murrays 0 #26 September 22, 2003 Quote Intereestingly enough, getting back to the 1983 So. African meet, FAI sanctioned a "protest" meet with World Cup status at Abbotsford, BC, Canada in '83. Mirror Image did represent the US at the Abbotsford Cup meet, where I think they finished second behind the French (?). Also the U.S. Army 4 way team won the Nationals that year, but were not permitted to go to So. Africa, but went to the Abbotsford meet and I don't remember whether they won or placed. With the Army not going to So. Africa, one of the Visions 4 way teams, either "Fire" or "Ice", which had finished second at the Nationals, went as the US 4 way team. The 1983 World Cup Meet was held in Claresholm, Alberta and, this will likely surprise you, the Canadian Team won both 4 and 8 way. Here's a link to the Canadian Sport Parachuting Association's website page listing Canadian medal winners at World Competitions. Interesting items for note...one of the 1985 4 and 8 way Canadian Team members that won Silver and Bronze respectively is Neal Houston...most recently seen with Airspeed. Ah yes, the days when our teams received a ton of government funding and Canada was a powerhouse in the RW world. Those days are long gone and the people representing Canada basically pay for everything out of their own pockets. Unfortunately...nobody with pockets deep enough to compete at the world level.-- Murray "No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonybrogdon 0 #27 September 23, 2003 Sorry about the mixup, you are right it was Visions not Mirrage Image. They were a credit to the sport. Thanks for the correctionTony Brogdon D-12855 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbrown 26 #28 September 23, 2003 You're right, it WAS the Canadians who won both events. I wasn't jumping at the time, but was still taking a subscription to Skydiving Magazine and you've remeinded me that Canada had some really hot hot teams in the eighties. My goof on Abbotsford, goes to show you where a faulty memory gets you....thanks for the extra info! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbrown 26 #29 September 23, 2003 No problemo, sorry to hijack your thread. I've heard so much about Smitty, can only wish I'd met him. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonybrogdon 0 #30 September 23, 2003 Thanks for your post. I am very greatful I got to know Smitty, first the day when I made my first jump in Hutchinson, Kansas in 1977 and then later sending him an airline ticket to come out to come to Perris, December 15th, 1985, to do the tandem. He stayed with me along with his son, Jerry for three days before returning to Withita. He was a remarkable human being.Tony Brogdon D-12855 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #31 September 23, 2003 Quote He was a remarkable human being. *** Yeah...but your standards are pretty low! I mean after all... You jump with ME!!! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites tonybrogdon 0 #32 September 24, 2003 Hey Jim Skydiving provides some of the best memories and friends than any other sport.Tony Brogdon D-12855 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites msmithd8769 0 #33 December 8, 2003 Yes, I met Smitty back when I went to the "83, '84, and '85 Nationals in Muskogee, OK. He was a regular there every year and always had his old car with all kinds of skydiving stickers and grafitti all over it as I recall. He would just hang out there passing the time with anyone and everyone. He was certainly admired and respected. Sorry to hear of his passing....._____________________________ "And when the prophet shall arise who appeareth as a bird then the time of the Lord draweth nigh and the flock shall rule the earth." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites tonybrogdon 0 #34 December 8, 2003 Thanks for the reply on Smitty. He used to say a lot that everytime he jumped it was a World Record of the time between the first and current jump. He made his first jump in 1922.Tony Brogdon D-12855 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites flyboy6554 3 #35 December 31, 2003 Don't mean to add confusion to this thread, but a few details. I jumped in Wichita from 1990-1996 and ran a small dz for two years (Jayhawk Skydivers, 1994-1996). Smitty was 93 when he passed away but that was in 1995, I think. I organized a jump-in to his funeral that went very well. Two Cessna 182's in formation at 3500' AGL and we put out 8 jumpers who landed right next to his burial site. The jump went perfectly and then we did a "missing man" fly by