Brian Buckland has really amazing prints of the 108-way for sale over on his blog, blog.brianbuckland.com.
Own a little piece of history, support an artiste and get a discount. I really don’t know what more you could want. Well, maybe I do, but they don’t sell that. Well, maybe they do, but it’s not legal. Well, maybe it is, but this isn’t Nevada, you know.
It’s official: Spaceland Force XP has the new world record for the fastest freaking turning around in the sky. Ever. Congratulations Gary Beyer, Christopher Ian Bobo (go Chris!), Eric Boyd, Thomas Hughes and Shannon Pilcher, for your 45-point 4-way at USPA Nationals last fall. This beats the previous record, held jointly by Commie pinkos. Go USA!
This feat is just one of the many that helped Thomas Hughes win several medals at Nationals. But, it was ultimately his lack of late-night drunken awareness that helped us liberate his medals and take them on a tour of the countryside. Today seems like a good day for a fond look back at the medals’ glorious road trip from Rosharon, TX to DeLand, FL. They met wonderful people: the gas station attendant in Orange, TX; the Whataburger girl; suspicious Baton Rouge baristas; eager valets in NOLA; crabs on Bourbon Street (hopefully only one kind); strippers and some sort of Russian dude; Mississipians; dogs; and finally, home.
Congrats, boys!
The band Nada Surf had a video contest: create a video to their new song “Weightless” and winner gets $3,000! Well, here, let the dude tell you himself:
Skydive New England’s Sean Rogan (featured in the November issue of Blue Skies Mag!) won second place for this video that we think you’ll like:
The Jump for the Cause 181-way women’s world record has been ratified by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale! Record
Jump for the Cause 2009 | Photo by Willy Boeykens
From the Dubai Parachuting Championships and Gulf Cup 2010, we got word that Jonathan Tagle has inched ahead of Marat Leiras to claim first place, with Jay Moledzki in third in canopy piloting!
In the 4-way competition, USA’s Arizona Airspeed beat out Belgium and France; the women’s results are France, Germany, Spain. And, in accuracy, it’s Christian Auswoeger, Quargaf El Hassane and Al–Suwaidi Matar.
Congrats to everyone! Full scores here.
Yesterday was the Winter Solstice, the official start of the countdown to summer. So what better time to report on the Endless Summer Boogie, held at Skydive San Diego November 21-22. It’s not possibly because this story has been sitting in my inbox for that long. No, that wouldn’t make any sense at all.
Endless Summer Boogie
by Chad
Nearly 44 years have passed since Director Bruce Brown and his ragtag crew tailed budding young pros Mike Hynson and Robert August across the globe with the ambitions of “following summer around the world”. The Endless Summer has since given birth to a way of life, a vibe, a longing to find what makes you happy and to simply go for it. Southern California’s crystal blue skies and wave-battered beaches no doubt evoke the very spirit that spawned the influential documentary. It’s this very same search for freedom, fun and family that lures skydivers all across the Golden State and beyond to Skydive San Diego’s Endless Summer Boogie. With world class load organizing, food, raffles, music, schwag, bungee-runs and beautiful weather, the Endless Summer Boogie has once again delivered and lived up to its lofty title.
Flyers at the Endless Summer Boogie are much like the diverse crowds of long and short boarders you’ll find scattered along the San Diego shoreline: a hodgepodge of young and old, new and well-weathered. Those that made their way to sunny Skydive San Diego were treated to load organizing from a broad array of talent and disciplines. Boogie-fevered freeflyers of all skill sets were rounded up by organizers Moo, David Gershfeld, Matt Lewis and Chad Ross. From three-way horny-gorillas to the Taft crew throwing down eight-way sequentials, anybody and everybody had an opportunity to get a little vertical. Not to be outdone, Gary McDonald, Julie Richter, and Padu Merloti led the horizontal front. Newbies and groms had a unique opportunity to partake in quality three-ways while the more seasoned boogie-goers were treated to multipoint big-way relative work. The end result: two full, safe and dynamic days of nonstop prop-turning fun.
Photos by Matt Lewis & Nick BoydAnd what would a boogie be without nightlife? As a heavy marine layer sleepily rolled in over head, the mood shifted from dirt diving and packing to rehashing the day’s shenanigans. During dinner, boogie organizer Matt Lewis raffled off Performance Design and Apex swag along with apparel from Gravity Gear, not to mention the handful of lucky ticket holders scoring killer deals from Cookie Composites, Velocity Sports Equipment, Precision Aerodynamics, UPT and Liquid Sky. As an added bonus, a bungee-run competition was held for anyone up for the challenge. Winners from both a men’s and women’s heat collected a handful of free jump tickets. A margarita slushy machine not only illuminated the course but aided in “rehydrating” the whiplashed racers.
Under a crisp San Diego night sky, DJ Moo set the vibe for the remainder of the evening with an imaginative compilation of music spanning generational genres. If one was lucky enough to catch it, even Terry (the drop zone’s veteran pilot) was doing a little twist and shout. In retrospect, the boogie-goers were doing what they do best: boogieing. Aided by an early southwest sunset, the party waltzed its way through the night in truly Endless Summer fashion.
The same year Brown was in the midst of filming his now epic documentary, a kite builder by the name of Domina Jalbert was in the process of designing what would later become the first of the ram-air canopies. The wonder and excitement of those days has fueled a growth in both sports. Brown’s was the sea, and ours is the sky. One thing will never change, however. And that is the spirit and passion to find and capture what makes you happy. Skydive San Diego’s Endless Summer Boogie is just that; a tide pool of people looking to find what makes them happy and, in turn, happily finding what makes this particular boogie so unique.
If you have our November issue, you know there are many compelling reasons to visit sunny Florida for all your jumping needs this winter (Cali, you’re next on our “Traveler’s Guide” list.) If you do not have our November issue, you can subscribe right here, super easy!
Back to the topic at hand, Chris from right here in DeLand, brings us news of some low-key big-way action:
There is an informal group meeting Saturdays at Skydive Deland for introductory big-ways. Martin Sutton is organizing group skydives for people who want to learn and get experience on larger formation skydives. He has the blessing of the DZ and folks like Carl Daughtery who participates occasionally. Here is a link to my YouTube site to see my 399th and 400th skydives on the big-ways. It’s been a lot of fun and everyone is learning a lot. Anyone is welcome to attend no matter your skill level. Everyone is considered in the dive plan so there is the best chance of everyone being in and gaining confidence.
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Blue Skies Magazine is the most kick ass magazine on the planet—if you enjoy flying your body or a flimsy fabric wing, that is.
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