diver123

I too, have had the privelage. I did my first 4 way with Carl... Who else from here have you met in person? let's see, I've met: Westcoastchica, DZbone, Viking, Wingnut, JumpingKayAus, Shark, GrassHopper, DivaSkyChick, Zclubber, Freeflyplaymate, Michele, and a couple more that I know I'm forgetting... "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

Remember the movie 'A Night At The Roxbury" ? "Did you just grab my ass?" Anyone ever been "accidentally" fondled by a fellow jumper? I have! On my second tandem we were doing the whole connecting thing on the way up and as my tm reached around to check on the snugness of the leg straps she accidentally checked a little more than originally planned... I was a little embarrased, but more so for her. Anyone else out there have any crazy stories to tell? I'm kind of worn out talking about all this death and stuff, would you all mind if I changed the subject for a bit? I sooooo need to make a skydive! "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

Sound good to me! But, no fair running off with other men this time... :) I finally decide to come out for an entire weekend cause everyone keeps telling me how fun it is out there, and then most of you guys leave...! "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

Hey Mate...! Thanks for the jump the other day btw. Are you going to be out there this weekend (should they fly)? "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

This is an excerpt from the Miami Herald...written by Leonard Pitts... "We'll go forward from this moment It's my job to have something to say. They pay me to provide words that help make sense of that which troubles the American soul. But in this moment of airless shock when hot tears sting disbelieving eyes, the only thing I can find to say, the only words that seem to fit, must be addressed to the unknown author of this suffering. You monster. You beast. You unspeakable bastard. What lesson did you hope to teach us by your coward's attack on our World Trade Center, our Pentagon, us? What was it you hoped we would learn? Whatever it was, please know that you failed. Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned your cause. Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve. Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together. Let me tell you about my people. We are a vast and quarrelsome family, a family rent by racial, social, political and class division, but a family nonetheless. We're frivolous, yes, capable of expending tremendous emotional energy on pop cultural minutiae -- a singer's revealing dress, a ball team's misfortune, a cartoon mouse. We're wealthy, too, spoiled by the ready availability of trinkets and material goods, and maybe because of that, we walk through life with a certain sense of blithe entitlement. We are fundamentally decent, though -- peace-loving and compassionate. We struggle to know the right thing and to do it. And we are, the overwhelming majority of us, people of faith, believers in a just and loving God. Some people -- you, perhaps -- think that any or all of this makes us weak. You're mistaken. We are not weak. Indeed, we are strong in ways that cannot be measured by arsenals. IN PAIN Yes, we're in pain now. We are in mourning and we are in shock. We're still grappling with the unreality of the awful thing you did, still working to make ourselves understand that this isn't a special effect from some Hollywood blockbuster, isn't the plot development from a Tom Clancy novel. Both in terms of the awful scope of their ambition and the probable final death toll, your attacks are likely to go down as the worst acts of terrorism in the history of the United States and, probably, the history of the world. You've bloodied us as we have never been bloodied before. But there's a gulf of difference between making us bloody and making us fall. This is the lesson Japan was taught to its bitter sorrow the last time anyone hit us this hard, the last time anyone brought us such abrupt and monumental pain. When roused, we are righteous in our outrage, terrible in our force. When provoked by this level of barbarism, we will bear any suffering, pay any cost, go to any length, in the pursuit of justice. I tell you this without fear of contradiction. I know my people, as you, I think, do not. What I know reassures me. It also causes me to tremble with dread of the future. In the days to come, there will be recrimination and accusation, fingers pointing to determine whose failure allowed this to happen and what can be done to prevent it from happening again. There will be heightened security, misguided talk of revoking basic freedoms. We'll go forward from this moment sobered, chastened, sad. But determined, too. Unimaginably determined. THE STEEL IN US You see, the steel in us is not always readily apparent. That aspect of our character is seldom understood by people who don't know us well. On this day, the family's bickering is put on hold. As Americans we will weep, as Americans we will mourn, and as Americans, we will rise in defense of all that we cherish. So I ask again: What was it you hoped to teach us? It occurs to me that maybe you just wanted us to know the depths of your hatred. If that's the case, consider the message received. And take this message in exchange: You don't know my people. You don't know what we're capable of. You don't know what you just started. But you're about to learn." To Mr. Pitts, It is with the utmost gratitude I write to you this, the second morning, after such a great tragedy amongst our sobered nation. As I sit here in my forever changed workplace only to put on the show of diligence, I stumbled my way a crossed your article recently published in the Miami Herald. One word comes to mind after finally closing the article after being read for the third time; PERFECTION! Perfection in message, perfection in rhyme, perfection in the fear it is sure to strike in the heart of our new found foe… You have just managed to put in writing the sentiment of each and every proud American citizen that survives this travesty! Please know that as these words spread across our land, as I’m certain they will, I stand beside you with a prepared heart and fist to do exactly what it is you’ve promised this evil we shall do… Sincerely, Randy K. Leach "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

Makes me want to re-enlist!!! "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

Hey people, I know you may not always want to hear this stuff, but it's still too important to be left unsaid so... A skydive isn't over until you've taken your rig off and set it on the packing mat! We had two very close calls this weekend at Elsinore, both of which could've been avoided had there been good separation or awareness for others... The first incident involved a canopy wrap at well under 700 feet. Two jumpers were on final while heading for the same spot and one turned into the other wrapping his stabalizer and outer lines around the other jumpers legs. They went into a quick spin, but cleared in enough time to recover and land safely. Watch out while landing in a crowded area! The other incident happened when two jumpers failed to get enough seperation before deployment and opened very close to one another. One had line twists and couldn't control their canopy, and while the other jumper recognized the problem and attempted to avoid the other canopy, he was too close to avoid the collision. They entangled and went into a violent spin! One jumper managed to cut away fairly quickly, while the other one had a little more trouble with his canopy and rode the mal down a bit further before successfully clearing the mess and opening his reserve... Luckily, all 4 people walked away and will be able to jump again, but this situation could've been much worse. The moral of this story is the same as it always is: Never get complacent, cause it can kill! ...I don't want to be one of those jumpers that has to live with a memory like that stuck in my head for life... "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

Jumpin-K, I'm at a loss for words! You rock, however there may not be enough room for the both of us so be careful...Lots of sensitive equipment in that general area. I'm going to leave this post alone now, anymore progression and we'll be...well...you know... So until the weekend! "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

Okay...okay, you caught me! I'm really a pimp preying on all you unsuspecting, innocent, naive women... ??? Whatever. If you guys only knew... Wolf...Nope, Bear...Nah, maybe a well mannered young man?... I'm from Oregon for God's sake! We don't even know how to play up there. I think it's definitely time to clear the air so come this weekend we'll straighten a few things out K... "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

I'm working on that! :) I'm still very interested in setting up that hybrid!!! Maybe we should just put a tow rope on clubber next time and see how that plays out? Just kidding clubber. "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

Not fair... I contest the whole wolf thing...! Gini's just a little upset that I haven't given her my "pants" yet...(Gini, you know what I mean) :) To michele and lara, thanks for trying to be nice... For that, I'll buy you both a slurpie! "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

Hey guys, sorry it took me so long to write! First of all, it was awesome to finally put some faces to the names! Having just moved down here a few months ago, I was struggling a little getting some jumping buddies together so this weekend definitely helped.... Now, about the whole RW comment... It's true! I did my first...eh...um...4 way I guess you'd call it. I never gave those guys any credit until I tried it. It's pretty cool! I'd be down to try that HG again cause we didn't quite make it the first time. Thanks for the awesome weekend! We should have a few more some time. I'll keep my eyes open for you guys this weekend. "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

Thanks for all the tips ladies, but I'm with ff29 on this one... Now it's confirmed, I'm never getting laid!!! Alright, maybe tomorrow, but that's it... :) p.s. Sorry I missed out on your "special" jump freeflyplaymate... I'll be sure to make time for the next one! "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

Alright ladies, time to let out the secret! What is the sexiest thing a guy can do/wear while spending a weekend out at the DZ??? It's time to start turning some heads so I need all the help I can get :) "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

