Boston Globe (negative) article

[pilotdave 0]

Was this really not posted already?

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2008/11/16/land_locked/

Howard White sent out the link this morning on a new england email list...

Dave

[mnskydiver688 0]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion I guess. In any case people are inherently afraid of those things they don't understand. What happens when you don't understand it and then don't try to understand? Ignorance. I think what people find so "ridiculous" about this wingsuiting thing is their belief that we fall so much slower than a "normal" skydive and why if we are adrenaline junkies and madmen why would we want to slow it down, just to pitch a parachute at the end anyway? They don't often consider the whole 100 mph forward. Or maybe they are just jealous we are rising above a normal existence and somehow indirectly making everyone elses lives appear boring and unmoving.

Sky Canyon Wingsuiters

[peggs82 0]

Jeff (Skwrl) wrote a very eloquent response to the letter in the comments section. Very well said jeff!!!

[dzjnky 0]

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Jeff (Skwrl) wrote a very eloquent response to the letter in the comments section. Very well said jeff!!!

Yah, Jeff - like he said!!!!

[bodypilot1 0]

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I have hit things with my sturdy American automobile at 20 miles per hour, and I have dented it, and I am not anywhere near as sturdy as it is. You're not fooling me, sir. I did not just fall (slowly) off the turnip truck here.

Rodney Strong say's......
"He's a pussy that did fall off a turnip truck....."

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[VectorBoy 0]

Why bother trying to explain or sell skydiving to a wuffo, specifically one that is intellectually full of themselves.

Its like trying to explain sex to a virgin, " its this good". Or in this case an intellectual who probably is still a virgin.

[voodew1 0]

Maybe they are just tired of being called to report on something every time the flock u guys make a jump

lets be real the rest of the world gets very little press but it seems every time Justin makes a jump he calls the press to report on it (Purple Mike of a different kind instead of the camera Justin prefers print)

Not meaning this to be a total slam just pointing out how ironic it seems to be

The pimp hand is powdered up ... say something stupid

[Skwrl 56]

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Maybe they are just tired of being called to report on something every time the flock u guys make a jump

Wharrgarbl?

Well, I'm not getting in the habit of defending Justin (that would be a full time job) but that is one of the wackier comments I've heard in a while.

Let's break down all the [sarcasm] massive [/sarcasm] press coverage Flock U has got, starting from most prominent to least.

There was a recent article about us in the Boston Globe. For what it's worth, Justin didn't call anyone about that. That was me. I mentioned to a reporter friend of mine (Susan) about the Pepperell boogie. The tip off: why do you think I get quoted in the story, and not someone with a clue? After all, her specialty is "odd ball" stories. Who is more odd ball than us? (Resisting urge to make joke about one of our members...)

A number of years ago, Lurch was in the Globe when he was one of the only wingsuiters in New England. Go Lurch.

Now let's turn to slightly smaller media.

There was a story about Justin in his home town newspaper in Wyoming. I guess when you're from Wyoming (where the population what? 100?) having someone start a wingsuiting school is sort of a "home town boy does something interesting" angle. Lord knows, the paparazzi won't stop chasing Justin after that article. We get them a separate Otter so they can take pics from it. That's why I hang out with Flock U, by the way - it's all the groupies. (It's also a great excuse - "Why can't I stay in my slot?" "It's all the chicks throwing their underwear at us...")

There have been a couple of articles over several years in the local Pepperell news paper. They usually run in connection with Pepperell's boogie, and many include Flock U as a side note. If you've been to Pepperell, you'd know that it's not a hot bed of exciting news action (i.e., what the hell else are they going to write about in August?).

I'm leaving out the part in which we got on the History Channel. That wasn't a press piece. They wanted to talk about wingsuits, Justin gave them wingsuits...

So... ummm.... what was your point again?


One more thought. Suppose the media coverage of Flock U was 5 times what it is now. What would be so wrong with that? We (wingsuiting) certainly wouldn't have saturated the media by any stretch. Just because wingsuiters read all articles about wingsuiting doesn't mean the typical whuffo, typical wanna-be-skydiver, or even typical skydiver has seen those articles... I assure you: the national badminton team gets more press coverage than wingsuiters do, and it's not just because they can talk about playing with their cocks in public.

From my perspective, if we inspire some kid who otherwise would have sat on his couch eating Freetos and playing GTA IV to say, "hey, I wanna go skydiving at some point", then we have done a good thing for the sport. It's not like USPA membership is, you know, bursting at the seams.

Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography

Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

[skyjumpsteve 0]

Don't you guys think it was kind of a toungue-in-cheek letter? I mean come on:

"They bring us up and bring us down. They once even served us food"

"so you look like big air mattresses or the Pokemon balloons they sell at parades"

"have hit things with my sturdy American automobile at 20 miles per hour, and I have dented it, and I am not anywhere near as sturdy as it is."

