mjasantos

Weather and air traffic controllers permitting, Mr Baumgartner will jump early on Thursday, 04:00 GMT. The time frame for the attempt is from Jul 29 until Aug 15, 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3106147.stm & http://www.felixbaumgartner.com/ Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

RE-POSTED because Jason Peters (the picture author) has now kindly released his permission to make it available at the Web. Thanks Jason!!! The hyperlink where the photo has been posted, is protected but the catalogued photo with the 300-Way participant names can now be viewed without any problems. Please read all the information below. ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi, You can read as well these 2 articles: Performing Your Best In Competition http://www.mariosantos.com/docs/performing_your_best_in_competition.htm Your Optimum Arousal Level http://www.mariosantos.com/docs/your_optimum_arousal_level.htm Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Right on target! There's a good article on "Debriefing Structure" here http://www.dropzone.com/safety/articles/DebriefingStructure.shtml This article is specially addressed to Formation Skydiving Teams, but has a lot of stuff that can be applied while debriefing any skydive, including students ones. Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

for a 4 point 4-way dive, this is even faster (starting with a Meeker): E - B - F - O (Meeker - Stairstep Diamond - Open Accordian - Satellite) Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

I think this is the correct information, but if somebody from Airspeed or Skydive Arizona finds a mistake, please correct me. Priority for Airspeed this season will be 8-way. Arizona Airspeed is continuing to train full time as the 2003 U.S. 8-way team and will compete at the 2003 World Meet in Gap France for the Ottley Sword once again. They'll still enter 4-way competitions with Airspeed Vertical (Johnny Eagle, Craig Girad, Neal Houston and Mark Kirkby) and Airspeed Dragon (Kirk Verner, Todd Hawkins, Eliana Rodriguez and Dennis Rook). Airspeed 8-way splits in Vertical and Dragon for 4-Way. Regarding GK-8 is a completely new team... I know that no one from the GK Gold (4-Way US National Champions) is in this GK-8 team. I've read somewhere (don't remember where), that 1 or 2 previous GK team members were called back, but I'm not sure about details. I don't know their names yet but may be any of them reading this forum, may drop us a note on their names. Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Thanks Andi! At the right time, I am at the wrong place! About moving to the US... there are a lot of suggestions addressing that... I can not say that idea hasn't already crossed my mind, more than once... who knows? Like Kirk Verner uses to say "belief is the mother of reality"... Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Obrigado Wendy! It feels strange to read in portuguese here at the board, but it feels good! Thanks for your nice words. I'll be always around... Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi, Here is the outcome of the IPC Meeting at Fortaleza (Brazil). I've just got this e-mail and attached document from Fiona McEachern, Chair, IPC Formation Skydiving Committee. ========== Hi all, The new rules for FS should be up on the FAI website very soon, along with this explanatory document. If you have any questions, please email me. Thanks Fiona McEachern IPC FS Committee ========== Explanation and Changes to IPC FS Rules 2003 (format *.doc) is attached. Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal Explanation and Changes to IPC FS Rules 2003.doc

Hi Enrique, Quade, Scott, Harry, David and Sangiro, Thank you all for the supportive words and for the incitement. I also have hadn't the pleasure to meet and know you personally, but through your posts at this great forum, it is like if I did. For now I have no plans on putting together a new team, specially because after several attempts to get a solid team, now I know, like Quade said (and as I always defended) that it is fundamental to have similar goals and compatible levels of commitment and resources (time and money), otherwise it's just not going to work out. This is Portugal reality and we have to leave with it... there are not that many skydivers willing to join a team's project just because of the commitment... let me just give you the example: after we became aware that our camera flyer had to leave the team temporarily and wouldn't be able to fill in his slot for the season of 2003, we started contacts and reached to the word with a guy who has shown interest to replace our camera flyer... this one jumps a lot, has done FS, is a freeflyer, also camera flyer, is tandem instructor, etc... after 3 or 4 days when I contacted him again to get together for a meeting about our team plans, he told me that he had been thinking better about it and wasn't interested in assuming such commitment level with a team... that says it all! I'll be around somehow, I'll keep posting and I'll maintain Matrix web page, adjusting it every time I have new ideas on how it can continue to be a good reference for all those willing to practice 4-Way Formation Skydiving (including the Articles section). May be it would be easier if i could move to the US, where I have too many friends, like David suggested (actually I already thought about that, but it's not that easy when you took root here... but we never know... I'll leave the door opened...)... then it would be easier to get a team together... actually it is from the US that I get most feedbacks about Matrix web page, which is interesting. Life goes on! Blue Skies to you all (today, already with sun glasses)! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Thanks Quade. ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Quade, I couldn't agree more and wouldn't define it better! http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=381302 Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