Well, my day sure started out very similar to everyone else's...and I know for sure that t,w,th were all that way (on vacation Monday)... So instead of sitting around and wasting the companies money being un-happy, I left work and wasted the companies money being less un-happy...! In a very short while here I'm going to a tattoo appointment to get another one then heading off to bed to prep for tomorrows jumping!!! "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

...billy... Exactly! I actually went inside the dz posing as a "non-jumper" and that's how I saw all of this first hand. As a matter of fact, I got a lot of this info directly from the DZO's mouth and the remainder from his employees. I did note that in the original post... Out of the three employees I spoke with (all tandem guys), when asked if the equipment, procedures, safety was standard acrossed the board in the skydiving world...They replied, and I quote, "You'll have to talk to the boss man about that"... Unfortunately, my friends were already airborne at this point! Okay, so I'm finished with my bitching... I really appreciate all the support... I look forward to seeing what kind of response we can get from these letters and such... "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

Where is the website??? "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

DZbone, The underlying principal here is the one in question correct? He should be able to own and operate his business in any way he choses? But, should he be afforded the luxory of carrying an endorsement given by our governing authority while not abiding by the same un-written rules as everyone else? Sure, DZ's can remove people but as you said this is rairly enforced. And the few times that it is, it's for reasons that are beneficial to us as a collective community, not for the sole benefit of one man's profit... Now, I definitely don't think that we should push for a mandate for new policies or anything like that. On the contrary, I like the idea of being passive/aggressive! Take away the business! Deter people from spending their money, and even more important, their experiences on this DZ. It's enough that Mr. Hawkes knows that the skydiving community will not tolerate such unjustified discriminatory actions to it's own members. And by chosing to do so, we'll do everything in our power to voice these wrong doings to the public. Bravo Michele for doing it right. I have every intention of submitting, both a letter, and a phone call to the to groups you mentioned in your post. "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

What's up shark! I'm telling you, we've got to get in on this somehow!!! "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

We can't let the females of our sport embark on such a revealing adventure on their own, can we? I say we reach down, grab a hold (pun very much intended), and ante up ourselves! I know it's a skydiving "Chick's Rock" boogie, but that's all the more reason for us to celebrate with a special event of our own!!! I don't think they'd mind all that much anyway...would you ladies? "So, who's coming with me? Who's coming with me, besides...flipper here?" - Jerry Maguire... "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

If you come up a little short for volunteers... I can tuck a few extra...uh..."straps" I guess you could call it, and join in the fun! I know it's a very generous offer and all, but I'd do it for the sport! "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

Okay, if you hadn't already done so, please check out the "what the hell?" post... A quick note to the people who don't think this issue was appropriate here: This was not intended to provoke a "bashing" session, merely thought and concern. To all else: Just as I was brought down so far with the experience in Vegas, I'm lifted by the way you guys took this to heart. You see, it's this family attitude and support that will render us the power to continue on with our shared passion. Without this very attribute, we'll have nothing more than those ground-bound bunch that are numb to personal freedoms... "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

Atta girl FreakSis! You're right, we should not only address the bad dz's in an attempt to eliminate them, but also praise the good ones for keeping such a high standard! My vote is for : (drum roll please) Skydive Elsinore! What a treat this place is!!! Big enough to have all the luxories of the big boys, but small enough to retain that family atmosphere... "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

Maybe if all of us call the DZO individually and voice our concerns in person, he may be inclined to change his tune a little. If not, at least he'll know that word is spreading about his dirty operation out there... I know this sounds a little over-the-top, but it really needs to be addressed...and everyone knows there is strength in numbers. Man, what a testament that would be to how much we care about our sport and the people in it!!! "pull high! It's lower than you think..."

I think we should all give him a call posing as first time jumpers and ask him if there are any other DZ's in Vegas so our group of 3 or 4 can go make a skydive... When he asks, "Why not make one here? We're the best/largest tandem operation in the U.S....", we'll reply, "Cause we've heard about the way you do business"... It would be enough for me to know that he knew we knew...! Did that make sense? "pull high! It's lower than you think..."