dbriggs@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Dan Briggs) (06/04/91)
I did my first "freestyle" jump this weekend. Yah! Needless to say, this was under a very liberal interpretation of the term. My back layouts probably wouldn't have been recognizable to anyone as such. I cheerfully look forward to practicing those until I get'em right -- they're lots of fun! Now, I also tried a maneuver that I have seen people on tape do, but I don't know what it's called. It's the one that looks like a pommel horse routine. The legs are extended, straight and together, while bending at the waist. The feet travel in a circle whose axis is vertical, the center of which is directly beneath the diver's center of mass. To compensate for the displacement of the feet, the torso moves in the opposite direction. Thus during one part of the rotation the diver is almost on his back, while at the opposite point the diver is almost belly-to-earth. If you've seen it, you probably know what I mean by now, since the move is very distinctive. *What is it called?* It's easier than it looks, BTW. If you've haven't given it a try, you might want to consider it. If anyone reading this group is into freestyle, please drop me a line. I'd love to have some more knowledgeable folks to grill now and then. "We" (:-) seem to be spread pretty thin. -- Daniel Briggs (dbriggs@nrao.edu) New Mexico Tech / National Radio Astronomy Observatory P.O. Box O / Socorro, NM 87801 (505) 835-7391
Charlie_Gibbs@mindlink.bc.ca (Charlie Gibbs) (06/05/91)
In article <14544@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> rand@skydiver.Eng.Sun.COM (Iconoclast at large) writes: >Secondly....One of the great things about freestyle is that it finally >provides a departure from the myopic attitudes and quantification >frenzy that sequential convinced everyone they needed to march too. How times have changed. Back when the only thing in RW that even resembled competition was SCR scrambles, the only really serious competitors were the style and accuracy freaks. The rest of us would chuckle at their frustration (they really didn't look like they were having much fun) and would go up and have a ball. When the first 4-way sequential teams appeared, a lot of us fun-loving types referred to it as "team style." The same mindset seemed to apply; these jumpers did a rigidly-defined set of manoeuvres and took things very seriously, while the rest of us still just went up and had fun. Nowadays it's hard to find an RW load where people aren't trying to organize an impressive set of manoeuvres. Even if it's a pick-up load everyone dirt-dives it to death. In free-fall it's bang-bang-bang and heaven help the poor sod who drops a grip. I might be exaggerating the situation a bit, but it really is getting harder to find people who just want to go up and have fun. One of my most memorable jumps was a quick end-of-the-day hookup from 4500 feet. I did a nice slow pin - just sliding down the tube and enjoying the scenery - and when we got the hookup my buddy broke it to a line (unplanned) and turned it so we could lay there and watch the sunset. Beautiful. Enjoy freestyle. It'll be regimented soon enough. But there'll still be some of us old farts around who've had enough of serious jumping. If you get bored or burnt out, look for us. We're the ones who still do fun RW (although we might get on the odd hot sequential or mega load because they're still a blast if you don't get too hyper). Heck, we might even turn the odd style set just for the hell of it, and do it fast enough to piss off the serious zoomies. And possibly we'll bet a beer on accuracy at the bottom, and give you a run for your money. As with anything else in life, it's great to go for the gold, but it's also important to stop and smell the roses along the way. Charlie_Gibbs@mindlink.bc.ca NSCR-225 NCCR-74 BASCR-54 If your nose runs and your feet smell, you're built upside-down.