With effect from February 08, 2003, 4-Way Skydiving Team "Matrix FS" from Portugal is Over :-( Team Web Page - http://www.mariosantos.com/uk_us/matrix.htm Team Communication - http://www.mariosantos.com/htm/Matrix_FS_Communication_Feb092003.htm Blue Skies to you all! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi, Reading these articles will help you as well: Visualizing in Airspeed Formation Skydiving Advanced Skills Camp Work Book © 2001 – Airspeed http://www.mariosantos.com/docs/visualizing.htm Your Optimum Arousal Level in TunnelCamp.com - Coaches Corner © 2001 – Alan Metni, TunnelCamp.com http://www.mariosantos.com/docs/your_optimum_arousal_level.htm It's All in Your Head - a conversation with Craig Girard in Parachutist, February 1999, pages 36-39, by Nancy J. Koreen © 1999 – USPA Copyright Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Enrique, On the slots assignment you should weight several factors... is not that simple as to assign the fast fallers to the center... Should also depend from your team members experience... usually most experienced people come into the center, not only because of the most keys at their responsibility, but mainly because their are the center, the reference, so their flight has to be accurate and solid. Most of the times, heavier doesn't mean faster on fall rate, because you have to associate also body size and body position... the fall rate involves many of those factors... Also, most of the times, problems on adjusting fall rates come from bad anticipation on the next move (usually going late) as well as on the lack of team communication and eye contact... these are the most important... if these factors are being controlled and even so there are some problems on fall rates, working on your body flexibility (with stretching) and/or wearing some weights, should solve it. Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Enrique, A 4-Way FS Team should be the best learning tool! Being so, your team should focus on the learning and not on the score... after you've learned both as a team and individually, then you can think about the score... but even then, you should be open minded to learn all the time about the best and fastest way to perform in 4-Way Formation Skydiving. If from the earlier learning stages you limit too much your "dive pool", both on launchings or performance at terminal, later when you need it, it won't happen because you are just used to a few small moves or launchs... You'll find that, sometimes and depending on team experience level, there are several types of launching for a specific random or block, but that is quite different from what you're suggesting about "fire & forget" exits... You should learn FS using the correct path, not a "vicious" one... The more you and your team are looking forward to learn, the better you'll be as skydivers and as a FS Team. Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi all, When such a World Record happens, each of us is always curious about to know “who’s who” in the picture. Being so, I’ve decided to have some extra-work, requiring some patience, definitely not as much as all the tremendous planning work 300-Way organizers had to make this World Record happen. What I did was to gather all the information contained at the 300-Way.com web site (roster, slots and 300-way in color formation draw) and, using the larger size photo of the 300-way (Jason Peters pic), inserted it in a html page, editing with html code each of the 300 skydivers’ names plus Norman Kent, in a way that when opening a web page of the photo, dragging your mouse pointer over each of the skydivers, you’ll be able to see his/her name, immediately knowing "who’s who". I’ve published this at my personal web site (http://www.mariosantos.com/), at the top of the skydiving news section of it (http://www.mariosantos.com/uk_us/news.htm). The direct access to the larger pic with the names is: http://www.mariosantos.com/htm/300-Way_pic_with_names.htm I’ve also arranged the 300-Way Roster by alphabetical order and made it available at http://www.mariosantos.com/xls/300-Way_WR_Alphabetical_Order_Roster_Colors_Dec_12_2002_Eloy_AZ_USA.xls. There are (so far I remember) 3 skydivers jumping different suit color from the one they should according to the initial plan, but that was most likely due to the changes made by the organizers in the roster, along with the several attempts. In the Excel file, I kept the color accordingly to the original 300-Way in color draw. Although I was careful while working this information, mistakes might have occurred. So, if any of the participants finds out that his/her name corresponding to their slot in the 300-Way is not the correct one, please let me know, e-mailing me to mario@mariosantos.com and I'll be glad to correct it immediately. Hope this can be useful. Once again, congratulations to the 3 main organizers, as well as to Airspeed and every other participants and staff who made this 300-Way possible! Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi, You can have a look at http://www.300-way.com/pr/daily.html. Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

