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As we progress through the winter it seems it will be over in no time.
The Invasion at Skydive Sebastian was a success with almost 300 registered jumpers! Thanks to all of the SDC jumpers who came down to support the boogie. As many of you as there were it was like we never even left home! Both of the Otters were turning throughout most of the Invasion, and the Caravan got to fly a few loads too.
It was another awesome party to bring in the New Year. Early in the night the full blue moon could be seen with a halo around it. Jeff Nebelkopf kicked off the night with his ice sculpting. Shutter Bug, the opening band, rocked out followed by DJ’s Jason Powell, Jay Bone & Rook spinning until the wee hours of the morning. Thank goodness it rained all of New Years Day!
Thanks to all of the staff that worked hard to make the Invasion happen. If you haven’t seen the beautiful ocean view jumping at Skydive Sebastian it isn’t too late. The DZ is open 7 days a week flying one of SDC’s Otters.
Some of you may have heard about the ice jam in the Fox River. Dayton was declared a disaster area as the levels reached near record highs. Water levels reached about 25 feet, and flood stage is 12.
The flooding forced many people to evacuate their homes. Luckily, the DZ is set on high ground. When Rook received a call from the American Red Cross, asking to use the hangar as a shelter for the evacuees, he didn’t hesitate a second to say yes.
Just around the corner is the 8th Puerto Rico Freefall Festival taking place February 10-15. For those of you who haven’t heard, the boogie has just been moved to a new location. It will be held in Vega Baja, which is about 30 minutes closer to San Juan. The following is the official announcement made by Jason and Viviana:
We want to start out thanking everyone who's supported and attended this boogie throughout the years, spreading the word, and making it what it is. This years boogie promises to deliver everything you've heard about and experienced and more. There's some rumors and changes to the boogie that will now be addressed. Due to govermental changes, lack of support from the same government, port authority abuses in contracting and dealing with skydiving - the venue has changed location. We have been displaced and battling for access at our airport for the last 6 months, after having had access for the last 5 years, the way many boogie goers and regulars have come to know. This battle came to a head a month ago, where the issue became cancel the boogie, or move it...
For more than the obvious reasons, canceling was out of the question!!! We refuse to lose the momentum of this boogie (366 jumpers last year), and let down all the folks on their way here. The boogie will be in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico on a private airstrip. The strip is 25 to 30 minutes east ( closer to SJ) of the old location (Arecibo), on hwy 22, exit #32. Its named Cuylers, after the owner. We realize the inconvenience for a number of folks with reservations at area hotels, and tried to balance it against the inconvenience of not having the boogie. We again apologize for the inconvenience, and can only promise to deliver what devotees and new attendees have come to expect from this boogie and heard about. With the heavy port authority yoke off the boogie, and our own place to cut loose, this boogie promises to be like none before!!! On-site after hours drinking and parties, bonfires, on-site camping, all a reality now. The boogie rocked without it, how about now?!
We now have 3 beach landing areas, with a natural swoop cove 200' across and bordered by sand. For the lesser experienced, we have a 1 1/2 mile long beach that runs paralell to the wind. Stay tuned for google earth coordinates to all 3 loacations and see what it's all about!!! This boogie had a 3 pronged salvation that consisted of a generous man with an awesome 3,800' grass strip, the local FAA FSDO and local ATC management, and their coordinated efforts to make this happen.
I can’t wait to be in sunny Puerto Rico. The views are incredible with the whole island visible from altitude. Rook will finally be able to take off his pilot’s hat and do some organizing during the boogie! For more boogie details check out: http://xtremedivers.com/boogie.shtml
Shortly after the boogie in Puerto Rico, some of the SDC staff will be headed to South Padre Island, Texas for the entire month of March. We will be operating a DZ out the Surf Motel And Beach Bar, and will be landing on the beach. Experienced jumpers are welcome throughout the entire month and we are planning to have a boogie March 12-14. It is just a basic get together boogie and at least a ‘B’ License is required. For more information on Skydive SPI visit: http://www.southpadreislandskydiving.com/Home.aspx. Bring your friends down to do a tandem on the beach!
If you have not yet purchased your 2010 jump package CLICK HERE to view prices and download the contract.
If you haven’t already marked it on your calendar the Battle at Midway is June 12-13. This 4-way FS and VFS money meet is a great way to test your skills midway through the summer. Open and Advanced categories in each event following the FAI rules. We already have confirmation of Airspeed, Perris Fury, and possibly the Golden Knights. We plan on using rated judges and electronic scoring for the meet. We also plan on a total purse of over $10,000!
The following is a post from Rhythm:
SDC Rhythm XP Tunnel Skills Camp
Looking for a way to brush up on your freefall skills, or just a fun skydiving-related getaway? A tunnel trip is a great way to do both. SDC Rhythm XP (www.rhythmskydiving.com) has scheduled tunnel camps during throughout 2010 at the Paraclete XP Tunnel in Raeford, NC (www.paracletexp.com), the largest, most powerful wind tunnel in the world.
How it works:
We have a RW skills curriculum that covers a range of skills, breaking out common RW flying into specific skills. We can also tailor our coaching to whatever you'd like to work on most.
During the camp, your time will be split across multiple sessions throughout the day. Before each session your coach will prep a series of drill dives with you, explaining how to do each dive, setting goals and walking through the dive flows. During each session you'll fly 1.5 - 2 minutes at a time with your coach, and then discuss, debrief and walk dives in between each flight. After the session, your coach will debrief your flights with you from video, and tailor the next sessions jumps to follow up on the video debrief. At the end of the camp you'll get copies of your video on DVD. Here's a video from a previous camp: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seuNsk2KwAs&feature=channel_page.
For experienced tunnel flyers or teams, we're also running a 4 way curriculum, which would either be 2on2 or 1on3 - please ask for more details. If you want to just join the group, and freefly, or get other coaching, we can arrange that as well.
Dates:
Feb 5-8
Feb 26-March 1
Mar 26-Mar 29
Apr 16-Apr 19
Apr 30-May 3
Jun 8-9
Aug 20-23
Oct 1-4
Nov 5-8
Dec 10-13
*you do not need to be present for all days -- just what is practical for the amount of time you want to fly. Days will fill up on a first-come first-served basis. For 1 - 1.5 hrs plan on being there for 2 days. If you're new to Rhythm camps, please contact us to discuss further.
For more details visit www.rhythmskydiving.com. We have already had a lot of interest, and expect it to be a fun crowd. Come join us! If you have ANY questions, feel free to email (janette@rhythmskydiving.com) or call (312)543-4857.
Many of you are aware of the new campground policy going into effect in just two short months. To review it again CLICK HERE. Once again, there will not be any exceptions to this policy and I encourage current campground residents to plan accordingly. I will be emailing out the new contract soon.
I look forward to seeing more fellow SDC jumpers in Puerto Rico and South Padre, Texas!
Erin
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