MattMazzocco

Skydive San Marcos will be holding water training this Friday (5-16-08) followed by night jumps on Saturday night. If you are interested PM me and i can help you get in.

Its just like when the prices of cigarettes got jacked up a year or two ago... everyone bitched about it, claimed they were gonna quit, and are still puffing away. Anybody got a light? Anyone who is passionate about this sport will find a way to come up with the money, no doubt. If you love something you will find a way

Hilarious. And I have noticed that more men will thank you for holding the door open for them than women will. At my job we see about 300 customers a day and i hold the door for the majority of them when i get a chance, male or female. Most of the time ill get a nod or something, but it seems like the men will really go out of their way to say thanks. Alot of the women give me a dirty look like im trying to say lets fuck when i open the door. If they dont say thank you ill let the door go and laugh when it bumps them from behind. Of course i scurry off quickly so they dont say anything about it.

I can relate to this one. When i did my first tandem it was at a small time dz with a 182 and one hell of a bitch (DZO) to deal with. The TI i went with had just had a cutaway on his prior jump and you could tell he was shooken up. He wouldnt let me do anything but arch. Wouldnt even let me fly up high. I almost didnt return to skydive because i left feeling that it wasnt all that great... the falling was fun but everything else was just blah. When i went to my home dz they allowed us to fly, didnt really offer the option to pull, but by my 4th tandem the TI told me we were gonna work on aff stuff. Did some turns, got to fly, had an awesome ride, even got to land, and because of it i went through the aff program. I agree that the tandem students should not be in total control of landing because thats just plain dangerous. I think back and realize i almost stayed at whuffo status... god, what i would have missed out on. I think the option should be provided to everyone. It may help someone who thinks they CAN skydive realize its not for them. I went for the ride not knowing what to expect. If i had been able to participate more I would have been hooked sooner. Either way, this sport is supposed to be fun. Make it fun give the tandems the ability to learn, its not hard you ask a simple question and EARN your $$$ if they do want to learn. Remember, you used to be that student.

AFF was very easy for me. I blew right through it with little to no nerves. It wasnt until i began solo jumping that i met my beast.... The door. Of all things to be afraid of its the stupid square that i jump out of. Im not afraid at the door, but for some reason opening and closing the door terrifies me. I have insisted on opening the door on my last 12 jumps to overcome this irrational fear, but for some reason i just dont like it. It makes no sense because I intend on jumping out of the door, but it scares the shit out of me. Flame on

I have dated a few psycho's who have done some pretty nasty things to me. You got off lucky, I had a girl hold a knife to her arm and start cutting herself when i tried breaking up with her. I wont even go into detail about what the relationship was like, but for some reason i was always inclined to try to help her, and in the end, i got screwed. I dont want to sound like "that guy" but, if you get the "urge" DO NOT GO BACK TO HER FOR IT! FIND SOMEONE ELSE. I swear, that was what always got me. NO SEX WITH EX! It will be tempting sooner or later, and if you do it there is a 90% chance you will be back together in under a week. The crazy ones know how to lure you back in.... That being said, enjoy the single life man. There is alot of fun shit to do when you dont have someone else trying to live your life for you. Good luck!

I dont get why this is an issue. It has been said a few times in this thread. Put a disclaimer AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE! I had to look for the scam alert after reading this. You have to scroll down, and someone who is using this site for the first time is not searching for scam information because they are looking for gear. Not everyone is as tech savy, and unfortunately, some people are just too trusting and may have never been ripped off or even known anyone that has. Some people are just ignorant. If you point out things that are recognizable in scams you can prevent alot of problems. It would take 2 minutes to add a line to the classified greeting paragraph. Why not do it?

Taking 290 towards 35 south. at around 6 that light turns into a parking lot. I own a glass repair business and I have locations all across the state. Right now the store i am working is in austin. I dont really mind the drive considering it is south austin so i dont hit much traffic once on the highway, and getting certain places in SA can take as long as driving to and from austin. And yes, i have considered that he may have a gun, but when you almost plow into some jackass because he wants to stop the car, you have a choice to make. Wait for him to get out with his gun and try to shoot you, or be first out of the car and in an upper hand position. I promise he would have a harder time shooting me from inside his car with me kicking the door closed on him, than i would had he had a gun, got out and pointed right at me. Shit happens, im not too worried about it.

I do this daily in Austin. On HWY 290 headed to 35 S there is always a line about 2 miles back leading to the right turn only lane. I simply stay in the middle lane all the way up to the light, get in the lane next to the turn only lane and turn right. I do this because i dont feel like sitting in 35-45 minutes of traffic when i could just go cut. I commute an hour and a half to work, and the same back. I dont have time to sit in a line, break the law, just dont get caught and dont hurt anyone. I will say though, people get quite pissed when i do this. I had a guy get out of the turning lane only to follow me and cut me off and stopped his car. As i began to get out he saw me in his rear view and burned off. Dude was tiny and me being 6'4" 220 i think he knew what he was in for. Its not legal to speed, but we all do... just dont get caught.

I dont prefer to pack. We have 2 very good packers at my dz, i wont let someone i dont know well pack for me. While i do know how to pack, i prefer jumping while im at the dz, plus packing is tiring. I would much rather set down the gear in the packing room and run outside and smoke a cig and chat with other jumpers. I have had a few weird openings, but in all honesty i cant wait for my first cutaway. Now if i was able to get out there more often and jump more, i would probably pack for myself but when you can only squeeze in 3 or 4 jumps a week, id prefer to spend my time in the air, and hanging out. Not packing.

Fortunatly i screwed up 3 landings through the AFF course which quickly opened my eyes to the fact that i could very easily kill myself. I had a bad downwind landing on jump 7, jump 8 did a low 180 leaving myself with only a few seconds before flaring, and to avoid a mid air collision with another jumper i landed way off, but had i not read about the dangers of low turns, and experienced one myself i would most likely be dead right now. I know i am nowhere near experienced, which is why i choose to stick with a 210. While it is a "Semi" aggressive wingloading, i have been flying it for the last 25 jumps or so and i have gotten comfortable with the way it flys. i have done 2 14k hop and pops to become more familiar with the way the canopy works, and i am really glad to have done so. When i get my rig i am scheduled to start a canopy control course to learn more about flying, and the capabilities of my canopy. I am fortunate to have made the mistakes i made in the begining because i have been in a few spots where i may have reacted differently, had it not been for my prior screw ups, and the wealth of knowledge in the incidents forum. I can honestly say the information i have gained here, combined with the efforts of the amazing staff at Skydive San Marcos have saved my life. I just dont know enough about parachutes to understand the differences in flight between diff brands. I thank anyone who would be willing to skewl this newb on diff parachutes. Matt

I think she was illustrating the fact that you are still at risk of being sued if negligence can be proved, regardless of any agreement, or signed contract. You pay the right lawyer and they can sue for just about anything. While it may not be right, and it may be bullshit, it happens every day. Look at these jackass's who break into someones house and get injured only to turn around and sue the homeowner and win. This may not fix the problem, but i GUARENTEE you that it would raise awareness of online scams, and stop certain problems (This incident specifically). This is the first thing you read when you open the classifieds (Modified with possible solutions). While this wont stop the problem every time, it most likely would have in this case. Welcome to the Dropzone Classifieds MattMazzocco. This is a FREE skydiving classifieds service. Beware of online classified scams! While we do our best at Dropzone.com to prevent scams, THEY DO OCCUR. Beware of (list anything that can be a tell tale sign of a scam - Western Union, etc. etc.) It is recomended that you consult a rigger at your home DZ for advice on gear purchases, especially first time buyers. Simply register and you're ready to go. Ads are purged daily so you won't have to browse through old outdated listings. Please read our Listing Guidelines before you get started. Highlight that in bright red letters and at least people are more aware of scam possibilities. I bet you anything the person involded in this particular scam would have thought twice about sending the money western union had that one line been added to the intro. Too many people on this forum are quick to spout out negative input. I guess you skipped the newbie stage and moved right into your throne. Sure, this could have been avoided, but for someone who knows nothing about online purchases, and how money wiring services work they are easy targets to a witty scammer with the right know how. I am a newb to this sport, and i have looked through the classifieds for gear on multiple occassions. I never saw the scam warning until today when i LOOKED for it. That should be the highlight of the page to protect uninformed/unaware buyers from being the victim of a scam, common sense or not. If the problem is that it is a free service and it can only be maintained in "spare time" then charge a service fee to compensate someone for preventing this issue. It wouldnt be too expensive, and after all, you are providing a good service... a modest fee for that service is not out of line. Too many people in this world offer free services, and then throw their hands up in the air and say "Its free, what do you expect?" when somebody complains. In this case, it seems like this could be prevented but it would cost money to dedicate someone to doing this. If you are going to offer a free service, and something about it needs to be changed to prevent fraud, THEN DO IT! If it costs too much to do this for free CHARGE FOR IT AND DO IT! So you come to a point where you decide to A. Do nothing and hope the problem goes away B. Fix the problem or at least take measures to prevent it (No Fee's) C. Fix the problem or at least take measures to prevent it (Fee's) Either way, Im smart enough to let someone smarter than me approve a deal like this. I will purchase only with the approval of the people i trust at my home DZ as should all first time buyers. I am "Super Newb"

It would start with the piano and a pissed off chick. That dumb song was all over our cable companies advertisements with her singing in front of a piano in some dudes apartment. After hearing it about 20 times i started liking it (yes, gay). SO where is the song? Lets hear it

did i mention my exit weight is 240? That oughta get you guys posting. Anyways, I am looking for differences between manufacturers and cant make it out to the DZ till sunday, so i was looking for some early advice. At least maybe someone could point me towards some parachute info?

Hey guys, i am getting ready to buy a rig from my home dzo, but the rig only has a reserve, no main. The container will fit a 210 for the main, and i am looking for a little input about the different types of beginer canopies. I do not know much about diff parachute manufacturers, so any advice on diff flight characteristics, flares, controlabitility, etc. would be very helpful. I am not looking for high performance, I only have 45 jumps and want to keep it conservative. The chute i have been jumping is a 210 Sabre 2 i believe. Thanks in advance. Matt

Im not a rigger, but i would be furious. As far as someone buying stamps and forging the symbol, that doesnt make much sense. I dont know how much those cost, but im sure they arent cheap and i think someone who would do that is most likely looking to save money, not spend it. I dont think someone who does that should be allowed to jump that dz, and the word should be spread as far and as loud as possible.

Practice everything on the ground multiple times before jumping. The only thing i found challenging about AFF was remembering the dive flow in order. The more you practice on the ground the better you do in the air. Have fun and be safe.

This weekend i had a jump taped and i need to transfer the format of the file. The video works on dvd players, but when you open the cd on the comp it will play the vid, but the folders have multiple files in them needed to play the video. I want to transfer this to an uploadable format but have no idea how to do this. Matt

I think its funny that he was so up front about his request. Ultimately he was telling you that his commission for selling your rig would be 200 bucks if you chose to accept. Nothing wrong with that. It takes time and effort to put this kind of transaction together (assuming the DZO was buying gear that was as close to what the student NEEDS, not just gear to make a buck) and in that case he is being payed for his time, and his knowledge. As far as you taking the hit for the student i wouldnt have done it knowing that i could sell it for more money. As a student i understand that i will most likely pay a markup on my first gear purchase since i have no idea what to look for, or even where to start looking. Shit, tell that guy to find me some gear

Lol. Thanks but my health is insured by blue cross blue shield, and yes they cover skydiving accidents. I think its awesome that there are people out there who care enough about new jumpers to voice their opinions, but i also think you arent understanding that this canopy is still a slow canopy. Its not that i dont listen, or want to hurt myself. I have spoken with my instructors about this and they all feel that i am ready for this chute and they have seen me fly it. Once again, thanks for looking out but im good at jumping this chute and really just came for advice on good gear. BTW the incident you are refering to at perris was a jumper who attempted a swoop and botched it. I dont swoop, nor will i try to till i have thousands of jumps. I watched a good friend of mine bounce w/o incident fortunately, and a very seasoned instructor break the shit out of his ankle swooping. I hate to say it, but when your flying at the ground that fast, WL wont make too much diff.

I live to die another day. No titanium today. 210 is a great chute and i could handle faster. Say what you want to say but i am comfortable flying that chute, malfunction or not. This isnt touch football, its sky diving. I realize you experienced jumpers have seen green jumpers make ridiculous mistakes in the past that jade your view of all new jumpers, but i have taken the time to ask questions, and learn as much about canopy control as i can. Im jumping out of a plane. Believe me, my dz is very safety concious, and would not let me fly a chute i was not ready for. Again thanks for the concern but i really was just looking for leads on gear. Matt

I downsized after 2 weeks of my instructors telling me i was ready to move into the 210. I have been jumping it for the last month un-eventfully, and with great precision. I am by no means an expert on canopy control, but i do know what i am capable of, and i have had nothing but stand up landings since i switched chutes. I appreciate the concern, but i am a cautious jumper, and i wouldnt fly it if i didnt feel safe. Not everyone moves at the same speed Matt

Last week i completed my 36th jump and i am looking to buy my own gear, student gear is getting old. I havent had the time to do any research on gear, and dont feel that i know enough about parachutes to try to wing it. I am 6'4" and weigh in at 220. Im currently jumping a 210, and moving down to a 200 this weekend. I will be ready to buy my gear in about a month, so i am looking for suggestions for what kind of gear i should be looking at. My budgeting for this is between 2500-3500 as of now. Any help is appreciated. Matt