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Not just a translation but some different content too!
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Photo © 2000 Don Vredenburg
Pieces Of Eight
The World's Most Unique Skydivers! What would you do if your life was suddenly and abruptly changed by a horrible disfiguring accident and you found yourself unable to live, let alone skydive like before? A scenario like this has been faced and conquered by members of a determined and very inspiring group of skydivers who call themselves "PIECES OF EIGHT"!
Pieces of Eight is a team of skydivers who have lost a limb (or limbs) but still go forth and skydive! A majority of them lost their leg in motorcycle accidents, a few of them lost their leg(s) because of skydiving accidents and others have lost limbs because of war-related injuries or other accidents. Pieces of Eight, was designed to get amputees back into skydiving and to give one another support. To many of them this is a form of therapy that provides them the opportunity to put their lives into perspective.
The story of Pieces of Eight begins (as most do in skydiving) at the local bar...Al Krueger, spokesman for the group, tells the story of the group's origin:
In the early '70's, the Rumble Seat Tavern in Elsinore, CA, was the jumper's hangout. Chuck Anderson (a right-below-elbow amputee) suggested that if he and Al were to get in the air together and do a "hook-up" (Al Krueger is a left-below-elbow amputee), that it would be a first-one for the record books. Feeling confident, they approached Carl Boenish with the idea. On July 29, 1972, Al Krueger and Chuck Anderson jumped out over Elsinore at 12,500 feet, filmed the hook-to-hook 2-way, and felt like they had broken new ground in the sport with two amputees on the same skydive together. To the best of their knowledge, there were no other arm amputees jumping in the world at the time.
From then on, several amputees from across the country met at various locations and decided to jump and accomplish a world record. So, in March 1980, eight amputees met for the first time. Unfortunately they did not accomplish a record, but they did find a name for themselves...."Pieces of Eight." Continued on Page 2
NEW! USPA Election Controversy
Movie Review "Cutaway"
*** Drawing Anniversary GiveAway *** 147 skydivers from 16 countries participated at our Anniversary GiveAway. @nne's helmet was used as the "drawing bucket" and these are the winners:
Blaine Kunz [New Zealand], Blue Emotions [Portugal], Mark Borg [Malta], Greg Bailey [USA] and Matt Brumbaugh [USA]. The winners are notified by email.
Thank you for participating!
See you at the next GiveAway at skyXtreme!
  
Last Update: October 20, 2000 |
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Fatality at Night Jump
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12 Year CYPRES Lifetime Announced
ONE COOL TOY!
Action Man Skydiver 
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