.

YAY! My ring was found! Some nice, kind, goodhearted soul turned it into the lost and found at the gym. They made me describe it, and there it was! I can't believe it. I'm very happy today. From now on I'm tying it to something when I take it off so this doesn't happen again. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

I culdn't believe this when I read about this yesterday. Sending prayers and vibes his way. Please tell him that Andi Houk says hello and give him my best. PTWOB #096 Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

My Jedei opens very nicely every time. I love it. I'm loading it about 1.4:1, and it's on heading almost every time, and has a good, positive-feeling opening. It's not as snivelly as my Stilleto, but no where near as "slammy" as my old Sabre. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Oh, Katie, that sucks. typical...and she had to know that one of them took it! Yes, I'm soooo glad that my diamond ring was in the shop. I'll check the policy and hope for the best. As for now....I'm off to Eloy for the weekend and hopefully I can forget about this for a little while! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Yes, we have a rider on our insurance for both our rings, but I'm not sure what circumstances it covers. I've pretty much looked everywhere except on the floor in the gym, so I guess I'll have to get down and dirty (eeew, not sure I want to know what's on the floor at the gym..). If it's not there, I'll have to assume that it fell out outside, in which case it would be really hard to find. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Yes, it's me. I'm the stupid one. I lost my $1000 wedding ring today! ARGH! I'm really upset about this, since it was custom-made to fit against my engagement ring. My engagement ring is at the jewelers having the setting fixed, so I was only wearing my wedding ring. Well, I always take it off when I go to the gym, because I don't want it to get dinged up on the weights and stuff, plus my hands swell when I get sweaty. I put it in my pocket of my uniform, but somewhere between the gym and home, it must have fallen out. No one turned it in at the gym, and I can't find it anywhere. I don't think it was stolen, considering the fact that I had a credit card, ID, and $80 cash in the same pocket that was untouched. I'm almost in tears writing this, but I had to vent. This is soooo f@#^ing typical for me...I'm such a scatterbrain. Now I have to tell my husband. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Excitement building I fly to Eloy tonight Training tomorrow

My team invented a new block 0 at our very first training weekend. We were launching an open accordian, and the centers lost their grips out the door. We executed a PERFECT "Open accordian - Open accordian" with the two pieces each turning 360 degrees. Not really intentional, but funny as hell on video. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!