From http://www.skyleague.com (USA National Skydiving League Web Site) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The next annual meeting of the International Parachuting Commission (IPC) is scheduled for February 2003. The Brazilian city of Fortaleza will be hosting the convention. The representatives of the member countries will consider future competitions and rule changes in February. Traditionally, there are no significant changes to be expected for Formation Skydiving competition when the World Championship is scheduled for the same year. In 2003, the world meet will be hosted by France in Gap in September. Fiona McEachern, Chair of the IPC Subcommittee Formation Skydiving, has collected and sorted feedback from competitors, organisers, the jury and the controller at this year's World Cup of Formation Skydiving in Spain and now informed the public that the following items have been placed on the agenda for Formation Skydiving at the IPC meeting in Brazil: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Item 1 Live dubbed judging will become optional. This will decrease the long waits experienced at Ampuriabrava by videographers. During the competition, some judging from tapes was done anyway as it proved impractical to judge all by live dubbing. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Item 2 Allow the Videographer to examine the video before dubbing and in the case where two cameras are used, decide which tape to submit. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Item 3 Team composition: The Videographer will become part of the team (one of the 6 in 4-way and the 10 in 8-way). A male Videographer will be allowable in the Women's 4-way event. An NJ will remain as now. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Item 4 Training jumps: Teams wishing to have a training jump judged will have to inform the judges of their intent. Teams will be able to record on video which of the training sequences they are performing and not have to manually inform the Chief Judge. At present, judges spend a whole day waiting for tapes of training jumps. Very few teams submit these jumps. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Item 5 Ensure a team cannot enter both the 4-way and Female 4-way event. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Item 6 Re-examine the number of teams that compete in semi and final rounds. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Item 7 Examine and possibly change the system of deciding jump order. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Item 8 A future proposal, that will not be decided upon in 2003, wants all rounds to be six points, using the entire dive pool over ten rounds. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- McEachern offers interested competitors to provide the committee with any comments or concerns directly at ipc-fsky@fai.org. The IPC rules are specifically for application at the internationals events sanctioned by the IPC (World Championship, World Cup). However, usually the national skydiving organizations organizing Formation Skydiving competitions (as USPA, BPA, NSL) adopt the rules directly from the IPC, at least for their championship events. Many nations and organizations modify the rules on a lower level to accommodate the novices in the sport. ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

That's true! When, back in January 2001, I attended an Airspeed Advanced Skills Camp, the last day of the Camp (Jan 21) was coincident with the SSL Meet 1 (http://www.omniskore.com/comp/2001/ssl/meet1/index.htm). My team at that competition was "Faca Mole" (the portuguese words to mean "soft knife"... sounding differently in US), Team 205 at the Intermediate Class (all the Campers entered this Class), composed by myself (as Point), Dan BC (OC), José Candeias (IC) and John Appleton (tail). They took in account our best averages up to that date... mine was a 7, José was an 8. John was something like a 12 and Dan BC a 20... our team's handicap came out a 1.13. Our raw average at that 6 round Meet was a 14.3 (partials were 10-17-13-10-12-24), which has became a 16.2 w/ Handicap. A photo of the team at the closing ceremony (except Dan BC who has left earlier) is available at http://www.mariosantos.com/uk_us/images/Faca_Mole.jpg. From left to right: José Candeias, myself and John Appleton. Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

David, I agree with you that the tail infacing looks a more logical way of doing Block 17! ... but that wasn't definitely the reason why Majik won the most competitions head to head against Vertical! You, better than me, know that, because you're able to follow closely some of those head to head meets, while I could only watch Omniskore! And that thing west cost / east coast, for both Airspeed and Majik fans, has became true... but now we have to add GK... they are from the East... Will we have an Eastern shared solution (GK and Majik)? Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

OK! I could have used a more recent reference, although I don't think is a matter of Skydive 4'99 being old... From the Arizona Airspeed Mind Maps 2003, the most recent 4-Way FS Tool, we can see Airspeed Vertical still performing in that "old fashioned way"... I wouldn't mind if my team could be that good! But, as I said before, is a matter of continuity plan... only the team knows why this is the best way for them...