with the cessnas!! It was a fitting tribute to a legendary jumper. I had actually only met Smitty a couple of times during my years in Wichita. Occcasionaly someone would bring him out for the day to Jeff Bodiger's dz at El Dorado, about 20 miles NE of Wichita.Smitty was a legend to many of the Wichita area skydivers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites tonybrogdon 0 #36 January 4, 2004 Thanks for your post and update on Smitty. He was a legend and true pioneer of our sport. I met him the day of my first jump in Hutchinson at Sky Sports in September 1977. As I mentioned in my orginal post , I got to also know his son, Jerry quite well and feel fortunate to have known Smitty and call him a friend. Thanks again.Tony Brogdon D-12855 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites efs4ever 3 #37 February 4, 2004 Photos posted under vintage. I'm still looking for a slide of Smitty with a really hot chick in a tiny bikini next to him. Taken at Muskogee. Here he is with my Ex.Russell M. Webb D 7014 Attorney at Law 713 385 5676 https://www.tdcparole.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites efs4ever 3 #38 February 11, 2004 Here's another shot of Smitty in OK in about 1980 for a POPS meet.Russell M. Webb D 7014 Attorney at Law 713 385 5676 https://www.tdcparole.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites tonybrogdon 0 #39 February 17, 2004 Thanks He was truly special and that car brings back a lot of good memories along with his wall of fame in his trailer. Thanks again for the picturesTony Brogdon D-12855 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites snofun 0 #40 March 4, 2004 I still have some of the books of Smitty's history. He always had some with him to sell to finance his many excursions to Oshkosh, Nationals, Freak Brothers, and Gordy Hanson's July 4 Leapfest. His son, Jerry recently passed on also. Smitty sure enjoyed jumping, girls, and talking to everybody.Rule #1 of Skydiving: Safely Land An Open Parachute! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Swoopin43 0 #41 March 18, 2006 Hi all ! I am new to this forum but not new to skydiving , Smitty painted a sign for my dad at our gas station when I was about ten years old . I started going out to the DZ shortly after that and used to take smitty to Hutchinson k,s around the time you started jumping Tony ? Smitty talked of you often . I did a article in parachutist in october of 95 after Smitty passed on , I couldn,t make the jump at the service cause I was a paul berer , But the next time I went out of a plane I was yelling this ones for you Smitty. Man I sure miss that ole guy he was one of a kind . Any one that would like to contribute to a neat headstone for smitty we are trying to raize enough to just get it , Jerry his son told me that the last 7 folks that they burried did not have headstones but Smitty deserves one , Any one can contact me offline for info on how to donate , Smitty had alot of friends I have been trying to get this done for several years now help us out folks he was a icon to our sport .Blue skies ! ! Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites RogerRamjet 0 #42 March 19, 2006 QuoteQuoteKnew I had some PICS of Smitty ! I have one of Smitty's business cards. Holy cow! Is that Ron Schott from Z-Hills?!? ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites dqpacker 7 #43 March 19, 2006 I'm sure my parents knew smitty. I remeber going to grandpa's fest boogie when I was little. My parents were Jon and Debbie Quist. They ran St. Croix skydivers for a few years. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites efs4ever 3 #44 September 14, 2006 Time to bring this old fart to the front of the thread again. I recently bought a scanner that does a pretty decent job of scanning slides. This is Ole Smitty at Muskogee Nationals. Might have been 84 or perhaps later. Hopefully I'll find the rest of this series and get it out here. Anyone know the babe in the shot?Russell M. Webb D 7014 Attorney at Law 713 385 5676 https://www.tdcparole.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites lawrocket 3 #45 September 14, 2006 QuoteAnyone know the babe in the shot? I'm sure we all wish we did... Looking at her hat, maybe her login name woul dbe "efs4ever&ever" My wife is hotter than your wife. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites howardwhite 6 #46 September 15, 2006 Well, since you've bumped this thread back into the present, here's a Smitty picture, probably from Z-Hills in the mid-70s. Smitty is, of course, at left, and the jumpers on the right are thumbing through the book he sold to anyone with a buck or so. On top of the car in the foreground is a canopy, mounted on a steering wheel, used for demo jumps in the Olde Days. (There are pictures of such jumps in the Poynter manual.) HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites tonybrogdon 0 #47 September 25, 2006 Smitty was a true Pioneer of the sport anda wonderful personTony Brogdon D-12855 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Swoopin43 0 #48 October 13, 2006 Going through my old parachutist magazines I found the one with the article I did when Smitty passed away , it is October 1995 issue . I was a paul berrer at the service so I did not get to jump into his funeral ,BUT on my next jump after I put out a load of students I went out the door saying out loud THIS ONES FOR YOU SMITTY . Miss the ole guy !Blue skies ! ! Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites NickDG 23 #49 October 13, 2006 It was my pleasure to spend a little time with Smitty at DeLand in about 1990. And he was still doing tandems when he could. Deland had the ditch for ditch digging and he thought that was the coolest thing . . . NickD BASE 194 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites efs4ever 3 #50 October 26, 2006 The way we remember them. These are scans of negs I dug up.Russell M. Webb D 7014 Attorney at Law 713 385 5676 https://www.tdcparole.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Prev 1 2 3 Next Page 2 of 3 Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. 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tonybrogdon 0 #32 September 24, 2003 Hey Jim Skydiving provides some of the best memories and friends than any other sport.Tony Brogdon D-12855 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
msmithd8769 0 #33 December 8, 2003 Yes, I met Smitty back when I went to the "83, '84, and '85 Nationals in Muskogee, OK. He was a regular there every year and always had his old car with all kinds of skydiving stickers and grafitti all over it as I recall. He would just hang out there passing the time with anyone and everyone. He was certainly admired and respected. Sorry to hear of his passing....._____________________________ "And when the prophet shall arise who appeareth as a bird then the time of the Lord draweth nigh and the flock shall rule the earth." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonybrogdon 0 #34 December 8, 2003 Thanks for the reply on Smitty. He used to say a lot that everytime he jumped it was a World Record of the time between the first and current jump. He made his first jump in 1922.Tony Brogdon D-12855 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyboy6554 3 #35 December 31, 2003 Don't mean to add confusion to this thread, but a few details. I jumped in Wichita from 1990-1996 and ran a small dz for two years (Jayhawk Skydivers, 1994-1996). Smitty was 93 when he passed away but that was in 1995, I think. I organized a jump-in to his funeral that went very well. Two Cessna 182's in formation at 3500' AGL and we put out 8 jumpers who landed right next to his burial site. The jump went perfectly and then we did a "missing man" fly by with the cessnas!! It was a fitting tribute to a legendary jumper. I had actually only met Smitty a couple of times during my years in Wichita. Occcasionaly someone would bring him out for the day to Jeff Bodiger's dz at El Dorado, about 20 miles NE of Wichita.Smitty was a legend to many of the Wichita area skydivers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonybrogdon 0 #36 January 4, 2004 Thanks for your post and update on Smitty. He was a legend and true pioneer of our sport. I met him the day of my first jump in Hutchinson at Sky Sports in September 1977. As I mentioned in my orginal post , I got to also know his son, Jerry quite well and feel fortunate to have known Smitty and call him a friend. Thanks again.Tony Brogdon D-12855 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
efs4ever 3 #37 February 4, 2004 Photos posted under vintage. I'm still looking for a slide of Smitty with a really hot chick in a tiny bikini next to him. Taken at Muskogee. Here he is with my Ex.Russell M. Webb D 7014 Attorney at Law 713 385 5676 https://www.tdcparole.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
efs4ever 3 #38 February 11, 2004 Here's another shot of Smitty in OK in about 1980 for a POPS meet.Russell M. Webb D 7014 Attorney at Law 713 385 5676 https://www.tdcparole.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonybrogdon 0 #39 February 17, 2004 Thanks He was truly special and that car brings back a lot of good memories along with his wall of fame in his trailer. Thanks again for the picturesTony Brogdon D-12855 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
