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Here you can find the latest news, which will reach us during the current month. Short and crunchy. Got news? Mail'm! | [Updated: July 25, 2000]
Index
 News From QuincySurviving Quincy
Quincy is almost upon us, and soon the hordes will descend upon Baldwin field for the world freefall convention. Lots of people will jump. Unfortunately, some will get hurt, and some may die. How can you make sure it's not you? Presented at Dropzone.com are some tips by Bill von Novak to help keep you alive at the biggest boogie in the world.
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Team FX at the Convention
Team FX members Doug Park and Dave Timko will be at the World Freefall Convention. Both of them will be available to coach and improve your skills, weather you are a team member or just want to get better. For more information email Doug at fxdoug@aol.com.
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DC-4 at Quincy
Don Kirlin has announced that a DC-4 (C-54) has been confirmed to be at the WFFC for the entire length of the convention. Jump tickets will be $48.00 and there will be 85 jumpers per load. This WWII transport plane is similar in size to a Super Connie and this will be its first trip to the WFFC!
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"Speed 60" Competition
Friday 11th and Saturday 12th August, the Convention "Speed 60" team will be competing in the National Event. BJ Worth assisted by Roger Ponce and Carl Daugherty will organize. To participate, try-outs will be held during the Convention with the camps. Contact Carl at cdaugher@bellsouth.net or Roger at Color@Cris.com. For details, rules & reg`s check out their website at www.Speed100.com
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Catholic Mass at the Convention
The organizers of the WFFC are pleased to announce that they have arranged for a Catholic Mass to be celebrated at this year's Convention. Mass will be held on both Sundays, August 6th and 13th, at 8:00 a.m. in the Entertainment Tent. Also, following the Mass will be the all-denominational Prayer Service starting at 9:00 a.m. All of the Conventioneers are invited to attend these services.
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Canopy Accuracy Seminar: Learn to Land Like a PRO
Seminar Time and Place:
Monday, August 7th, 9:00 - 10:30 p.m., at the WFFC Seminar Tent
Speakers:
Judy Hayes, Former Member USPA Style and Accuracy Team
Bill Hayes, Former Member USPA Style and Accuracy Team
Jim Hayhurst, USPA National Director, Present Member USPA Style and Accuracy Team
Jeff Steinkamp, USPA National Rated Accuracy Judge
Kim Tucker, PRO Rated Professional Demo Jumper
Seminar Abstract: So you want to learn about canopy accuracy and get your USPA Professional Exhibition Rating Proficiency Card (a.k.a. PRO Rating). Then this is the seminar for you! Learn the techniques to park that canopy anywhere you want. Learn what to do on the ground before you even take off. Listen to discussions of wind conditions, spotting the aircraft, setting up for the downwind leg, to the base leg, to the final approach. Learn the techniques of S-Turns and soft stalling of your canopy. Understand the Do’s and Don’ts of the final approach.
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from these experienced accuracy experts on the "tricks of the trade" and to have them answer your specific questions concerning canopy control and landing accuracy.
For more information on the World Freefall Convention check out www.freefall.com.
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| Results Tracking Contest Byron Here are the results of the Tracking contest at Bay Area Skydiving in Byron:
Open Class [good showing by the freeflyers (ff)]
1st - Thom Van Ost ff
2nd - Texas Tom McCarthy (cofounder of Lodi's tracking contest)
3rd - Scott Meeker ff
Novice Class
1st - Packer Ryan ff
2nd - Vacey ff
3rd - James from South Africa
Didn't get everyone's last name if they only wrote their first.
Women's Class [2 entries backed out]
1st - Meg (soon to be McKee) from Canada
2nd - Lodi Lisa Wyatt
Next tracking contest to be held at the Lost Prairie Boogie.
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| 500 Years Later - Da Vinci's Parachute Flies! Skydiver Adrian Nicholas of Great Britain successfully proved that Leonardo Da Vinci's sketched design of a parachute would have worked by test jumping it and ignoring expert advice that the canvas and wood contraption would not fly.
Adrian and his team built this parachute after the original design that Da Vinci scribbled in a notebook in 1483. An accompanying note read, "If a man is provided with a length of gummed linen cloth with a length of 12 yards on each side and 12 yards high, he can jump from any great height whatsoever without injury." No one knows whether he ever tested a full scale model. But Da Vinci was proved right on Monday, June 26, 2000--over 500 years after he sketched the design for the first parachute!
Attempts to fully test the parachute in Shropshire, England in March failed due problems of wind and safety near populated areas - it weighs a hefty 85 kilograms (187 pounds). The parachute's great weight was due to the use of materials that would have been available in medieval Milan, rather than modern fabrics. Period
tools were also used.
This time everything was perfect, and the bulky parachute with Adrian Nicholas dangling under it was launched over Mpumalanga, South Africa, from a hot air balloon 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) above the ground. Adrian safely floated down, saying the ride was smoother than with modern parachutes. He cut himself free when he reached 600 meters (2,000 feet) and deployed a second, modern parachute. This ensured that the heavy device did not crash down on top of him on landing. Adrian said he thought Da Vinci would have been pleased, even if the vindication of his idea came five centuries late. |
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| Results CRW World Championships 2000 The World Parachuting Championships in Canopy Formation 2000 were held June 30 to July 7, 2000, at Skydive Karjala, Finland. France scored a new world record on Wednesday, July 5, in 4-way Sequential with 12 points! Russia scored a new world record in 8-way speed formation with 24.65 seconds on Thursday, July 6! The Results are valid and pending for FAI homologation.