Hi David, I'm sure this is wasn't the first time you saw this, was it? It wasn't too long ago and I still remember it (please remember "Skydive 4'99" tape), when we could see Jack Jefferies (point) doing it... when performing this Block 17, he used to go over Mark Kirkby (tail), while Kirk Verner (OC) and Dan BC (IC) kept their slots... this was the Arizona Airspeed 4-Way FS Team and they were used to do it both from the exit or at terminal... they have been World Champions... Depending on a continuity plan, as you know from your wide FS experience and background, each way of performing a block is unique by itself. The chosen option within the team to execute a certain move, should be the best for that team, although it might not be the best for another team... that's why there are so many different ways of performing those block moves... Getting back to the Block 17 (Danish Tee - Murphy), please have a look at two recognized as "very skilled" teams, DeLand Majik and Golden Knights Gold, while performing this Block at the recent NSL Championship 2002. Both teams have their very unique way of performing it... just to remember those more used with this terminology, Block 17 is a "rorrim" (to be read reversing... e.g. "mirror") image type Block, which means that if started in the A Slots, the ending picture of the Block will be a mirrored image of the initial A Slots... all this, because the people in the center of the Danish Tee (regardless who is there) change their relative positions while performing the Block... DeLand Majik have interpreted this Block as a normal Mirror Image Block, inserted in a sequence (F-G-17-P) of randoms. They have done it with the IC going over the OC, who finishes facing outside (a center facing outside? No problem...)... the second page is a mirrored image of the 1st one and the 3rd page is performed in the same way as the 1st one (after two mirrored images we get a normal one)... See the video at http://www.skyleague.com/TVNSL2002MajikRd1.WMV Golden Knights Gold did the very same same Block with a very different interpretation (also a very unique way...)... page after page they executed this block and the remaining randoms with Slots Switch for both the front and the rear pieces, simultaneously... on the Block 17 "going over move", they started with the IC going over the OC... the next page the Tail goes over the Point (already in their switched Slots -> B Slots)... a very different skydive engineering, this time also with very different scores. See the video at http://www.skyleague.com/TVNSL2002GKRd1.WMV. Personally, I would prefer the way DeLand Majik did it... a mirror image performing should be easier than a Slots switch one! But htis is just my personal preference: doesn't mean that one way is better than the other or vice-versa... Conclusion: There are very different unique ways of doing things... the more there are, the more we can choose the one that suits us best! Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

The attached pic is beter than the diagram of my previous post. Anyway, the diagram was good to explain the slots... Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi David, On both jumps, from an Otter. In the attachment have a look at the Murphy we came from (Pink is Point, Green is OC, Blue is IC and Yellow is Tail). As you know Block 17 is a Mirror Image one... we could have opted by doing our regular Murphy Flake but mirrored... then we would have Point and Tail doing 180º, IC doing a left 90º to "cat" grip with his left hand on Point left leg and myself keeping still finishing the formation. The way we did it, I was the only one having an almost 90º left move (a little shorter than this)... all the others did just minor adjustments to set up the Murphy Flake... making it a faster transition, although not being our regular Murphy Flake. It could have been done as well with IC "catting" on the Murphy Flake "new" Point, but because next formation was the "Compressed Accordian" from the Block 16, we've engineered as in the pic attached (a Mirror Image of our A slots... in our continuity plan, we put the memory - or slots switch - in the rear piece), permiting also a faster transition, as you'll be able to confirm. That's why we have opted by the first mentioned solution. I have no doubts that this page could have been engineered in so many different ways (zillions )... depends on the team's continuity plan, on the faster transitions between formations, etc.. Recently, you have got a good example: at US Nationals, Round 6, all the 3 top teams (GK Gold, Vertical and Majik, engineered differently... at the end, all of them scored 22... which was the best engineering way? ). Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal