USPA changes lifetime membership to $2,500 for domestic member, $4,000 for international

[grue 1]

What in the name of Xenu were they smoking in Vegas?

cavete terrae.

[justinbaker27 0]

So if your in the sport 45 years x $55 year..... Then you break even. VS 18yrs the $1,000 membership took to recoup..... The only thing that comes to mind is for some reason they don't want lifetime members. Anybody else have thoughts on this?

[kuai43 7]

They're morons? Grabbing for the bucks?

Every fight is a food fight if you're a cannibal

Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man. - Anthony Burgess

[champu 1]

justinbaker27

So if your in the sport 45 years x $55 year..... Then you break even. VS 18yrs the $1,000 membership took to recoup..... The only thing that comes to mind is for some reason they don't want lifetime members. Anybody else have thoughts on this?

If you can earn 2.2% annually on your $2500 it takes you infinitely many years to break even.

[BigMikeH77 0]

And of course it's just a matter of time before annual renewals increase as well.
I think $2500 is too much of an increase. If they had said "At the end of 2014, lifetime memberships will increase by $500 each year for the next three years", USPA might have realized a sudden increase in those memberships. Doing it this way, they kind of shot themselves in the foot.

[airtwardo 7]

BigMikeH77

And of course it's just a matter of time before annual renewals increase as well.
I think $2500 is too much of an increase. If they had said "At the end of 2014, lifetime memberships will increase by $500 each year for the next three years", USPA might have realized a sudden increase in those memberships. Doing it this way, they kind of shot themselves in the foot.

It's business 101 ~ make it 'available' but an unwise capital 'investment'.

Keep all but the maybe 1 or 2% of current & future members willing to pay that - locked into the annual payment.

Which as history shows, increases incrementally to keep up with the increasing 'needs' for the business.

Frankly, I was rather surprised it's only been a grand for the past several years.

With MY lifestyle the annual membership fee IS lifetime!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[Cajundude 0]

It is still $1000 on the website at the moment. I just went to renew my regular membership just in case they jump that up.

[MikeTJumps 4]

As a member of the USPA who took the opportunity to get a lifetime membership over 30 years ago, I am immune to the change in cost of the Lifetime Membership, but I firmly warned the BOD members that this raise with "immediate effectiveness" would make them the butt of many jokes and cause a swelling of opposition to their action.

However, they did just that and let me say that the "financial predictions" presented were premature as to the amount of increase necessary. There was incomplete data presented just stating what it costs to continue to support the membership with no anticipation of anything other than constant increases in the costs of doing business. An argument was made that those of us who already have lifetime memberships for more than the past 16 years were being "carried/paid for" by the existing members. By the radical increase in Lifetime Memberships cost, they were concerned that there would be a flood of new applications for such grossing just $1,000 each, therefore they insisted on (voted for) making it effective immediately after the closing of the BOD meeting. I think this is just WRONG but I don't have a vote in the matter.

They were also thinking of doing away with the lifetime membership program either immediately, or April 1, or December 31. Fortunately, wisdom struck suddenly and the sponsors of those motions retracted both the motions and the multiple attempts at friendly amendments to those motions, so now they will sit back and look more deeply at the financial requirements/benefits/drawbacks of their decision over the next 6 months and make a further determination (hopefully with more sound fiscal predictions) at the next BOD meeting.
I am not going to name the individuals who proposed these actions but I will urge all USPA members to make their feelings known to both their regional and national directors.

Now get busy and write or call your representatives and make your opinions known! I was only one of several voices in the gallery at the meeting and I'm sure there will be many more who will protest this action.

Mike Turoff
Instructor Examiner, USPA
Co-author of Parachuting, The Skydiver's Handbook

[mrubin 0]

That's really dissappointing. I was thinking about getting a lifetime membership when I renew this year, but now that they raised it so much that's not going to happen.

"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

[Southern_Man 0]

I was thinking about it too this year, but at 44 yo that is not going to happen.

"What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

[normiss 798]

I can't see anyone getting one now.

[Irm1u 0]

Could be worse, the annual fee is over $100 here in Norway.

[dthames 0]

I don't know what the USPA does with the lifetime membership money but in my state, the Game and Fish Commission have a sweet deal with the lifetime license. 100% of the lifetime license fee goes into something like a trust fund. The Game and Fish Commission can't touch that money but get the interest off of it each year to spend on their projects, in place of the annual license fee that the sportsman would normally pay. So, they can't just spend it one year and then hurt from that lack of cash flow becuase of the sportsman not paying the annual fee.

This might be all about cash flow.

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[grue 1]

MikeTJumps

I am not going to name the individuals who proposed these actions but I will urge all USPA members to make their feelings known to both their regional and national directors.