rand@skydiver.Eng.Sun.COM (Iconoclast at large) (06/05/91)
In article <1991Jun3.203131.23149@zia.aoc.nrao.edu> dbriggs@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Dan Briggs) writes: > (Stuff deleted) >they're lots of fun! Now, I also tried a maneuver that I have seen >people on tape do, but I don't know what it's called. It's the one >that looks like a pommel horse routine. The legs are extended, > (Stuff deleted) >is very distinctive. *What is it called?* It's easier than it looks, First, I believe that has been refered to as a hip circle. Secondly....One of the great things about freestyle is that it finally provides a departure from the myopic attitudes and quantification frenzy that sequential convinced everyone they needed to march too. With that in mind, I see the naming of freestyle maneuvers as the first goosestep toward regementation. Try not to think in terms of doing a hip circle, to a leg down, to a daffy....that's what sequential is all about. Don't limit yourself to named, defined maneuvers...go out and dance. Freestyle is not quantification, it's art....go be an artist. Rand (whereisScratchGarrisonwhenyouneedhim) Lindsly
barry@hpqtdla.sqf.hp.com (Barry Smith) (06/10/91)
You've made my day. I thought I was alone in thinking having fun was at the top of the list of reasons we skydive. When I hear guys talking about their weekend being ruined because of a dive not going to plan I think there is something wrong. Looking forward to a weekends skydiving should help you through your week's work, not bring you out in a cold sweat worrying about that grip you might miss. Competition is very healthy for our sport but not at the expense of fun. Barry Smith Hewlett Packard, South Queensferry, Scotland.
gtephx (Mark Wyzenbeek) (06/13/91)
In article <16230004@hpqtdla.sqf.hp.com>, barry@hpqtdla.sqf.hp.com (Barry Smith) writes: > You've made my day. I thought I was alone in thinking having fun was at > the top of the list of reasons we skydive. ... Let's do a 5-way funnel, get back together, and funnel it again ! Mark Wyzenbeek D-12755 JM90 -- Mark Wyzenbeek AG Communication Systems (formerly GTE CS), Phoenix, AZ UUCP: {ncar!noao!asuvax | uunet!zardoz!hrc}!gtephx!wyzenbeekm Voice: (602) 582-7035 Fax: (602) 582-7111
karlm@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM (Karl W Maerz) (06/14/91)
>> You've made my day. I thought I was alone in thinking having fun was at >> the top of the list of reasons we skydive. ... > >Let's do a 5-way funnel, get back together, and funnel it again ! Hiya folks, I haven't jumped in nearly three years but I lurk out here in R.S anyway. One of the things that really bugged me was the skygod attitude -- "You were *four* degrees out of rotation!! You *screwed up* the jump, man!!" Frankly, turning 150 points in 4000' just wasn't a whole lot of fun for me. The most fun and memorable jumps I made were those that were somewhat derisively referred to as "shit dives." We're talking serious rodeo dives and horney gorillas, here. Not to mention tucking up my legs and funneling the occasional rock-unsolid four-way. But, hey, I was just doing this for fun, and a pig-pile at terminal is pretty fun! (OK, not so fun at, say, 3000') Horney gorillas were my favorite! The most we ever got were three people, tried it with four-ways but somebody always got blown away trying to lock all those legs together. I'm sure I will be compelled to jump again in the future. In the meanwhile, I feel I've given up a relatively safe sport for something significantly more dangerous when my wife made me sell my gear and buy horses... Happy Trails (& Blue Skies) =============================================================================== | Karl Maerz | Tektronix, Inc. | | | (503) 629-1193 | PO Box 500 MS 92-830 | THIS SPACE FOR RENT | | karlm@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM | Beaverton, OR 97077 | | ===============================================================================
mspurgeo@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU (Mike Spurgeon) (06/14/91)
In article <1991Jun12.192502.247@asuvax.eas.asu.edu!gtephx>, wyzenbeekm@asuvax.eas.asu.edu!gtephx (Mark Wyzenbeek) writes: > In article <16230004@hpqtdla.sqf.hp.com>, barry@hpqtdla.sqf.hp.com (Barry Smith) writes: > > You've made my day. I thought I was alone in thinking having fun was at > > the top of the list of reasons we skydive. ... > > Let's do a 5-way funnel, get back together, and funnel it again ! Those of us who jump a lot in West Virginia claim that the state RW record is a 9-way funnel, up one from the previous 8-way funnel, and I'm sure we have at least as much fun as the rest of you out there. (actually, it _is_ only a 9-way, and 'world famous' at that. Check the back issues of Parachutist for details. We're limited by aircraft capacity.) Mike Spurgeon Internet: mspurgeo@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu