JC sets new swoop world record

[txblondie 0]

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You might have a problem, too, if it wasn't your regular drop zone and your canopy didn't have the lift it needed to pull out of a bad situation.

Bad example.
1) If you have to be at your home dropzone to be in a comfort zone you're in over your head, period.
2) If you're incapable of landing your canopy safely when things don't always go 100% as expected you're in over your head, period.

The above applies to anyone, on any canopy.

Blues,
Ian

He doesn't have to be at home to be in a "comfort zone", I've seen him jump in Miami as well. But again, as I stated before everyone has a screw up at some point, that doesn't mean you're in over your head. Technically, the same bad landing could happen to someone flying a nice, "safe" Sabre 150, if they chose to go with the wrong wind sock and landed down wind. The Ranch is between mountains, and the winds sort of swirl, meaning that you have to sometimes guess at which wind sock to believe, I'm told. I haven't jumped there myself, but I heard this when I visited. So it doesn't only pertain to a small canopy, it's just that if the wrong decision IS made with a small canopy, it's more likely you're going to get hurt. In this case, no one was injured, so it's no big deal.

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Blondes do have more fun!

[Steel 0]

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Im happy JC set a new record, good for him! But maybe we could start measuring other parts of the swoop.

I saw this one guy come to my dz this year, he was jumping this super small canopy, but his tumbling cartwheel was sooo much longer than his swoop! He then got spoken too by some of the better swoopers on the dz, claimed they didnt know what they were talking about, then got in his car and never came back.

Im just saying maybe it does take skill to blast yourself halfway across the dz.

oh yeah, i remember him.. wasn't he jumping a 55? some of the worst canopy piloting i've seen someone walk away from... lucky SOB

anyone know who that was??

You know when you get these kinds of posts, it put you on the spot. For one thing its truly easy to fire back with major fuck ups that you have wittnessed from top ten canopy pilots but then the reality is your beef is not with them. After all they are not the ones talking crap. So I will try to just mention people who are clearly in the forefront here.
JC may be be one undisputable best canopy pilots out there. But when I first got to Perris in 2001, I saw a video of him doing cart-wheels across the perris pond a week before. During that competition he busted his ankle. During practice I saw countless top competitors crash into that pond not to mention the fuck ups during the competition. Recently through instant messages I heard that TJ had dug up a video me going down 3 years & 1000 jumps ago. But he was not immune from smashing into that pond during practice in 2001 either. Kevin Gibson enjoyed writing crap on parachutist about me but he smashed into that pond so badly that he couldn't finish the competition. Andy Anderson had plenty to say about me in the time to come. But we all have seen video of his major screw up in a competition posted here on dz.com. If I recall correctly it was sometime around Feb 2003 that after his landing, the guy on the microphone first words were somebody call 911. We can also remember when Joey Mullins had his mess up that Andy Anderson was here on dz.com doing his part on the damage control. Oh wait back to TJ. I recall the first time I spoke with him about Cani who had started jumping the 46 a year before. His words to describe Cani were and I quote , "He is not a good canopy pilot, many people wonder why he was picked for the 46 project. He might be able to land half decent now, but that is only after plowing in so many times at Elsinore while learning." If you look back at his record back then, he hadn't won any objective competition. His swoops were among the shortest. I would bet that if not for his close jumping relationship with Jim Slaton he would still be known as nothing more than the first guy who jumped the 46 quickly followed by because he only weighs 130 pounds in the first place. I remember talking to the Regie, the windblade company guy. I had just landed and made it through the course and he said to me. Now watch a good approach here comes Cani. I remember on that jump he went vertical which would have equalled a zero score but Regie's response was "his approach was still good." I can name canopy pilots that I have temendous respect for as people (as well as, as top ten competitors for years standing) that I have seen plow in. I have been standing there watching and listening to the excuses made for them imediately. I try my best to be as close to perfect as possible because its my nature. But the reality is that nobody is perfect. Some are just better than others. Another reality is that, to this date I have not seen a critic of mine who has had less fuck ups. And when I say fuck ups, I don't mean landing in the less ideal direction and getting your pants a little dirty. I mean getting carried away on a helicopter and for the first 10 minutes the whole dz standing around you wondering if you will make it to the hospital or walking around limping for months to come. Yes I can name many of these occurences specifically by very outspoken critics of mine but it gets old after a while.

If I could make a wish, I think I'd pass.
Can't think of anything I need
No cigarettes, no sleep, no light, no sound.
Nothing to eat, no books to read.