Frankly, I think a name and shame is precisely what we need when the USPA does this sort of thing

cavete terrae.

[Guru312 0]

justinbaker27

Anybody else have thoughts on this?

I will turn 73 on March 7th of this year.

I have been a member off and on since the days when the name was the Parachute Club of America. It only makes sense to take advantage of this new deal right now before they change their minds and make it still MORE.

Now, if I can find my glasses and my check book and some stamps, an envelope, and my underwear and my pen I think, maybe, now is the perfect time to sign up for this life-time deal.

Wait, what deal? Where am I? This is the DB Cooper thread in the History and Trivia forum right?

Hello? hello?

Guru312

I am not DB Cooper

[Boogers 0]

Hell, if I had that kind of money to splurge on a skydiving membership, I'd just give it to the AAD fund.

[topdocker 0]

I wonder how the PIA feels about this!

top

Jump more, post less!

[kuai43 7]

airtwardo

It's business 101 ~ make it 'available' but an unwise capital 'investment'.

Keep all but the maybe 1 or 2% of current & future members willing to pay that - locked into the annual payment.

Which as history shows, increases incrementally to keep up with the increasing 'needs' for the business.

And this is the question... perhaps it's time to revisit the 'needs for the business'. It might be time to lean this shit out. When people begin to protect their livelihood, tenure, and perquisites at the expense of the membership, then you have to ask whether they're working for the membership or themselves.

USPA should be working for airport access, FAA regulation control, marketing of the sport, information dispersal, and recommendations for improvements in safety. Period.

Sorry to bust everyone's balls, but this doesn't include funding or promotion of skydiving competitions. None of that shit hits mainstream media anyway. Unless you can show that it brings people to the sport, drop it. The Red Bull crowd does a better job.

Every fight is a food fight if you're a cannibal

Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man. - Anthony Burgess

[airtwardo 7]

kuai43

***

It's business 101 ~ make it 'available' but an unwise capital 'investment'.

Keep all but the maybe 1 or 2% of current & future members willing to pay that - locked into the annual payment.

Which as history shows, increases incrementally to keep up with the increasing 'needs' for the business.

And this is the question... perhaps it's time to revisit the 'needs for the business'. It might be time to lean this shit out. When people begin to protect their livelihood, tenure, and perquisites at the expense of the membership, then you have to ask whether they're working for the membership or themselves.

USPA should be working for airport access, FAA regulation control, marketing of the sport, information dispersal, and recommendations for improvements in safety. Period.

Sorry to bust everyone's balls, but this doesn't include funding or promotion of skydiving competitions. None of that shit hits mainstream media anyway. Unless you can show that it brings people to the sport, drop it. The Red Bull crowd does a better job.

Caught how I worded that did ya?

There ARE things in the bylaws that the USPA is tasked with doing...Re: Your mention above to the competition, U.S.Team thing.
I was wondering if that was going to be the fall back premise for that 'loan' from the General Fund to start up a demo team.

THAT whole debacle got me to wondering if maybe it isn't time to take a hard look at the what we're doing and why.

Times have obviously changed considerably since the early years of the organization - both in terms of need & priority.

Successful organizations institute change where/when needed to operate within & reflect the current environmental constraints...sooner or later we're going to HAVE to reprioritize where, what resources are available get utilized.

The short list you have above is certainly near if not at the top of the shelf IMO.

I generally try to keep a positive frame of mind regarding the agenda & progress of the organization. In truth the BOD tries to cover a lot, with arguably little to so with.

OTOH ~ it at times seems we're being guided somewhat surreptitiously by the concerns of manufactures & high volume DZO's. Often the intended goal benefits both the general membership and the 'corporate' interests - but not always.

Overall the BOD members I do know personally - are well meaning, hard working individuals with clear intentions for betterment of the sport.
They are not however mindreaders- when there are issues of concern...WE need to personally contact them with our questions, comments & complaints.

When a significant number of constituents become involved & vocal regarding a decision or direction...when a majority demands accountability - we see progress in the direction WE place on highest priority.

As with any little special interest group - the good ole boy, back room politics, secret agenda, special favors thing - only goes on as long as those paying the bills LET IT.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[ChuckMartin 0]

Maybe if it started coming with all your ratings it would be worth it. Membership, PRO, and instructional rating fees all together are $100 a year, even if a lifetime membership came with everything it would still take 25 years. I'm thinking a lot of skydivers don't stick around for 25 years and even less have PRO and instructional ratings the whole time. Even at $1000 it would still take 10 years with everything.

[Krip 2]

Irm1u

Could be worse, the annual fee is over $100 here in Norway.

