Star Crest Awards -- Please check in

[Douggarr 6]

Parachutist has asked me to write an article about Bill Newell and the SCRs for an upcoming issue. I'd like to hear from anyone -- low numbers especially -- with a good story about his/her first eight-way, etc. I've interviewed Bill, and I've seen Brian Williams' string on this site from November, but I'd really like some more first-hand stories. I actually did a stand-up in front of Bill at Stormville, N.Y. in September, 1970, and he gave me my patch before I took my gear off. You can post or write me directly at douggarr@yahoo.com.

SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

[scroadload 1]

D-2626, SCR1999, SCS641, NSCR2350, GW6909

Blue Skies!!!!!!

[drjump 0]

24 Aug 1975-The original Spaceland DZ, Texas, Dave Boatman's D18 Twin Beech. en of us went up for a practice night 10 man round. It was only 'dusk' when we took off. After a long slow climb to ten grand and a couple of go-arounds, on jump run, we finally exited in complete darkness. No one was wearing lights or strobes, after all this was just a practice jump. We built a beautiful 10 man round and held it for about 10 seconds. Broke, tracked, pulled. All but one on the DZ. Because this was not an hour after dark we did not "qualify" for our NSCR awards. We added one more jumper and went back up and exited at 10:15 PM and built an eleven-man round. This time there was a full moon, no cloud cover and almost as bright as day. Wish we had had lights on the first jump, this time they were not needed.
NSCR-677

[GLIDEANGLE 1]

1. SCR is alive and well in Texas. There was a SCR jump and SCR ceremony yesterday at Skydive Dallas.

2. My NSCR is my proudest skydiving moment.

3. I got my SCR on my first day with an A license. I got my A license late on Saturday. I paid my beer fine that evening. The next day the experienced jumpers pulled me into 5 or 6 jumps, one of which was an SCR. Obviously, it was a big weekend.

The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

[rapter 0]

I got my SCR with 24 jumps, last load of the day and the other jumper wanted beer, So I was asked if I had one, and If I would buy my case of beer if I got one, We load up the beech and I was base, built a 10 way round. we broke and rebuild and I was to dock last for a SCS. That ment I owed 2 cases.
By the way, this Saturday, there will be a get-together for Paul Gormen who past away last month. He docked last for the first for the first 10-way round.

Only the good die young, so I have found immortality,

[mjosparky 4]

SCR - 7494
SCS - 4073
NSCR - 1531
SCSA - 329
NCSCA - 105

Sparky (aka Michael Owens D-5476)

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[keithbar 1]

I was at archway in the old sparta illinois days bsing on the dz and bemoaning the fact that although I had been in a few 10 12 ways and bigger I was allways stuck as base and had never closed 8th or later.I made the comment that hell if i could get my scs I'd buy TWO! cases of beer. well stuff was standing there and overheard this. bing bang boom! next thing I know we are geared up heading to the plane with an 8 way planed. I'm last out of the queen air and diving down to the formation going gotta get there ..(flare) don't take it out. repeat repeat. I stair step my way to it. fall on chris aut's brothers back. somehow it takes the hit. I reach over and grab wrist grips and drag myself off him and into the formation. we are all grinning and kicking our legs and stuff shakes everyone off him and turns and tracks. let me tell ya when stuff leaves 1st your humming it. not that we took it low or anything but I don't think anyone on the load made the dz I went straight to the beer store and bought my two cases

i have on occasion been accused of pulling low . My response. Naw I wasn't low I'm just such a big guy I look closer than I really am .

[skybill 22]

Quote

Parachutist has asked me to write an article about Bill Newell and the SCRs for an upcoming issue. I'd like to hear from anyone -- low numbers especially -- with a good story about his/her first eight-way, etc. I've interviewed Bill, and I've seen Brian Williams' string on this site from November, but I'd really like some more first-hand stories. I actually did a stand-up in front of Bill at Stormville, N.Y. in September, 1970, and he gave me my patch before I took my gear off. You can post or write me directly at douggarr@yahoo.com.

Hi Doug,
"MY Official SCR dive was Jump # 431, 23DEC72 at Borderlands Air Sports Center, Otay Ca., outa' Mac's Beech I flew in pin on Jim Gerardin and everyone else came on in. I bought my case and everyone signed off on my SCR app. Got #2034. Somebody once asked me why I had so many jumps and had not gotten my SCR sooner?? Funny question so being the butthead that I can be I said well, "Bob B hadn't died yet!!!" Funny how that goes, 'Started jumping in Louisiana in '64. Fun jumps were 2-mans and an occasional 3 man outa' a Cessna 170-172 from 7500'!! Even after Bob "the Stud" Munn got the Howard DGA-15P (5+pilot) we never got a 5 man!! Got to So. Cal in '67 and 8 Man's were only being done by the "Elite" and us peons would grovel, grope and try as we might the "STAR" was elusive!! Time and trials and tribulations and experience finally paid off!! Thus the begining!! Every skydive tells a story!

