USPA - ASC, Pratville, Cedartown Group Members once more

[AUSkyguy 0]

I would just like to congratulate ASC for becoming a USPA group member again! This includes both locations Prattville and Cedartown.

Edit: Added clarification to title. Please be more descriptive. ~ Craig

-Chris Martin

[JSBIRD 1]

I used to make a joke and call it USelessPA.
Seems I picked a good time to NOT renew my membership.

BASE359

"Now I've settled down,
in a quiet little town,
and forgot about everything"

[moto89 0]

It might just be the alcohol speaking, but my first instinct here is

Less talking, more flying.

[chriswelker 0]

Time for the Group Membership program to hit the bricks.

Chris Welker

[johndh1 0]

Perhaps the Executive Committee would like to comment or release a statement?

Roll Tide Roll

[redlegphi 0]

Odds on this even being mentioned in Parachutist (other than in the letters)?
Maybe it's time to push for an independent ethics panel made up of non-DZO jumpers.

[skinnyshrek 0]

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Perhaps the Executive Committee would like to comment or release a statement?

Yeah like they will let you know everything that goes on. Fuck the uspa membership. Do away with Group membership. Mullins has done great without them. Do we really need a group that doesn't represent skydivers

http://www.skydivethefarm.com

do you realize that when you critisize people you dont know over the internet, you become part of a growing society of twats? ARE YOU ONE OF THEM?

[JerryBaumchen 1,421]

Hi skinny,

Quote

Yeah like they will let you know everything that goes on. Fuck the uspa membership. Do away with Group membership. Mullins has done great without them. Do we really need a group that doesn't represent skydivers

I'm with you!

There have been many things over the years that have just stopped me in my tracks with my mouth hanging open; and this is one of them.

Beyond belief!

JerryBaumchen
USPA member for 43 years

[skinnyshrek 0]

Well, last night. Carey and his following band of idiots came to beezys memorial. He was bragging that uspa gave him a lifetime membership. Can i get a lifetime membership if i sue you too.
It's a fucking joke.
UNITED
SKYRIDE
Prick
Association

On a side note, how much money did the uspa actually pay to ben and carey?

Lets hear a big them, them, fuck them

http://www.skydivethefarm.com

do you realize that when you critisize people you dont know over the internet, you become part of a growing society of twats? ARE YOU ONE OF THEM?

[MikeForsythe 0]

I know I dropped my membership two years ago and have no intention of renewing it. It has yet to stop me from jumping.

Time and pressure will always show you who a person really is!

[NWFlyer 2]

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I know I dropped my membership two years ago and have no intention of renewing it. It has yet to stop me from jumping.

Can you explain how that's worked for you?

The ways I can think of are ...
1) Jump at non-USPA dropzones.
2) Jump at USPA dropzones that don't check your membership.
3) Jump at USPA dropzones that checked your membership/licenses once and haven't checked again since so have no idea that you're no longer a member.
4) Jump at USPA dropzones that know you and don't make you go through the motions that everyone else has to go through.

Anything I'm missing?

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[DSE 5]

Clearly you've never been the target of a large-award lawsuit.
So the insurance company refused to insure them in the event that they lost the lawsuit. Sucks, and only shows Skyride in more of a bad light. That's all it is.
Are *you* willing to pony up the hundreds of thousands or couple million bucks to pay for the fight against Skyride? To what gain? Credibility? You'd rather USPA go away to be built in another incarnation, just to maintain credibility? Particularly right now with all the threats to small aircraft, Homeland Security, aviation taxes, etc?
Yeah, you've been a member of USPA for about as long as I've been alive, but I've owned a business slammed with several lawsuits. Sometimes, you have to choose whether you want to uncertainly risk the battle or assuredly stay alive with a black eye.

Between the State of Georgia, State of Utah, and Skydive Arizona, it may well be that this small victory for Skyride is very short-lived and the USPA concession may turn out to be meaningless.

[TonyJ 0]

i would rather see uspa maintain credibility and fight the lawsuit. its not a right to be a group member and they are subject to the rules of the group membership, which can be revoked. I would rather see uspa go down fighting, even if we loose. USPA will just open under a different name. So when the dropzone displays uspa group member, it really dont mean nothing now...we should not base membership by fear of lawsuits...I say if the board is right then let the jury deicide if its just...just my opinion...tony

group member pledge,"We foster honesty, integrity, and fairness in our
business relationships with customers,
contractors, suppliers, and employees and strive
to minimize misunderstandings and conflict."

straight from the upsa website...kinda a conflict

edited to add pledge

[AUSkyguy 0]

This is not the end for L.A.S.A. Get your membership now Lasa_skydiving@yahoo.com

L.A.S.A. is the future of skydiving

-Chris Martin

[NickDG 23]

So much for the new USPA Executive Director.