....funny stuff. The guy (who by the way said "It seems to be the next big variation on skydiving") wrote a humor piece.....no need to get yer panties in a wad.

[DSE 5]

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3396371#3396371

Gee, and only yesterday the comment was made in the last line of that post....it applies globally.
Indian crabs, anyone?

[howardwhite 6]

Charlie Pierce is a very good writer. He writes eloquently on everything from urban poverty to Tom Brady and the Patriots. Sometime he's very funny.
In my emails with Skwrl, I said only that I hoped humor-impaired skydivers would not feel it necessary to write responses of the "you're a fat commie and you don't have the cojones..." sort. (It was, of course, not necessary to suggest that to Sqwrl, who understands the term "ad hominem".)
Probably we would not be having this discussion if I hadn't scanned the Globe magazine and seen "Dear Justin Shorb" leap out at me.

HW

[normiss 854]

"instead of parachutes"???

What an idiot - clearly he doesn't understand skydiving, much less wingsuits.

The sport doesn't need people like this to "get it".
That's why we have bowling alleys.

[PhoenixRising 0]

lets be real the rest of the world gets very little press but it seems every time Justin makes a jump he calls the press to report on it (Purple Mike of a different kind instead of the camera Justin prefers print)



well, you must have had a great weekend!

as far as that comment is concerned, i never call anybody, they contact me. and All i do is represent our discipline as well as i can. I actually hate doing press stuff, im not that great on camera (still learning) but if a media outlet wants to do a story on wingsuits, and they ask me i will do it. Not because i am a camera or print whore, because they will do a story either way. At least if Someone who knows what they are doing represents, we wont look TOTALLY stupid.

do you want me to have them call you next time?

Justin

Wingsuit organizing, first flight courses and coaching
Flock University
Tonysuits

[voodew1 0]

You fuckers are so easy at least Scott and Chuck used to nibble before taking the bait ---- and I never even brought up how ya'll spent 5 days doing a one point skydive that never completed

Remember I am not about trying to recruit new skydivers - they will come if they want
My job is to fuck with the ones we already have

Peace out presidents

The pimp hand is powdered up ... say something stupid

[unclecharlie95 3]

That is "official".

BASEstore.it

[Hagen 0]

what a piggy!

[bodypilot1 0]

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You fuckers are so easy at least Scott and Chuck used to nibble before taking the bait ---- and I never even brought up how ya'll spent 5 days doing a one point skydive that never completed

Remember I am not about trying to recruit new skydivers - they will come if they want
My job is to fuck with the ones we already have

Peace out presidents

Yes! Dick Head is BACK! Bout time you sturd some shit.......

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[pilotdave 0]

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Don't you guys think it was kind of a toungue-in-cheek letter?

Yeah... it cracked me up. I wonder how many readers had any clue what he was even talking about. I mean, it was written to Justin. I thought it was funny... but it's still negative.

Dave

[VectorBoy 0]

Remember I am not about trying to recruit new skydivers - they will come if they want
My job is to fuck with the ones we already have

Peace out presidents

I miss ya lil buddy!

[DSE 5]

nah....not negative. As Berry Gordie said "All publicity is good, as long as they spell my name right."

Besides, it calls to mind a scene from "The Jerk..." "Things are gonna happen to me now!"

[The111 1]

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Besides, it calls to mind a scene from "The Jerk..." "Things are gonna happen to me now!"

I'm somebody!

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[BenediktDE 2]

Very funny article! And BTW - he thinks the same as we do:

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[...]what would possess the ordinary non-winged human critter to jump out of a perfectly good airplane?

He's right - that's why we are winged human critters.

For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.

[howardwhite 6]

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nah....not negative. As Berry Gordie said "All publicity is good, as long as they spell my name right."

Or even Berry Gordy.

HW

[stoney3434 0]

DITTO Extremely well worded and captured the essence of "living life" instead of watching it pass you by....... Thank you Jeff........

I sold aircraft for many years and I usually answer the perfectly good aircraft comment with,...."there is no such thing" ( just to begin too play with "their" minds a bit) I tell them the next time theyn get off an airliner to go to the window and wait until the passengers are all gone, the flight attendents have left and the Captain has headed for home,... Then watch as the First Officer hands a clipboard to what will appear to be an older wiser type Mechanic guy ---the Chief of Maintenance... On that clipboard is all the stuff that is "not perfect" and perhaps intermttent or questionable about that aircraft you just took off on, flew for hours and then landed in. You would not be all excited to fly at all if you knew what is often on that clipboard..... Then I just say ----after 40 years of doing both landings and jumps, I'd say my safety is about the same either way and I have much more direct control over the outcome when I jump...... And of course I remind them that they just came from the highway which is even more dangerous than landing in an aircraft or jumping...

Its fun to screw with wuffo's heads huh?!

Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

[VectorBoy 0]

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Besides, it calls to mind a scene from "The Jerk..." "Things are gonna happen to me now!"

I'm somebody!

I guess we ALL found our special purpose.