I went to Perris today

[RemiAndKaren 0]

Agreed Chuck... It is nice to find out after a reserve ride that you had the right response at the right time...
And allright Michele! Good job, and keep on practicing those emergency procedures (I know I do on every mental rehersal on the ride to altitude)...
Remi

[sinister69 0]

Michelle,
I have read both your posts and have been entranced by them. Your writing about your experiences has inspired many people and helped many others overcome their own fears about this wonderful sport.
I just completed my level 6 on Sunday out at Perris. I talked to Dennis about your skydive and he is very proud of you. I am going to be there this Saturday to do my 7 & 8.
I would be very honored to jump out of a plane with you when you are done with your training. Hope to see you out there!!!!
Blue Skies!!!!

[JeffGordon 0]

Michele, you are AWESOME!!

[PhillyKev 0]

Michelle, you're self confidence and determination are admirably inspirational. If anyone was meant to jump out of a plane, you are. Even if you gave up now (and I hope you don't) you would still be braver and more self assured than most people will ever be. To put it simply, you rock!!
And judging by the reaction of everyone here, as well as my own, your posts are highly enjoyable. Not because of the tramatic event that you experience, but for your ability to convey it with such clarity. I'd like to suggest that you share these posts with even more people and submit them to Parachutist.

[Michele 1]

PhillyKev -
Really?
Michele

[skybytch 273]

Michele -
Really! I think so too.
pull and flare,
lisa

[DZBone 0]

Michele, have you seen some of the drivel that gets published there? You should definitely submit it. What are they going to do, say no? If they do, submit to Skydiving. This is great stuff.
Hey, you already made the front page of dz.com. These dead tree and rag publications are second-tier!
Carl

[Snowflake 0]

I knew you could do it!!!!!! Bet you slept like a baby that night. Yes you should submit to Parachutist, you obviously touched all our hearts. You've expressed what most of us internalized during AFF. Your gonna love level 8's I promise. Please keep posting
"....And then the canopiy opens and you float to the ground like a Multicolored snowflake"
JG

[Michele 1]

O.K., (gulp) I did it. Just sent it in.
And you're right, Carl, second tier!
(so, if I get "published", does that mean I owe even more beer? - it would be a first! lol)
ciel bleu
Michele

[wildblue 7]

Quote

...and now I am dancing in the wind, and flying with the birds; I am floating in the breath of God.

I just wanted everyone to see that line again. That's one of the most beautiful ways I've ever heard that put.

[GeekStreak 0]

Quote

(so, if I get "published", does that mean I owe even more beer? - it would be a first! lol)

Sounds like beer to me 1111,
GeekStreak

[Zennie 0]

Quote

if I get "published", does that mean I owe even more beer?

According to our hallowed Beer Rules, that would be a "Yes". ------------
Blue Skies!
Zennie

[Michele 1]

So, I sent it in, and here is their response:
"Hi, Michelle. Managing Editor Nancy Koreen may review your submission
after she returns on July 6, but if it has already been posted on the internet,
it would be generally against Parachutist policy to reprint it.
Thanks, and I'm glad you made out OK.
Kevin Gibson
Director of Communications"
So, well, we'll see. Maybe my beer debt won't be increased, after all..... and that would mean Sangiro has a "scoop"!! lol. (Just a really yucky thought: if I hadn't made it out o.k., I'll bet it would have been printed there....oh - banish the thought......kay, it's gone)
And Wildblue, thanks...it really feels that way, doesn't it?
ciel bleu
Michele

[jfields 0]

Quote

Maybe my beer debt won't be increased

Not so fast. First skydiving-related publication rejection letter. Beer!
It does get pretty hard avoiding buying beer, doesn't it?
Justin
"If it can't kill you, it isn't worth doing."

[Michele 1]

roflmao - out loud!!!!!!!!
Um, does being on student status help any? At the rate I'm going, I'll never get to put aside any $ for a rig...sigh...
Ciel bleu
Michele

[jfields 0]

You'll have to check with some of the more experienced folks here, but I think allowances are made for students.
Then again, maybe you shouldn't ask those people. It has been so long since they started skydiving that they might not remember when everything was so new that you had a "first" on about every jump. Besides, they are probably thirsty! Justin
"If it can't kill you, it isn't worth doing."