snofun 0 #40 March 4, 2004 I still have some of the books of Smitty's history. He always had some with him to sell to finance his many excursions to Oshkosh, Nationals, Freak Brothers, and Gordy Hanson's July 4 Leapfest. His son, Jerry recently passed on also. Smitty sure enjoyed jumping, girls, and talking to everybody.Rule #1 of Skydiving: Safely Land An Open Parachute! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Swoopin43 0 #41 March 18, 2006 Hi all ! I am new to this forum but not new to skydiving , Smitty painted a sign for my dad at our gas station when I was about ten years old . I started going out to the DZ shortly after that and used to take smitty to Hutchinson k,s around the time you started jumping Tony ? Smitty talked of you often . I did a article in parachutist in october of 95 after Smitty passed on , I couldn,t make the jump at the service cause I was a paul berer , But the next time I went out of a plane I was yelling this ones for you Smitty. Man I sure miss that ole guy he was one of a kind . Any one that would like to contribute to a neat headstone for smitty we are trying to raize enough to just get it , Jerry his son told me that the last 7 folks that they burried did not have headstones but Smitty deserves one , Any one can contact me offline for info on how to donate , Smitty had alot of friends I have been trying to get this done for several years now help us out folks he was a icon to our sport .Blue skies ! ! Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RogerRamjet 0 #42 March 19, 2006 QuoteQuoteKnew I had some PICS of Smitty ! I have one of Smitty's business cards. Holy cow! Is that Ron Schott from Z-Hills?!? ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dqpacker 7 #43 March 19, 2006 I'm sure my parents knew smitty. I remeber going to grandpa's fest boogie when I was little. My parents were Jon and Debbie Quist. They ran St. Croix skydivers for a few years. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
efs4ever 3 #44 September 14, 2006 Time to bring this old fart to the front of the thread again. I recently bought a scanner that does a pretty decent job of scanning slides. This is Ole Smitty at Muskogee Nationals. Might have been 84 or perhaps later. Hopefully I'll find the rest of this series and get it out here. Anyone know the babe in the shot?Russell M. Webb D 7014 Attorney at Law 713 385 5676 https://www.tdcparole.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lawrocket 3 #45 September 14, 2006 QuoteAnyone know the babe in the shot? I'm sure we all wish we did... Looking at her hat, maybe her login name woul dbe "efs4ever&ever" My wife is hotter than your wife. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 6 #46 September 15, 2006 Well, since you've bumped this thread back into the present, here's a Smitty picture, probably from Z-Hills in the mid-70s. Smitty is, of course, at left, and the jumpers on the right are thumbing through the book he sold to anyone with a buck or so. On top of the car in the foreground is a canopy, mounted on a steering wheel, used for demo jumps in the Olde Days. (There are pictures of such jumps in the Poynter manual.) HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonybrogdon 0 #47 September 25, 2006 Smitty was a true Pioneer of the sport anda wonderful personTony Brogdon D-12855 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Swoopin43 0 #48 October 13, 2006 Going through my old parachutist magazines I found the one with the article I did when Smitty passed away , it is October 1995 issue . I was a paul berrer at the service so I did not get to jump into his funeral ,BUT on my next jump after I put out a load of students I went out the door saying out loud THIS ONES FOR YOU SMITTY . Miss the ole guy !Blue skies ! ! Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NickDG 23 #49 October 13, 2006 It was my pleasure to spend a little time with Smitty at DeLand in about 1990. And he was still doing tandems when he could. Deland had the ditch for ditch digging and he thought that was the coolest thing . . . NickD BASE 194 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
efs4ever 3 #50 October 26, 2006 The way we remember them. These are scans of negs I dug up.Russell M. Webb D 7014 Attorney at Law 713 385 5676 https://www.tdcparole.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