The Team from Russia won the 4-way Rotations competition, second was France, and third Italy. France won the 4-way Sequential competition, second was the USA, followed by Germany. France took home the gold medal in the 8-way Speed Formation competition, Russia got the silver medal and the USA the bronze medal. Finland scored a new national and Nordic record. For all results check wwnet.fi/sdkarjala/MM_kisat/mm_paa.htm.
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2000 U.S. National Skydiving Championships
More than 1,000 Competitors to Gather this Fall for Largest National Skydiving Competition Ever! Alexandria, Virginia, June 13, 2000 -- The U.S. Parachute Association (USPA) announced the 2000 U.S. National Skydiving Championships will be held at Perris Valley Skydiving in southern California, September 29 - October 14. The 2000 Nationals will mark the largest gathering of competitive skydivers in the 40-plus years of organized national skydiving competition. More than 1,000 athletes in the formation skydiving, canopy formation, freestyle, skysurfing, and freeflying categories will vie for the top spot, and the chance to represent the USA in the international arena.
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S.O.S. Record Weekend If you are a current, experienced relative worker, you are invited to participate in an S.O.S. record weekend. Dates for the S.O.S. record skydives of 2000 are September 22, 23, and 24, at Skydive Elsinore, Lake Elsinore, California. If you are over 60 and not a member of S.O.S., you can join when you get here. The current S.O.S. world record is 20, set in September 1998 at Skydive Elsinore. For more information send an e-mail to jwbubba@aol.com.
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Larsen & Brusgaard Office USA Larsen & Brusgaard, manufacturer of the Dytter, has recently opened an office in the USA. If you (private as well as dealers) have any questions, need batteries, or require any other assistance with your Pro-Dytter, Pro-Track or any other Larsen and Brusgaard product, please contact them at: U & M Berger, 102 Russell Blvd. Louisburg, NC, 27549. Fax: 919-340-0525. [Back to Index]
Quincy 2000 - 2nd Annual World Record Bob-Way On August 10, due to the overwhelming popularity of the name "Bob", Skydive Greensburg is hosting the Second Annual Bob-Way at the World Freefall Convention in Quincy, Illinois! Last year the record was set at 17, this year, they're going for a 30-way. All participants must have a first or middle name of Bob, Robert, Bobbie, Billy Bob, Joe Bob or Roberta (you get the idea!). ABC and the Fox Network will air the finished product this fall. Pre-registration and three practice jumps will be held on August 10. For additional information, call Skydive Greensburg. Ask for Bob at telephone (800)990-5509.
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News Bytes
The results of the 2000 British Nationals can be found at www.skydivemag.com/latestnews/newsround.htm and the results of the 2000 Swedish Open Nationals at www.vfk.org/sm00/sm00.htm. ***
Should freeflying be part of X Games 2001? Inquiring minds in ESPN's Programming Department want your input. Help them decide if the sport of freeflying should be part of the 2001 X Games. Check out the freeflying video, read the explanation of the sport, then vote in the poll at espn.go.com/extreme/ ***
AirOhio at Rittmann will have a pricing special! $89 per day all you can jump or $149 for the entire weekend, July 29 -30! Make as many jumps as you want out of their Twin Otter. The dropzone is 45 minutes South of Cleveland and 90 minutes North of Columbus. For more information call 330-925-5867. ***
The Blue Sky Ranch 60-way Speed Sequential Team Competition is re-scheduled to September 23-24, 2000. Friday, the 22nd will be open to big way practice for team members. They will be using three Super Otters. Interested and qualified big way jumpers can contact Lou Tommaso at (718) 385-3073 or by email at LouisT@worldnet.att.net ***
A new Ohio POPS record was set at AerOhio Skydiving in Rittmann. The previous record was held by the skydivers at Skydive Greene County at 16. On July 2 the new record was set at 20. The formation was held for more than 7 seconds. ***
Skydive Illinois is announcing the grand opening of their new Free Fly School, "Free Fly Funkadelics". For further information, call Ron Nowak at 815-941-1149. ***
Due to weather the Women's World Record (Largest Sequential & Night Dives) held at Skydive Chicago has been rescheduled to September 15 - 17. ***
Lyle Presse is opening The Drop Shop at Skydive Sebastian in Florida. Presse announced earlier last month that he had reached a deal to buy the gear outlet from PD Source, which had operated the store for more than three years. ***
Two-time national champion skysurfer Dave Briegs has teamed up with photographer Jack Baum to form Cross Keys Inferno based at Cross Keys, NJ. "I'm very excited about the new dimension that Jack's freeflying ability has brought to the team," says Briegs. "He's come a long way in a very short period of time, and he's forced me to learn new things in order to take advantage of his talents." The team is training now for the X Games in August in California. ***
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