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[Jim_Hooper 4]

My Fate series that appeared in Parachutist last year is now on Bill's web site in a somewhat less politically correct edition. If there's anything there you'd like me to expand on for your piece, email me directly.
Hoop
SCR242 SCS90 NSCR26

[Mbranch202 1]

1 Chapline Phil Spaceland Texas 9-16-78 9:57 PM
2 Hilton Scott Spaceland Texas 9-16-78 9:57 PM
3 Bottrell David Spaceland Texas 9-16-78 9:57 PM
4 Neidigh Mike Spaceland Texas 9-16-78 9:57 PM
5 Svec Joe Spaceland Texas 9-16-78 9:57 PM
6 Lee Bill Spaceland Texas 9-16-78 9:57 PM
7 Branch Mike Spaceland Texas 9-16-78 9:57 PM
8 Smith Mike Spaceland Texas 9-16-78 9:57 PM
9 Mills Ron Spaceland Texas 9-16-78 9:57 PM
10 Bruette Dewayne Spaceland Texas 9-16-78 9:57 PM

This one jump I'll never forget.

Mike Branch
NSCSA #7

[skybill 22]

Hi Doug,
If yer' gonna' talk about the Star Crest, ya' gotta mention the BEECH 18. "THE TWIN BITCH!!" 'Held on the average 10 people maybe 11. If yer' gona do an 8 MAN, ya' gotta get at least 8 people up in the sky "way up there!!" in the same place at the same time. Cessna 170-172's were only good up to about 7500' and 4 people. Cessna 180-s and 182's were better but cost more! Along comes the Beech 18 and 10 MAN Speed Stars!! I remember on the average in the early 70's it took from 12500' all the way to break off at 3500' to get the "STAR!!" As skills got better, the stars got built higher, and as we looked across the star at each other with all this altitude left the question came out,"Now what do we do??" The answer,"Something else!" Thanks to the quest fo the elusive STAR, fueled by the quest for the elusive STAR CREST a brotherhood, a lifestyle, a culture "Happened!!"

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[Niki1 1]

Spring and summer of 1972. Palatka, Florida. Harold Stewarts C-180 and Bobby Tyers C-180. We had 9 or 10 who could conceiveably get into an "large star." We pretty much all agreed that it was going to be more fun to stay there as a group and all get an SCR together. We were in $400 worth of 6 and 7 man stars. It seemed like some different would take it out or not get in each time. There was no ax. The group couldn't afford to piss anyone off as there was no one to replace them. One Saturday, one of the guys shows up with a Z-Hills Ten Man patch. WTF?? He finally tells us that the previous weekend he went to the Hills and bullshited his way onto a load and docked 4th or 5th on a 12 man out of the L-10E. He was none to popular that weekend and we made him buy beer again for not staying with us. A few more weeks and more 7 mans. We all said, "Fuck it. Let's all go to Z-Hills. We'll have better odds down there." (This was when the time of the concept of Put 16 Piople Out and Hope for a 10 Man) Well, the next Saturday sees us all at the Hills and the Karma Gods must be on the loads. With 12 or 15 people out of the L-10E, we still getting 7s. Oh, Woe is Us. That night we drowned our sorrow as best we could and the next morning was beutiful except for all the noise the butterflies were makeing. Some of our group didn't make the first load. If they had, we might have all gotten our SCRs togther. I left 5th, docked 4th and the rest of the Palatka bunch got in too. I think one of us docked 8th so he got both merit badges at the same time but I forget who it was. Sorry, whoever you are.
The two things about that weekend that I remember best are that on that Saturday I got more RW experience than in any month previously. Mainly due to the altitude and being able to miss an approach, get back up and try again, and sometimes again and again. The other thing that stands out in my memory is that when we first got there, THE Jim Hooper showed the Palatka bunch how to line up and exit the L-10E to include the Countdown. For the rest of the weekend, we couldn't get out of the van without doing a lineup and countdown.

Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossilbe before they were done.
Louis D Brandeis

Where are we going and why are we in this basket?

[skybill 22]

Hi Doug and everyone else,
Go over to the Air Trash web site www.airtrash.com and go to the "BLAST" page and read "History of Relative Work by Pat Works SCS-1." Lots of good stuff.

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[skybill 22]

Hi Doug,
Hey there's a 10 man meet next weekend, wanna go?? With Star Crest in hand the DZ group forms a "Team!!" packs up and heads off to the action. The first "Practice Jump" as a team is the first jump of the meet!! Lotsa' fun!! Got 6, maybe 8 and if they were really good they had the 9th man on wrists as they ran out of sky!! One "Team" was well practiced and popped out 10's back-to-back,...they won. Well to even up the odds, on Labor Day weekend at Old Elsinore there was the "SCR Scrambles" "NO TEAMS!!" everyone registered and their name was put in a hat. Someone then began pulling names and each group of "8" was a team. The "Meet" got to be known as the "Stumbles!!" and was a lot of fun!! You met new people , got some good dives in and the Saturday Night Party was a blast!! Still got a couple of the T-shirts in the archives. Anyone remember Grouper's Saturday Night Hawian Pig Roast, how about the co-ed night nekkid ground star around the bonfire??!!

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[propacker 0]

got to do (very probably) the first SCR out of the jet in Quincy in 93(?). mostly all Skydive Houston folks. 10 of us - 4 out first, then SRC maggot and then 5 following. all met in the middle.
did a big SCR ceremony in the main landing area that night. lots of people that had never seen a real Texas style SCR ceremony came out to watch.
SCR recipient was Tina Fema from Houston

[mjosparky 4]

Quote

By the way, this Saturday, there will be a get-together for Paul Gormen who past away last month. He docked last for the first for the first 10-way round.

1. Paul Gorman, SCR 29, and his lady Jan at Lou Paproski's, SCR 22, wake.

2. Paul Gorman with Deke Dillon, SCR 17, at Lou's wake.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[Jim_Hooper 4]

Quote

Hi Doug and everyone else,
Go over to the Air Trash web site www.airtrash.com and go to the "BLAST" page and read "History of Relative Work by Pat Works SCS-1." Lots of good stuff.

Just to keep things in perspective for those who are newish to skydiving, it's worth pointing out that Brian Williams was the first to enter a round star eighth, and that others did so hundreds of times before Newell started the SCS six years after Brian's accomplishment.
Hoop

[jpgoggin 0]

Quote

I'm last out of the queen air...

Archway's Queen Air. Now that was one scarry piece of machinery.

Jamie

[GLIDEANGLE 1]

Quote

1. SCR is alive and well in Texas. There was a SCR jump and SCR ceremony yesterday at Skydive Dallas.

Here is video of that jump and ceremony:

Once upon an SCR

The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

[Douggarr 6]

Hoop -- read your series last year. Newell told me offered SCS-0 to Brian when I mentioned that he was the first unrecognized soloist. Will contact you later to catch up....

SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

[Douggarr 6]

Thanks to all who replied, btw.

Also, the Beech D-18 made the stars possible -- totally aware of this. We on the east coast could never get anything together because 1) we couldn't get two 180s or 182s on the same airport, and 2) we didn't have that great California weather. If you check the SCR site you'll see all the first numbers are California jumpers. Wasn't till Hinckley got one to break the string.

SCR-442, SCS-202

SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

[RogerRamjet 0]

Quote

Quote

Hi Doug and everyone else,
Go over to the Air Trash web site www.airtrash.com and go to the "BLAST" page and read "History of Relative Work by Pat Works SCS-1." Lots of good stuff.

Just to keep things in perspective for those who are newish to skydiving, it's worth pointing out that Brian Williams was the first to enter a round star eighth, and that others did so hundreds of times before Newell started the SCS six years after Brian's accomplishment.
Hoop

Brian has been awarded SCS-0 and is now listed in the database that way. http://www.starcrestawards.com/

-----------------------
Roger "Ramjet" Clark
FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

[fastphil 0]

A lotta people think that the SCR is a big thing in Texas but it is not; it's a big “thang” in Texas. Hard to describe how proud you feel, kneeling in the peas, facing west, enjoying a beer shower and a hymn at sunset, but the SCR does bring a sense of family to the DZ (as well as a good party).

But the SCR was not an end; it was a beginning, as the “number” chase was on. I got my SCR, then my SCS. We used to do a lot of night jumps so next naturally came the NSCR. And of course, once you got yours you had to help others get theirs, that way there were numbers bigger than yours.

The SCSA was fun and was a good one to aspire to, and then there were off the wall numbers from issuers besides Bill Newell like the WSCR (women’s), NWSCR (night women’s) and the BASCR (bare assed), all of which I earned. These took not only flying and organizational skills but also involved certain disciplined social skills. We finally set the bar to a new level at Spaceland with the NSCSA in 1978, that’s the jump Mike Branch mentioned above.

[GreenLight 7]

Skydivers certainly don't change much from state to state. What a great ceremony! Only problem I have with it is the terrible waste of good beer LOL...

Here's an SCS we did for one of our newer members.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_Wa0o_FrlM

BSBD

Green Light
"Harry, why did you land all the way out there? Nobody else landed out there."
"Your statement answered your question."

[wmw999 2,444]

It would be inaccurate to call some of what's been poured over the years by the name "beer."

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)