[davelepka 4]

***One bad landing, and not even a scrape to show for it. Hasn't everyone had a bad landing at some point
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Yes. Everyone has, you are completely right.

Do you personally think that jumping a 55 at 4 to 1 all the time is a good idea? Don't you think that it would be far safer to jump something bigger, more in line with whats known as an effective and effiecient wing loading? Even 3 to 1 would be considered excessive, but a HUGE inprovement over the status quo.

I understand if you have a personal relationship with the jumper in question, and want to have his back, but do you really believe that a 55 at 4 to 1 is a good idea for day to day jumping? Even if you don't want to publicly admit it, you have to know somewhere deep down inside that he's pushed his luck for too long, and that enough is enough already. Would a VX 70 really be all that bad?

[ianmdrennan 2]

Having never met you it's hard to say, but I'd venture to guess that peoples beef with you is largely due to your ego/attitude that clearly gets displayed on this forum. That could, however, be contributed to text based discussions missing face to face emotion being misinterpreted but it's a possibility regardless.

You're right, everyone screws up at some point (normally numerous times) and they'll get a talking to. If you find yourself getting a number of "talking to's" then maybe the problem is you and not everyone else.

It's hard to say, I don't know you, but it appears a lot of people who do have tried talking to you with no avail.

Regardless, it's apparent that you're going to do whatever you want. And quite honestly that's something I believe in as you do hop n pops all day and are most likely no danger to anyone but yourself. HOWEVER this does not give you the right to sit and bash competitors when you're not one yourself. Come do a few competitions, hit the gates and the scoring zones each time (you don't have to even place well, just show enough skill to score decently a few rounds) and people will have a lot more respect for your skills. Sitting on the sidelines saying how you "could to that" but haven't won't get you any points here.

Blues,
Ian

Performance Designs Factory Team

[txblondie 0]

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do you really believe that a 55 at 4 to 1 is a good idea for day to day jumping?

Okay, if you want my honest, unbiased opinion, here it is...
I do agree, to a point, with you. Technically, he pushes the envelope, and it can be a very dangerous thing. Sometimes I worry, and yes, there are plenty of times when I think that he could upsize and be just a little safer. However, I respect him as a skydiver and will back his decisions.
At the same time, I do see him fly that canopy on a regular basis; he doesn't fly anything else. That means that he doesn't misjudge based on the fact that he's switching back and forth between canopies...I also have seen him land the canopy almost every time he's flown it, and he has excellent control of the thing. It's hard to believe, because the canopy can be so volatile, but he lands it beautifully and often gets a decent swoop out of it, which is hard to do with such a damn small canopy. He usually has a small audience on our dz, and I'm not basing all of this on my opinion. I listen to other comments, most of which come from people a lot more experienced than myself, and they are usually very impressed with how he handles it, including flying and landing.
So, even though I do feel that he is taking risks above and beyond what's necessary, he's proven his qualification to do so, and he's proven that he's up to the task, so I can't say that he can't handle it or that he's being unreasonable.

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Blondes do have more fun!

[Treejumps 0]

I've tried to not post, but I just can't. I appreciate that you are backing up your boy, and in some small faxhion I admire that. This has all been said before. Bruno does not compete because he cannot swoop very well. If he could compete in any way at any small comp, he would. If he did compete and do well I think his head would explode, unable to contain his ego. Since he can't compete, he flies at a high wingloading, convincing himself and a few newbies that it is some kind of accomplishment, and that he is better than all those losers who regularly compete, place, and sometimes win. In Bruno's magical world he IS the best, so let him keep thinking that. It makes him feel special (short Bus Special).

Due to all of this, there is not a single well known swooper who can or does vouch for Bruno and his "skill". It is nice for you to back him up since nobody who knows about swooping will. Of course, in a few more jumps you will probably be a better canopy pilot than him, and then you will either teach him something, or dump him for a better swooper.

Carry on.

[txblondie 0]

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I've tried to not post, but I just can't. I appreciate that you are backing up your boy, and in some small faxhion I admire that. This has all been said before. Bruno does not compete because he cannot swoop very well. If he could compete in any way at any small comp, he would. If he did compete and do well I think his head would explode, unable to contain his ego. Since he can't compete, he flies at a high wingloading, convincing himself and a few newbies that it is some kind of accomplishment, and that he is better than all those losers who regularly compete, place, and sometimes win. In Bruno's magical world he IS the best, so let him keep thinking that. It makes him feel special (short Bus Special).

Due to all of this, there is not a single well known swooper who can or does vouch for Bruno and his "skill". It is nice for you to back him up since nobody who knows about swooping will. Of course, in a few more jumps you will probably be a better canopy pilot than him, and then you will either teach him something, or dump him for a better swooper.

Carry on.

Why don't you stay out of it? Your personal attacks are childish, petty, and unnecessary.
The problem here is, your personal feelings toward him will never allow you to give him any kind of credit.
Besides that, he DOES still get some swoop out of the small canopy, and I firmly believe that when he decides to upsize (with the intent of having a good swooping canopy), you'll feel like a fool for discrediting his abilities.
You need to mind your own business, because all you want to do here is start an argument...I've dealt with you before, and I don't feel you have anything worthwhile to add to this discussion.

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Blondes do have more fun!

[freeflybella 0]

Have to admit - pure entertainment, as always.

Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

[Canuck 0]

OK, I've got to get one more in before the Skymonkey locks this thread.

txblondie - you have now several times in this thread accused people of being childish and petty. To me the most childish and petty thing I have seen yet in this thread is Bruno quoting in a public forum TJ slamming Luigi as being a shitty canopy pilot. These two guys see each other on a routine basis because they actually have the skills to compete, and have accordingly been sponsored to do so. Way to stir the pot and mix up some bad blood between two super awesome guys. Nice, real nice.

Wait, I just thought of something even more childish...aah...whatever. Lock er up Chuck.

Canuck

[Steel 0]

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OK, I've got to get one more in before the Skymonkey locks this thread.

txblondie - you have now several times in this thread accused people of being childish and petty. To me the most childish and petty thing I have seen yet in this thread is Bruno quoting in a public forum TJ slamming Luigi as being a shitty canopy pilot. These two guys see each other on a routine basis because they actually have the skills to compete, and have accordingly been sponsored to do so. Way to stir the pot and mix up some bad blood between two super awesome guys. Nice, real nice.

Wait, I just thought of something even more childish...aah...whatever. Lock er up Chuck.

Canuck

as was said before you shouldn't throw rocks if you live in a glass house. Last I heard was that TJ was poking fun toting an ancient video of mine. If you gonna talk you need to complete the entire story. If you want to know what a looser/druggie Tree is then do a search, I have pointed that out as well. Lesson to be learned, don't throw punches if you don't want to get slamned.

If I could make a wish, I think I'd pass.
Can't think of anything I need
No cigarettes, no sleep, no light, no sound.
Nothing to eat, no books to read.

[diablopilot 2]

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but it gets old after a while.

Yes you do.

You serve no purpose here. You are doing nothing to positivly add. You sit back and try to slay all those that are chalenging themselves and the limits of the sport while doing NOTHING yourself.

You're like an angry old man with a very yappy dog in tow.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[Spizzzarko 0]

Ladies and gentlemen...

This thread is getting way out of line!
Please keep the attacks out of the picture here!
There are some great dz.com names here acting like children. Get over it and get back to the point of the forum, the spread of usefull knowledge. That is all.

[diablopilot 2]

This thread hasn't spread useful knowlage since someone chimed in with his opinions.

Fact: JC made an unbelievable run on a competition course. Nice job.

Fact: Luigi Cani has jumped and landed (repeatedly) the smallest ram air canopy to date.

Fact: Steel can't abide by his ego being tarnished by the acomplisments of others.

Fact: His girlfriend has been swayed by his ego.

Fact: this whole thing is tired, I'm going jumping.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[Spizzzarko 0]

Thank you.

[txblondie 0]

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OK, I've got to get one more in before the Skymonkey locks this thread.

txblondie - you have now several times in this thread accused people of being childish and petty. To me the most childish and petty thing I have seen yet in this thread is Bruno quoting in a public forum TJ slamming Luigi as being a shitty canopy pilot. These two guys see each other on a routine basis because they actually have the skills to compete, and have accordingly been sponsored to do so. Way to stir the pot and mix up some bad blood between two super awesome guys. Nice, real nice.

Wait, I just thought of something even more childish...aah...whatever. Lock er up Chuck.

Canuck

I don't think anything he's said should be taken as a slam; I talk to him every day, and he has a lot of respect for these two; sometimes it just comes off differently when you're reading a post rather than listening to him talk. All I have to say is that this has gone wildly off topic, and I think that Bruno's accomplishments were not the original point, and that until you see him for yourself, there's nothing you can say.

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Blondes do have more fun!

[sangiro 26]

You're unfortunately right. Quite a few people in this thread should probably tread carefully in here for a while...

Safe swoops
Sangiro