Oh well . . .

What's next? The skydiver patriot act?

NickD BASE 194

[Hooknswoop 19]

Another reason why the GM program should have never existed and should have been eliminated a long time ago. It never did anything for USPA members and now it takes more money away from member programs.

Replace it with the DZ inspection program, THAT will serve USPA members by putting inspection data on USPA's web page.

Derek

[MikeForsythe 0]

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Anything I'm missing?

Nope, that about covers it

Time and pressure will always show you who a person really is!

[bozo 0]

Quote

Quote

I know I dropped my membership two years ago and have no intention of renewing it. It has yet to stop me from jumping.

Can you explain how that's worked for you?

The ways I can think of are ...
1) Jump at non-USPA dropzones.
2) Jump at USPA dropzones that don't check your membership.
3) Jump at USPA dropzones that checked your membership/licenses once and haven't checked again since so have no idea that you're no longer a member.
4) Jump at USPA dropzones that know you and don't make you go through the motions that everyone else has to go through.

Anything I'm missing?

Yes. Kinkos makes an awesome copy of the USPA membership card. You can get 'em in full sheets.

bozo
Pain is fleeting. Glory lasts forever. Chicks dig scars.

[denete 3]

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Replace it with the DZ inspection program, THAT will serve USPA members by putting inspection data on USPA's web page.

I like that idea.

[JerryBaumchen 1,421]

Hi DSE,

Quote

Clearly you've never been the target of a large-award lawsuit.

Rather depends upon the subjective definition of 'large-award' lawsuit.

Back in '65 I was sued for $50,000 as a result of a demo jump gone bad ( I should not have been on it but was just too green and stupid to say NO ). At the time I was in college and broke, so that was a 'large' amount of money to me.

The USPA insurance eventually paid out; I have no idea of how much as it was a negotiated settlement.

JerryBaumchen

[jlmiracle 7]

Quote

So much for the new USPA Executive Director.

Oh well . . .

What's next? The skydiver patriot act?

NickD BASE 194

It's not the new director. This suit has been going on much longer than he has been the new director.

The problem is the Executive Committee - you know the people that were elected by USPA members

Maybe if the BOD would have gotten rid of the GM Program many many years ago when it was pointed that the USPA is suppose to be for the skydivers and not the dzo's, they wouldn't have had to "settle" and get stuck with these "characters". Not to mention GM dues don't appear to cover their costs.

j

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[Thanatos340 1]

And I understand that Cary Q (Owner of ASC, Pratville, Pennridge and SKYRIDE) was also given a Lifetime membership to the USPA as part of that settlement.

[hackish 8]

I think the answer is fairly simple. You guys do live in a democracy. Don't jump at skyride owned dropzones and if your home DZ accepts their certificates make it clear that you won't jump there until they stop accepting them. If nobody takes their business to them and skyride coupons are not redeemable anywhere then won't the problem just go away?

-Michael

[jlmiracle 7]

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And I understand that Cary Q (Owner of ASC, Pratville, Pennridge and SKYRIDE) was also given a Lifetime membership to the USPA as part of that settlement.

Hearing this makes me feel dirty to be a member of the USPA. It's absolutely sickening and embarassing.

How are we as skydivers suppose to support and promote the new skydivers to join the USPA when they have people like Ben and Cary as members.

Name change time for the USPA.

American
Skydiving
Society

J

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[DSE 5]

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Hearing this makes me feel dirty to be a member of the USPA. It's absolutely sickening and embarassing.

How are we as skydivers suppose to support and promote the new skydivers to join the USPA when they have people like Ben and Cary as members.

J

Is this slightly dramatic? There are drug dealers, wife beaters, assault with a deadly weapon convicts, alleged murderers, and probably a few shoplifters that are/have been members of USPA. At least in the USPA (unlike NARAS or RIAA), there aren't self-professed murderers, drug dealers, 7-11 robbers, and wife abusers that make money writing and bragging about what they've done. I'm not ashamed to be a member of both organizations.
It's disappointing that the USPA was pushed to settling, but it's better than being bankrupted, isn't it?