Gabby Giffords skydiving today, to mark 3yr anniversary of her shooting

[Scrumpot 1]

http://www.today.com/news/today-exclusive-gabby-giffords-will-sky-dive-mark-shooting-anniversary-2D11875717

coitus non circum - Moab Stone

[CSpenceFLY 1]

I hope she doesn't get hurt. They will be trying to ban skydiving.

[Scrumpot 1]

LOL. The article says "she has done it before", and will be jumping with a Navy Seal who she has befriended. I'm presuming she's a tandem queen, but does anyone here know?

The jump itself should be probably already done, and is being recorded for airing on Thursday, 1/9's show. So maybe someone else here also already knows how it has gone?

coitus non circum - Moab Stone

[grimmie 186]

She had a great time by all facebook accounts of folks that are in Eloy now.

A tandem queen? Who cares, skydiving is getting some positive press.

[Remster 30]

grimmie

She had a great time by all facebook accounts of folks that are in Eloy now.

A tandem queen? Who cares, skydiving is getting some positive press.

Exactly.

But trust negative people to be negative, huh?

Remster

[SkyCoi 0]

True, but then the skydiving public will cry out that our freedom to jump is being taken away by Obama. After months of posturing and annoying Facebook posts the compromise will be to only let us jump from 5k or lower because that will make it safer.

[Remster 30]

grimmie

She had a great time by all facebook accounts of folks that are in Eloy now.

A tandem queen? Who cares, skydiving is getting some positive press.

http://www.today.com/news/gabby-giffords-skydive-my-way-saying-im-alive-2D11883525

Remster

[DougH 270]

Who cares if she is a regular repeat tandem queen. If repeat tandem students can't be convinced to progress I would still like them showing up, it fattens my paycheck in the summer, and they are a breeze to jump with. The more frequent the better!

A tandem queen is still 10x cooler than your typical JohnQPublic whose idea of experiencing life is an extra dose of network reality TV.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[Remster 30]

I'm with you man!

Looks like it was a fun jump for all involved!

Remster

[Scrumpot 1]

Here's the follow-up:

http://www.today.com/news/gabby-giffords-skydive-my-way-saying-im-alive-2D11883525

I think that this is both AWESOME, and INSPIRING! Despite anyone's individual political preferences or proclivities... Which btw, I do not believe need to be part of this thread, nor at least for this, are germane or appropriate. Just plain, simple, straight-forward inspirational piece, and POSITIVE PRESS for our sport!!

(not directed specifically at you, Doug - you're just the last visible post here to me, which I am hitting reply to, from my portable device)

coitus non circum - Moab Stone

[jimmytavino 16]

saw some footage of it.. earlier..She had a nice smile... I LIKED her Helmet !!!
She is well spoken and courageous and it looks like She will continue to be a wonderful spokesperson for Herself and for the betterment of her/OUR country...
loooked like a BEAUTIFUL Day.... in Eloy
jmy
a3914

[JohnMitchell 16]

I'm not sure the extent of her disabilities, but tandem may be the only way for her to jump. I've got a friend with severe cerebral palsy who got a restricted A license by making over 25 tandem jumps. Tandem queen? No way. She's the most determined human being I've ever met. She's now married and a mom.

[jimjumper 25]

Me and my wife volunteer with an organization, (Canine Companions for Independence), that provides service dogs to handicapped individuals. We have arranged for a number of them to do tandems and a lot of the CCI staff have also. The amount of positive exposure from these tandems is huge. One of my groomsmen is a paraplegic, from a dive into shallow water, and he currently makes a living as a motivational speaker. One of the most poignant points of his presentation is a video that transitions from him lying in a hospital bed to leaving the plane on a tandem. The video has been seen by hundreds, if not, thousands. Good exposure is good for the sport!

[Remster 30]

Good stuff! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BrgSFVaG8I

Remster

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

jimjumper

Me and my wife volunteer with an organization, (Canine Companions for Independence), that provides service dogs to handicapped individuals. We have arranged for a number of them to do tandems...

Doesn't that scare the crap out of the dogs??

Seriously, that's really cool that you do that.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[labrys 0]

Quote

I'm presuming she's a tandem queen

What do you mean by that?

Owned by Remi #?

[kvnhlstd 0]

Great video... when Savannah Guthrie said she had her reasons for not jumping with her... my daughter blurted out "I bet shes pregnant".

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth - Mike Tyson

[mjosparky 4]

JohnMitchell

I'm not sure the extent of her disabilities, but tandem may be the only way for her to jump. I've got a friend with severe cerebral palsy who got a restricted A license by making over 25 tandem jumps. Tandem queen? No way. She's the most determined human being I've ever met. She's now married and a mom.

Here is a tandem queen for you. She has a C license and her own tandem rig. The picture is 35 way tandem record done for Jump for the Cause in support of spinal cord research. She is one hell of a lady.

Sparky

http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp55/mjosparky/Skydiving/big2000_09-1.jpg

http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp55/mjosparky/Coral.jpg

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[ryoder 1,590]

JohnMitchell

I'm not sure the extent of her disabilities, but tandem may be the only way for her to jump. I've got a friend with severe cerebral palsy who got a restricted A license by making over 25 tandem jumps. Tandem queen? No way. She's the most determined human being I've ever met. She's now married and a mom.

From reading this, it sounds like she has problems with motor control of her right arm & leg: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabrielle_Giffords#Recovery

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[pchapman 279]

mjosparky

The picture is 35 way tandem record

Phew! One drogue, 34 others.
I was wondering if there would be 35 drogues out, and a giant pile of waivers down on the ground.

[mjosparky 4]

pchapman

*** The picture is 35 way tandem record

Phew! One drogue, 34 others.
I was wondering if there would be 35 drogues out, and a giant pile of waivers down on the ground.

We tried that but ran into fall rate problems.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[riggerrob 643]

Coral has always been an inspiration. If she can smile that broadly - from a wheel-chair - then I should STFU anytime I get the urge to whine about my sore knees.

[JohnMitchell 16]

riggerrob

Coral has always been an inspiration. If she can smile that broadly - from a wheel-chair - then I should STFU anytime I get the urge to whine about my sore knees.

Ain't that the truth? I count my blessings daily, and even in a wheelchair Coral is blessed and I think she knows that. My friend with CP had very little control over her body, but she made her life be what she wanted it to be. Amazing woman.

[hypoxic_fool 0]

This truly is inspiring. My mother was injured in a bicycling accident in 2011 and suffered a traumatic brain injury. She was In tirr in Houston with gabby Giffords and I did see her there a few times, always smiling. My mother had lost partial use of her left extremities and has developed attention deficit as well as minor seizures. She made a tandem jump on July 4th for my wedding along with my father and some friends. Even cooler is she jumped with Donnie from skydive spaceland who is also a tbi survivor. Recovering from a tbi is not an easy task and depending on the severity it may mean finding a NEW normal. Hats off to Gabby for fighting so hard and never giving up.