New POPS Texas State Record
by The Staff of Skydive San MarcosWow!!! What a weekend! This last weekend, July 14-16, was a really great three days. A rather large group of old people (by some standards) converged on a little town in south central Texas known to most as San Marcos. Upwards of 60 POPS members and 150 up jumpers showed up ready to play in Skydive San Marcos' Super Otter and The Casa. Friday was a practice and get-to-know-the-area day (slots, neighbors tracking paths Etc.)
The second day started with some very good dives with as many as 53 on some dives but none completing all the way, although some were very close. With temps pushing 104 degrees it didn't take long for the steam to seep away and by the fifth dive around 6:00 PM they called it quits for the day.
Sunday Morning was a very different mindset. With only a few attempts remaining, the mood was set! Determination rose its head as the mood of the time. After some strategic placement of people by the very capable hands of Harry Hopkins and Steve McConathy, the organizers, with quadrant input from Jeff Weissman and Steve Coker, the first jump was successful with the group completing a 47-way over the rolling hills and rocky ledges of the Texas Hill Country. A New POPS Texas State Record was set! With the success of the record and the soaring heat some of the jumpers retired for the day. However others were determined to set a POPS World record RW Sequential Record which they completed -- a 31-way two-point dive. Congratulations to all of you determined participants for breaking the Texas Record of 41 and raising the bar to a height that will surely stand for some to come at 47!
The record is a very satisfying morsel to savor, however, we have one to thank the heavens for. As many of you have heard, we had a true Cypres save on the third dive on Friday. There was a collision on break off. A jumper hit another in the back on deployment and was rendered unconscious, while falling to certain death. With fellow jumpers watching, the Cypres he was wearing deployed his reserve. The Jumper is reported out of the hospital after surgery on a broken arm and some lacerations but doing very well after his six second canopy ride.
Skydive San Marcos would like to thank all that have donated and support the Brad Slager Memorial Cypres Fund. And challenge every DZ in the world to participate in there own form of a Cypres Giveaway. This is how ours works.
We take a percentage of each ticket and set aside 25 cents. After we reach the amount to purchase and install a Cypres, we have a drawing from all of the tickets purchased from the time of the last drawing. The person belonging to the ticket, if they own a rig and have no Cypres, is given the use of the unit for as long as they wish. SSM will install it at no charge. If the recipient should decide to quit the sport or decide to purchase their own AAD or just decide they don't need an AAD, we ask that they give it back to the B.S.M.C.F. for redissemination to somebody that may need it.
Tim A. Thanks for being the first of three recipients to participate in this program YOU are proof it WORKS!
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