arlo

your welcome. :) I'm glad you guys had a great time. Of course as you could probably tell, we NEVER have any fun. ;) It's great to get such positive feedback. I'll make sure to pass it along to the folks there when I go to work tomorrow. :) Of course, they'll never believe it if it's associated with me. ;) thanks! arlo

I hear ya talking...i've got a little craving for it myself...make that a HUGE craving. ;)

yeah! more chick burpers. :) arlo

Hey Dave, at least the cooler weather is in sight now. :) It's already a chilly 75 degrees at 10pm. Gotta love it! ;) Come on cool weather and clean tunnel air. :) arlo

How can I NOT be upset? Of ALL the people in the world that give a shit, it's skydivers. Maybe I should've added the obligatory women's record stuff to "qualify" it for the RW forum. Maybe I should've mentioned my Jav in the rig forum. But I am in the process of compiling all the stories from all the women, myself included, that have already raised over a quarter of a million dollars to help fight this disease...and some of these stories will rip your heart out. By asking a minute of someone's time to help low-income women...maybe save a life one person at a time....I thought that forum protocol rules would flex just a bit. It wasn't intentional. I never in a million years thought that it would come down to help and awareness VS. forum protocol. I am sitting here in absolute, utter disbelief and to be quite honest, I am appalled. I'm glad that some people weren't so offended with the pub crawls that raised 10K and the bikini jumps that raised (cumulatively) a few thousand dollars. I will continue to try and raise cancer awareness and I WILL continue to conduct fund-raisers and I will continue to care. I've never been one to blow smoke up anyone's ass and I have always said exactly what is on my mind. And right now, my mind is in absolute disbelief. I never thought I'd see the day that posting on another forum would be more important than the potential to save someone's life. So I cuss alot and I am human...I DO get upset and pissed off, but that's just how I am. I feel very strongly about helping people and I won't apologize for feeling like I do about this entire episode. Thank you Michele for your support and thank you to everyone that contributed to funding breast cancer research. By the way, if you'll check out www.jumpforthecause.com, you'll see that the efforts thus far already have funded a room for high tech mammograms. thanks to everyone that has supported this effort and please continue to help in whatever fashion you can...we have to look out for each other. arlo

You know what? I'm NOT a dude and I'm NOT spamming and I will remove that post from the other forum. The grand assumption I made was that some people only read certain forums and that people actually HAD A HEART and that no one would actually mind doing something that HELPED people that needed it. I see so much shit posted about stuff that doesn't matter in the grand scheme, that doing something as simple as "clicking on a website" that is a non-profit organization to provide women that can't afford it free mammograms was a pretty worthwild cause....especially on the heals of the womens Jump for the Cause/October is breast cancer awareness month, and all that other good fluff. They didn't ask you to buy shit. they asked you to click a SINGLE BUTTON ON A WEBSITE to give some poor woman a mammogram...that's it. What is the damn harm there??? I'm severly disappointed that you feel this way. Sorry for the inconvenience and I hope that no one you know is ever in the position to need something like this. It was free, it was something that you could've just read and gotten past (like I do with alot of these b.s. posts) instead of getting panties in a wad. It's attitudes like that which make people like me sometimes question why i even bother trying to make a difference. I'm just glad that this won't hinder me from trying to do what I can and to give a shit as a human being so maybe my actions can do something constructive like save someone's life....you can just bet it won't be done in this forum again. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE FOR ANYONE READING THE OTHER FORUM. It SHALL be deleted. I didn't know that posting to Gear and Rigging about early breast cancer detection would be such a bad thing to do............jesus. it's really good to see what we're dealing with. off topic is more important than saving a life...hmm. arlo

...don't shit in your own backyard. :) hope this helps, arlo

Dude, try Skydive Carolina (Chester). I think that will be a relatively easy drive if you get onto I-26 or I-77. Check their website at www.skydivecarolina.com for detailed directions. Enjoy your trip in that area. I grew up about an hour from there (in SC) and it is absolutely gorgeous. Too, boogie over to the Biltmore house in Asheville...that's a MUST see!!! Colors are changing and if you drink wine, you're in for a treat...winery on site with tastings throughout the day. You HAVE to go there!!! good luck on your trip and I'm envious!! :) arlo

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CTDSites Please go to this website and click on the pink button (yeah, there IS such a thing ;) in the center. Your click, along with others that day, will fund a free mammogram for an underprivileged woman each day. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO DO THIS EVERY SINGLE DAY!!! IT CAN SAVE SOMEONE'S LIFE--your mother, daughter, sister, wife... and please pass this along to everyone you know to do the same. thanks so much...we CAN make a difference! Oh yeah, hope everyone had a great weekend of skydiving (that was the obligatory skydiving mention ;). blue ones, arlo :) -------------------------------- long descriptor below if you wanna read it: DAILY RESULTS Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among U.S. women ages 40-55, and is second only to lung cancer in the number of resulting cancer deaths. During the year 2002, 186,000 women will be diagnosed and 43,300 women will die of breast cancer. Early detection is the key to survival. Your click on the "Fund Free Mammograms" button helps fund mammography screenings for underprivileged women who otherwise wouldn't receive the gift of early breast cancer detection. Mammograms are provided by the National Breast Cancer Foundation, who puts special emphasis on reaching low-income, minority, and working-poor women whose awareness of breast cancer and opportunity for help is often limited. At The Breast Cancer Site, every day is a new opportunity to make a difference in the fight to prevent breast cancer deaths. The number of women helped depends on the number of visitors to The Breast Cancer Site. Please remember to click every day, and spread the word to family and friends.

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CTDSites Please go to this website and click on the pink button (yeah, there IS such a thing ;) in the center. Your click, along with others that day, will fund a free mammogram for an underprivileged woman each day. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO DO THIS EVERY SINGLE DAY!!! IT CAN SAVE SOMEONE'S LIFE--your mother, daughter, sister, wife... and please pass this along to everyone you know to do the same. thanks so much...we CAN make a difference! Oh yeah, hope everyone had a great weekend of skydiving (that was the obligatory skydiving mention ;). blue ones, arlo -------------------------------- long descriptor below if you wanna read it: DAILY RESULTS Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among U.S. women ages 40-55, and is second only to lung cancer in the number of resulting cancer deaths. During the year 2002, 186,000 women will be diagnosed and 43,300 women will die of breast cancer. Early detection is the key to survival. Your click on the "Fund Free Mammograms" button helps fund mammography screenings for underprivileged women who otherwise wouldn't receive the gift of early breast cancer detection. Mammograms are provided by the National Breast Cancer Foundation, who puts special emphasis on reaching low-income, minority, and working-poor women whose awareness of breast cancer and opportunity for help is often limited. At The Breast Cancer Site, every day is a new opportunity to make a difference in the fight to prevent breast cancer deaths. The number of women helped depends on the number of visitors to The Breast Cancer Site. Please remember to click every day, and spread the word to family and friends.

Hey Chuck! CFC, ya know. arlo

Thanks bunches Stacy! :) I didn't realize anyone was really following any 4-way other than the obvious Knights/Airspeed/Majik gig. :) Mucho congrats go to Nemesis and Angry Beez...man, I love those guys and they did an outstanding job..nailbiter to the end. :) blues, arlo

wah...wah...what are you talking about, Rob? arlo

Whassssup Chuck? Sorry we missed you at Richmond. Hope to catch you some time soon. Thank you for all your help and good advice on this site. Wish I had more time to cruise and reply here. Will try to get to it more often! Once the big Perris boogie is over and we are back from Cali in the beginning of Oct, we should be around Fla a lot more often. Faster Slower Longer... Kim Griffin (writing from Arlo's computer at home)

AARGGHH!! Sorry Paul. :) I used the term "calculated risk" in the most figurative sense...it most definitely wasn't meant literally. But while on the subject...I would venture to say that it would most likely be done with landing gear. blues and guess alot of us are Chicago bound...yeah baby, arlo

yeah, but the question is WHOSE long undies? dave, we shall see you in a couple of days. arlo

Hey Ray! Speaking of winds, how breezy compared to here? Is it cold enough for fleece at night? Don't want to overpack, ya know. Also, say hello to the guys for me... and I'll see ya in 2 days. Train hard!! xoxo, arlo

...and the probability of dying while trying to land, hell, lets just say INFLATE the first canopies was not? Easy cowboy. :) You're reading WAY too much into it. I have no intentions of landing my wingsuit...nor was it ever implied that I would, so if you plan on watching ME do it, you'll be staring into space for a long, long time. :) My goal was to draw a parallel between what some people thought using parachutes for the first time and what some people may think about landing a wingsuit. Will people die trying to land a wingsuit? Sure...just like some people still die trying to land their canopies. Calculated risks.... arlo

Kinda makes you wonder (and use word replacement): "Why would you want to die trying to land a canopy when you can simply land in your plane?" blues, arlo

well Dave, at least it's clear now. great competing with you guys again.. xoxo, arlo

tunnel time (since I do work there, I think I've got this straight now): John Q. Public off the street for the amusement park ride consisting of (2) 1 minute rotations in the tunnel: 38.50 adults, 33.50 12 and under $5 off for FL residents, $5 off w/coupon, $10 off for working at a local theme park w/ID, $10 off w/USPA membership. Return flyer: $28.50 2 min add-on: 24.95 skydivers rates: 10 minute block: $125 15 minute block: $175 10 min block w/skyventure employees coaching (first time coaching includes t-shirt and video): $175 10 minute return coaching: $150 30 minutes: $300 60 minutes before 5pm: $525 60 minutes in general: $600 If you buy 10 hours, you get 2 free. Videos: $16 (has the leader on it) regular vids: $5 (for skydivers) With that said, you buy a 30 or 60 minute block, that's YOUR block. Most split it with other people so you can take a break. 2 minutes at a time is gracious plenty for novices OF THE TUNNEL. Swapping out/taking turns is a GOOD THING. If you think you'll go fly 30 minutes straight, I wish you luck. You arms will be jelly and you will wonder if there really is a god. Our team trains for an hour. we fly for 2-4 straight, then rotate out w/our camera guy flying for a minute while we debrief/dirt-dive the next session (I don't call it a 'jump'). The only blocks you purchase where you have other people (i.e. public) in there is with 10 minute or 15 minute blocks. If it's just you, that's not a bad thing. Again, that helps you rotate thru and get breaks between flights. Red bulls are $2, t-shirts are $12.50 and I think I hit the highlights. Oh yeah, we've got a new manifest building with a separate team section. It's pretty nice, actually. There are kitchen facilities, a fridge, 2 rooms w/video stations (VCRs and TVs). Fresh sod going in today (For those that feel the need to roll around in the grass). It's pretty jam up now. You're best bang for your buck is block time. Call ahead and ask to share time with other skydivers if you don't want to fork out the jack. Pay for all your time when you get there....makes life much easier. Don't bitch about having to sit thru a class. It's great that people have thousands of skydives, but that doesn't mean squat getting into or out of the tunnel. You sign a waiver and just because you can skydive doesn't mean you know how to get into or out of the tunnel. It's not like exiting a plane. Other than that, i just got back from an hour and a half and I fell like jell-o...but very productive session. Also, if you plan on doing 4-way in there or even 2 or 3 ways, get the knee pads. Countless times I went in thinking knee pads weren't cool to fly in there, and countless times doing larger 4-way formations, I've slammed my knees into those damn immovable concrete walls. I now wear knee pads. Please trust me on that one. I hope this answers your question and then some. If you have more, feel free to email me at groovicool@aol.com or call me at the tunnel Sunday night (I'm training this weekend). blues, arlo p.s. I would STRONGLY recommend getting coaching from some of the local coaches here (if they have availability). Joey Jones, Solly Williams, Gary Smith, Doug Park (all from Majik), David van Greuningen and Shannon Pilcher (from PD Blue), Robert Chromy, Bob Healy, Pete Allum and Thomas Hughes (from Sebastian XL), Lise Aune (Norgies)....all these folks are outstanding tunnel flyers and are awesome instructors. If you want freefly coaching, Dave Brown or Mike Swanson from the Freefly Training Center work great in there. good luck with the tunnel stuff and I really hope this helps, arlo

sweetie...they were ALL kidding. :) arlo

Okay, okay. I have to respond to all of the above. :) Ray: you do have a cute ass and of course I grabbed yours to just return the favor. :) But I must admit, Bickner was correct in his comparison to me and a shy flower. He HAS known me for years now. ;) Bickner: you obviously are the only one that knows how introverted I am....must've been all that time we jumped together at the hills. God knows all the z=hillians know my meek and mild self. And I thought that graduating Magna cum Laude from the Lambert school of Linguistics was a GOOD thing. O and La: all I can figure about Dell is that they were offended by my use of "yes ma'am" and "yes sir"....some people are offended so easily. Go figure. Andrea: Yes, the grand total for the bikini jump was greater than that of zhills. But instead of d vs V, I say that 2 dzs raised almost 1500 just in bikini stuff alone. THAT is incredible. Hat's off to all the outstanding male FL skydivers that took one for the home team. I'm so proud of you all....even Bickner in his lingerie. All: It's been a sheer pleasure being a part of the fund-raising that has taken place. Let's try doing this on some frequency. Maybe next go round we can do a food drive or something as well. I can think of very few things that give humans in general such a warm-hearted feeling as the act of doing something good for a fellow human being. It's all good. :) you rock! It must be late because I'm getting sappy and nice....it HAS to be delirium setting in....goodness knows it's not my nature. ;) blues and have an outstanding weekend, arlo

Sorry for the delay...I just received my THIRD hard drive from Dell in 3 weeks (along with a vid card, fan, and power unit), so I haven't had access to anything for a few. THANKS BUNCHES to everyone that helped out, volunteered, etc for the Jump for the Cause fundraiser at Deland. You're own Derek was leading the pack out there along with Mark Klinghoffer (I knwo I spelled that wrong), Tim Web, Ray Dutch (by protest ;) and more.. :) The jump was rained out the first weekend, postponed until the next when I was unable to do much more with it due to a competition. Bottom line: Over $700 was raised in votes and t-shirt sales thanks to the great folks that were there. The NO votes won, so a bikini jump was not done...although several folks were discussing making one anyway. ;) Big thanks to Richard and Chuck for reminding folks that they were getting free food and beer, so it wouldn't hurt to dig a bit deeper and pitch in some funds for cancer research. All involved were awesome, Andrea helped out tons, and a good time was had by all. By the way, the NOs won it by $9...that's it. You guys did a good job...feel good about that. :) blues, arlo

Sorry for the delay...I just received my THIRD hard drive from Dell in 3 weeks (along with a vid card, fan, and power unit), so I haven't had access to anything for a few. THANKS BUNCHES to everyone that helped out, volunteered, etc for the Jump for the Cause fundraiser at Deland. You're own Derek was leading the pack out there. :) The jump was rained out the first weekend, postponed until the next when I was unable to do much more with it due to a competition. Bottom line: Over $700 was raised in votes and t-shirt sales thanks to the great folks that were there. The NO votes won, so a bikini jump was not done...although several folks were discussing making one anyway. ;) Big thanks to Richard and Chuck for reminding folks that they were getting free food and beer, so it wouldn't hurt to dig a bit deeper and pitch in some funds for cancer research. All involved were awesome, Andrea helped out tons, and a good time was had by all. You guys did a good job...feel good about that. :) blues, arlo