Sorry to say but eventually the annual fee in the U.S, will reach the S100 mark.

Does anyone know what the annual GMDZ fee is?

Time to take a nap

One Jump Wonder

[mjosparky 4]

airtwardo

******

It's business 101 ~ make it 'available' but an unwise capital 'investment'.

Keep all but the maybe 1 or 2% of current & future members willing to pay that - locked into the annual payment.

Which as history shows, increases incrementally to keep up with the increasing 'needs' for the business.

And this is the question... perhaps it's time to revisit the 'needs for the business'. It might be time to lean this shit out. When people begin to protect their livelihood, tenure, and perquisites at the expense of the membership, then you have to ask whether they're working for the membership or themselves.

USPA should be working for airport access, FAA regulation control, marketing of the sport, information dispersal, and recommendations for improvements in safety. Period.

Sorry to bust everyone's balls, but this doesn't include funding or promotion of skydiving competitions. None of that shit hits mainstream media anyway. Unless you can show that it brings people to the sport, drop it. The Red Bull crowd does a better job.

Caught how I worded that did ya?

There ARE things in the bylaws that the USPA is tasked with doing...Re: Your mention above to the competition, U.S.Team thing.
I was wondering if that was going to be the fall back premise for that 'loan' from the General Fund to start up a demo team.

THAT whole debacle got me to wondering if maybe it isn't time to take a hard look at the what we're doing and why.

Times have obviously changed considerably since the early years of the organization - both in terms of need & priority.

Successful organizations institute change where/when needed to operate within & reflect the current environmental constraints...sooner or later we're going to HAVE to reprioritize where, what resources are available get utilized.

The short list you have above is certainly near if not at the top of the shelf IMO.

I generally try to keep a positive frame of mind regarding the agenda & progress of the organization. In truth the BOD tries to cover a lot, with arguably little to so with.

OTOH ~ it at times seems we're being guided somewhat surreptitiously by the concerns of manufactures & high volume DZO's. Often the intended goal benefits both the general membership and the 'corporate' interests - but not always.

Overall the BOD members I do know personally - are well meaning, hard working individuals with clear intentions for betterment of the sport.
They are not however mindreaders- when there are issues of concern...WE need to personally contact them with our questions, comments & complaints.

When a significant number of constituents become involved & vocal regarding a decision or direction...when a majority demands accountability - we see progress in the direction WE place on highest priority.

As with any little special interest group - the good ole boy, back room politics, secret agenda, special favors thing - only goes on as long as those paying the bills LET IT.

I have felt for some years now that USPA has the fox watching the hen house. When they started the GM program it was the start of pushing the individual jumper farther and farther down the list of priorities. As was mentioned above what was once a club with members has turned into a Trade Origination. That’s what cost USPA an unknown sum of money when they went after Skyride. The decision to sue them was not a decision in the best interest of the members but it was for the DZO’s.
Until the members take USPA back they will continue to pay the cost of looking out for the business interests of the DZO’s. The interests of those that produce a product and those of the people that purchase the product are very seldom the same. As Jim said Business 101.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[Amazon 7]

Krip

***Could be worse, the annual fee is over $100 here in Norway.

Sorry to say but eventually the annual fee in the U.S, will reach the S100 mark.

Does anyone know what the annual GMDZ fee is?

Time to take a nap

Anyone else thinking it might be time for a Skydiving Association that is a members group and let the PIA and the DZO's have their own yet??

[airtwardo 7]

Amazon

******Could be worse, the annual fee is over $100 here in Norway.

Sorry to say but eventually the annual fee in the U.S, will reach the S100 mark.

Does anyone know what the annual GMDZ fee is?

Time to take a nap

Anyone else thinking it might be time for a Skydiving Association that is a members group and let the PIA and the DZO's have their own yet??

Really not necessary - there's an organization already in place that could easily do what the USPA membership desires.

It's called the USPA...the membership just has to figure out what it really wants - let the gang in the front office know - if it doesn't happen, fire 'em & start over with another 'gang'

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[Amazon 7]

airtwardo

*********Could be worse, the annual fee is over $100 here in Norway.

Sorry to say but eventually the annual fee in the U.S, will reach the S100 mark.

Does anyone know what the annual GMDZ fee is?

Time to take a nap

Anyone else thinking it might be time for a Skydiving Association that is a members group and let the PIA and the DZO's have their own yet??

Really not necessary - there's an organization already in place that could easily do what the USPA membership desires.

It's called the USPA...the membership just has to figure out what it really wants - let the gang in the front office know - if it doesn't happen, fire 'em & start over with another 'gang'

Yeah.. so hows that working out.....



DILATORY