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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!oliveb!hplabs!hp-pcd!kas
From: kas@hp-pcd.UUCP (kas)
Newsgroups: net.rec.skydive
Subject: Re: USPA Boogie Tales
Message-ID: <41800033@hpcvlo.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 12-Sep-85 16:58:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: hpcvlo.41800033
Posted: Thu Sep 12 16:58:00 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Sep-85 02:44:08 EDT
References: <41800023@hpcvlo.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard - Corvallis, OR
Lines: 61
Nf-ID: #R:hpcvlo:41800023:hpcvlo:41800033:000:3422
Nf-From: hpcvlo!kas    Sep 12 12:58:00 1985


     As usual, I sent Dane Meyer the latest activity from the Net, and he
sent back this reply to Will Martins' question about solo jumping.  I was
going to write a reply myself, but Danes' is so good I'll just say "I couldn't
have said it better myself".
     By the way, since this posting is getting terribly long, I'll post some
additional boogie tales under the title "Additional Boogie Tales".

							Ken Scofield

**************************************************************************

  You can post the following on the net if you'd like:

  As far as the guy on the net who thinks skydiving solo is where
all the excitement is, I guess he'll just have to get involved himself to
appreciate the joy of several folks in the air together attempting to
execute a common plan (more commonly referred to as Relative Work or RW).  

  I have to say that when I started jumping, I DID enjoy that feeling of
being alone, in control (most of the time), and experiencing the "rush"
and sensation of flying around.  But, as you continue jumping, you will
slowly run out of things to do -- you can fall stable, track, front loop,
back loop, barrel roll, fall on your back, no lift dive, combine that
to do a little style (2 repetitions of left-360, right-360, back loop),
reverse arch to slow down, fly backwards, etc.  Now once you have
accomplished all those things, many of us began to get a bit bored
because there isn't anything new to do.  Although all skydives are
very enjoyable and exciting, it may suprise you to know that a jumper
with 40-50 jumps or more would find a solo jump, just falling stable,
comparible to laying on the living room floor watching the Great
Outdoors on television.

  Although there are additional risks involved with jumping with others,
building formations, etc, there is just something special about being 
with your friends in this medium attempting to execute some planned
(or unplanned) maneuvers.  There are so many different formations and
different slots on those formations, that every relative work (RW)
dive is unique.  And, since the sport has a social side to it, there
is a great amount of enjoyment to discuss every detail of the dive
with others on the load.  The additional risks can be minimized --
and usually are.  There are many rules of the road that ALL jumpers
follow that I jump with, such as minimum speed docking, manditory
wide horizontal separation at break away time, awareness of where
the other folks are, hand waving before deploying your chute, hands
on risers upon openning to be ready to avoid any unexpected collisions
with other canopies, and many others.  Most accidents involving multiple
jumpers are due to obvious mistakes made by one of the jumpers.  However,
there are those very rare occations that you find yourself in a dangerous
position, even after following all the rules (like in the collision story
described on the net).  So as long as you are jumping with safety minded
people, the risks of RW are very small -- and the amount of fun doing all
the formations (and failing to do them) can only be appreciated properly
by experiencing it.

  On the other hand, I think it would be a great idea for those jumpers
who have done bunches of consecutive RW jumps, to go out and make a solo jump
just to remember and appreciate all the stuff you can do -- I can't remember
the last time I did a barrel roll or a front/back loop.

Dane