[SpeedRacer 1]

Michele, don't be afraid to tell 'em to f%^K off when they tell you to buy beer. Some people will make you buy beer for any flimsy excuse whatsoever:
"Oh, you just replaced a rubber band line stow? That means you're jumping new gear-- BEER!!!"
Speed Racer
"De plaene!! De plaene!!"

[jfields 0]

I agree with Speed Racer. Nobody should really pressure you about it.
When I showed up with a case of Corona (DZ favorite) after I graduated from AFF, the DZO saw me walking toward the fridge with it and said, "You know, you don't really HAVE TO do that." I told him that everyone had been incredibly nice and helpful, so I didn't have a problem with it. If the people had been asses about it, I wouldn't have done it no matter how much they told me I "owed". As long as it is friendly and reasonably equitable, I don't mind buying some here and there.
Justin
"If it can't kill you, it isn't worth doing."

[skybytch 273]

Quote

but if it has already been posted on the internet, it would be generally against Parachutist policy to reprint it.

They really need to get over that. I wrote an article about the first women's world records that was posted on the Jump for the Cause website right before the WWR attempts in '99. I approached both Skydiving and Parachutist about printing it, perhaps as a sidebar to their coverage of the WWR attempts. I got the same response as you did from both of them. Neither magazine will get another article from me until this policy is changed; Sangiro gets first dibbies on all of my stuff now.
It seems to be okay for both magazines to print the exact same photo (I've seen the same pic in both mags in the same month!) or even to run the exact same article (seen that too); I don't understand why it would be a problem for them to print a great story like yours just because it was first posted here.
What they aren't realizing is that not every jumper has internet access - and every jumper who is connected doesn't necessarily frequent dropzone.com (why they don't I have no idea, but there it is!). imho neither magazine is being fair to their readership by refusing to print something that has appeared on the internet.
Mass email campaign, anyone?? I'll gladly spearhead it!
pull and flare,
lisa

[GeekStreak 0]

Quote

You'll have to check with some of the more experienced folks here, but I think allowances are made for students.

I was told that students were exempt, but that won't stop me from contributing to the cause when I do something spectacular (hasn't happened yet 1111,
GeekStreak

[cyric77 0]

Congrats!!!

[wildblue 7]

*smooch* ... don't hurt me Michele

it's like incest - you're substituting convenience for quality

[jumpwally 0]

Which reminds me.."We need a new Michelle story"
C'mon
Chelle
chelle
chelle !!!!

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[ltdiver 3]

Quote

Which reminds me.."We need a new Michelle story"
C'mon
Chelle
chelle
chelle !!!!

Well, at -least- spell her name right! That's one "L", silly!

ltdiver

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

[Michele 1]

Seth, darlin, I'm smooching you back...no hurting you here. LOL! What a surprise it is to see this here, though. I read through it, and felt everything all over again; the fear, the dry mouth, the pride...all of it came back.

And I look back and see how very far I've come...not just in skydiving, but in the rest of my life. Because of PhillyKev's encourgement, I sent my first article into Parachutist. Even though it was rejected, it started something for me...and I've had several articles published there since then.

My confidence in my world has increased; after all, if I can skydive, especially after the cutaway I had, there's not a whole lot I can't do. And so I've been doing it. I have been writing (professionally), and have reached out to so many people and helped them. I've pretty much left a job I love to follow a career I want. I've grown, in so many ways, and so far have I come...

And this sport is what did it for me. There has been given a comfort in my skin that nothing else has ever given me; an ability to assess correctly a situation as problematic or not, and take whatever steps necessary to get it handled. A precision of thought in stressful situations which I wouldn't have trusted except for this event, and this particular skydive...and mostly, an ability to trust myself about myself and my life has blossomed. And the sense of family - that Chris spent hours on the phone with me the night before, to help someone address a fear that really could only be conquered alone...and he didn't even know me, had never met me, had no connection other than this site and my writing...simply blows me away.

How amazing it is to remember all the emotions of that day, and to see how far my journey into the sky has changed my earthbound life.

As I said before, Sangiro, three cheers and four beers. You rock, and I thank you for providing this place then, and this place now, for all of us to share, care, and learn from each other.

No, Seth, I'm not angry. Not in the least.

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~