I have some exciting news…Skydive Chicago will be hosting 2010 USPA Nationals! Thanks to Rook who went to the USPA board meeting this past weekend to place the bid for Nationals! 
Wednesday we went on our first staff outing for the season! We went JetKarting just up the road in Norway. If you haven’t been already, you should go! Imagine driving a go-kart that tears around the track at 48mph! Needless to say everyone had a ton of fun! The Suburban Turbines took the lead on the track! Thanks to everyone for working so hard you are what makes Skydive Chicago such a wonderful place to play. 
There is definitely no shortage of people this year who are willing to throw them selves from an airplane for the first time! Saturday, we had a lot of tandems on the books and once the drizzly morning cleared to blue skies we were able to get them in the air! 
The Furies also hosted the 3-way scrambles event. The following is their synopsis on the scrambles:
The SDC Furies 4-way team hosted 3-way scrambles on Saturday, with eleven jumpers participating, ranging in experience from 60 jumps to over 800. Designed around a lighthearted competition, the day's focus was on teamwork and learning. Even though the day started off cloudy, the group got right to work, debriefing participants' past videos, learning exits at the mockup, and discussing general formation skydiving techniques. When blue skies finally cleared, the jumpers were assigned to 3-person teams, and the Furies coached the entire group through the dives together so that each team started off on equal footing. 
Over the course of three jumps, each group showed considerable improvements, not only in points, but also in cooperation and camaraderie. After a group debrief session where everyone learned from (and was entertained by) each other's video, the Furies recognized outstanding achievements of the day, including "Most Persistent," "Most Improved," and "Best Camera Intimidation." Congratulations also go out to the team "Dude, Yer Killin' Me," for inventing a new exit, the Double 360 Star! To close out the day, teams reconvened at the Tiki Hut for the inaugural round of Skydiving Jeopardy, where the competition was much more serious! (Stay tuned for the
new and improved Skydiving Jeopardy 1.2 coming soon. . .) 
At the end of the event the teams achievements were awarded as: "Most persistent" to Heather, Tom and Skittles; "Best Camera Intimidation" to Betsy, Rick, and Jeff Carpenter; and "Most Vivacious" to Beth Schipke, Holly Sherman, and Randy Seibert.
Skydiving Jeopardy turned out to be a big hit at the Tiki Hut…categories included dropzone gossip, 4-way, skydiving, and other. Thanks Gosia, Karyn, and Sarah of the Furies for hosting a great scrambles event, and an awesome round of jeopardy! I’m looking forward to Skydiving Jeopardy 1.2! 
Saturday night Genie’s Café served a wonderful English Style Roast. Don’t forget to buy your dinner tickets during the day to guarantee your plate for the night! We have added a section to our forums page for Genie’s Café so you can see the upcoming week’s menu. Click HERE to view the Summerfest menu.
I would also like to congratulate Tom Holan who did his 100th jump this weekend. 
Sunday was a beautiful day from start to finish and wheels were up by 8:30am. It was a full day with loads going all the way to sunset.
I am excited to say that Summerfest is only days away! It is always a fun event to host! Everyone has been working hard to get the dropzone ready! 
We will have registration open for the event starting Friday morning. You MUST be registered and wearing a wristband or else you will be asked to leave. Children 9 and under are FREE.
The first weekend we will be doing 40-way freefly jumps organized by Alchemy (Alaska Jon, Mike Swanson, and Rook Nelson). We will also be doing RW 40-ways the same weekend organized by TJ Hine and Max Meijer. 
The Pitts Biplane will be here for the second half of Summerfest from July 31st-August 3rd. To jump the specialty aircraft (Biplane & Balloon) you must have a valid ‘B’ License number.
Balloon tickets are almost sold out! There are only about 10 slots left to jump the balloon during Summerfest 2008 so contact manifest to get yours at 815-433-0000.
The Film Festival will take place Saturday, August 2nd. This year there will be CASH prizes to the top 3 places! Make sure your films are less then 7 minutes and are "PG' rated. Drop off your entries to manifest or find Rook any time during the event. 
For more details on Summerfest’s ever-popular nightly entertainment, load organizers, and more click HERE.
I look forward to having you all to Skydive Chicago for Summerfest…it is going to be AMESOME!
Erin
P.S. Don’t forget to vote for this weeks Sunset contest. We are voting to determine the best of the best from the past contests. Click HERE to vote. |