Welcome to 2009–the year of Jump for the Cause!
Thank you to all the women who have faithfully filled out forms and sent in deposits for JFTC. Your attention to details makes our job a pleasure. When Richard or I have to contact you to chase up details it takes time from other pressing JFTC issues. A special message for those of you who have received invitations to JFTC and have not yet filled out a JFTC profile, submitted an Event Registration form or sent in a deposit. It will be assumed that you are NOT interested in attending JFTC if these matters are not finalized by 1 February. Your name will be removed from the website and you will be placed on the stand-by list with the other women who have yet to qualify. We appreciate that there is time involved in filling out these forms, and that money can be tight–but we also are spending a lot of time on JFTC and we cannot afford to keep a slot open for a woman who is not 100% committed to this event. $500 now will be no easier than the remaining $3000 this summer and we do not want to wait until then to find out you are not attending. You may be able to reclaim your slot later on in the year–if the dive is not full–but we will not keep your invitation open past 1 February unless you have made prior arrangements directly with Richard. If you feel that you will not be able to fulfill your obligations to JFTC–for either monetary or safety reasons–then please contact me and we will discuss options.
We are hoping to have participant donation totals available on the website by the end of January. Thank you for your patience on this–Remember that Dawn, like most of us, is working on JFTC between other paying jobs. Please check the Forums and website thoroughly before asking her a question that might be easily answered online.
Chain of communications:
Kate–qualification and participation on JFTC. Anything to do directly with the nuts and bolts of the act of skydiving. Slotting and jumpsuit colors
Mallory—Media
Andrea–Sponshorship
Tony–formation design, aircraft choice. Square1 (official pro shop)
Melanie and Dan–Perris Valley Skydiving
Dawn–website
Doug — Financial & Donations
Karina & Adrian –EVERYTHING ELSE!!!!
Some details and updates:
THERE ARE STILL SLOTS available for JFTC ‘09. If you still need to qualify do not despair at the number of approved women. We are still 9 months in advance of this event and trust me–there will be many slots available in the following months. In fact I am in negotiations with Perris Skydiving to see about the possibility of an additional aircraft, allowing us to lift MORE than 175 women. We will build a new World Record with the best skydiving women in the world–even
if that number is over 175. Inevitably there will be attrition in the ranks as well for a myriad of reasons–I anticipate bringing women into the front line up right up to the start of our event. Just to complete a 175 way we will want 185-190 qualified women on site for the event–the first days of 60 ways will determine the starting team for the record dives.
Thank you to the women who have qualified, registered, and paid your deposits. I hope to have jumpsuits colors assigned for most of you by the end of February. We
now have the formation design and colors finalized and enough women have committed to the event to allow preliminary slotting to commence.
Now that we are in the same year as the event I ask all women to obtain FAI sporting licenses for 2009 from their respective National Aeroclubs. For some of you it is an automatic
part of your membership. Others will need to apply and possibly pay a fee. In the US please contact the National Aeronautic Association https://www.naa.aero/html/appsDownloads/membershipSL.cfm?CFID=1211733&CFTOKEN=21256373 and apply on-line–you DO need a sporting license. the fee is $39 and is in addition to your USPA membership (Which will need to be valid through the end of September, 2009. Please either scan and email richard@jumpforthecause.com , or fax a copy of your membership card or sporting license with 2009 FAI stamp directly to Doug as soon as you receive these documents. Having the documents at JFTC headquarters ahead of time allows our
judges to look for any discrepancies that might keep you from being a part of the record skydive. Do not wait until the last minute (especially in the USA) to order
these documents! You will NOT be allowed to partake in the record dives if the judges have any questions about your paperwork.
I have been looking at the profiles posted on the Jump for the Cause website and see that many do not have photographs attached. It is quite simple to upload a photograph. If you have a Facebook page you can easily use your profile picture from there. There are detailed instructions in the forum on the JFTC website that tell you how to upload a photograph to your profile. Dawn mailed me to say that she has lost some of the photos that have been sent to her. If you have sent her a photo and it has not yet posted to your profile then please email the photo to her again at Dawn Suiter and she’ll take care of it. Remember that these profiles ARE the face of JFTC and to see so many without photographs keeps your friends and family from being able to enjoy the full benefits of the website. You can also use the profile page for sponsorship simply by adding them to your email signature as I have (See bottom of this mail). Don’t let potential sponsors get away from you simply because you did not fill out your profile completely!
There are also some great sponsorship and fund raising ideas being posted to the Forum. Please use this method to share ideas. If you have a lead on event sponsorship at any level please contact our sponsorship coordinator Andrea Curthoys Thank you for your patience on receiving responses from Richard–he is handling literally hundreds of JFTC related emails each week and can’t always answer each one on a daily basis. Media queries and leads should go to Mallory Lewis
Now that the 2009 Big Way season is fully underway I also need to remind you that most of the JFTC team will be required to attend a formal 100+ way event prior to JFTC. There are many possibilities for this but do not think that I will let this small detail go unfulfilled. I truly believe the key to a successful Record lays in the currency, competency and confidence of all the participants and the single best way to reach the 3C’s is to get out there and SKYDIVE. I know it is expensive–but every record jump we make will also be expensive and if we can minimize errors by applying large formation currency then we will meet our goal. I will be contacting every woman in the next months to find out what her qualification plans are make to sure they are fulfilled. Do not risk your slot because you think that we are not serious about qualifications for this event. I have all respect for former freefall achievements but trust me I rank multiple 100+ way formations and current team jumping in this coming year before JFTC 2009 as high or higher than past records without currency.
The good news is that there are many events in the next 8 months available, the bad news is that many of them are full or close to full so if you haven’t made your plans yet I encourage you to do so without haste.
These are the remaining formal qualifying events for JFTC:
TSR Registration is closed for this event but many JFTC women are attending
P3 100 way camp 7-10 May Perris, California (note that the Big Way Camp the week prior may be required as a prerequisite for this event). The 100 way camp is filling rapidly but there are still some slots available. jen@square1.com is the registrar for those events.
The Arizona Challenge 21-25 May, Eloy Arizona This event is by invitation only through Arizona Airspeed but WILL count as a JFTC qualifier.
Eastern European 100 way 14-19 June, Poland. Registration is now open at www.bigways.eu Register SOON for this event–slots are filling quickly!
Perris Power Play 2-5 July Perris, California This event is by invitation only through Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld.
POPS World Record 18-20 September, Perris CA. This event will be to close to JFTC to serve as a stand alone qualifier but it will be a great warm up for any qualified women
who want to come to Perris early. Registration on www.bigways.com
Men’s World Record 23-27 September Perris, California. While this is certainly NOT a JFTC qualifying event this will be a very special opportunity to get our friends, mates, husbands, brothers, boyfriends involved at the same time we are. Registration is open at www.bigways.com and is filling rapidly. Please do not delay in getting your (male) friends to apply for this event.
In addition to the above 100+ way formations there will be JFTC coaching and Big Way training going on at the following events:
Thai Sky Festival Prachuap Thailand registration is closed for this event but JFTC personnel will be on hand coaching and organizing.
P3 Big Way Camp 30 April-3 May Perris, California jen@square1.com
Norwegian Big Way Camp end May Tonsberg Norway
Eastern European Big Way Camp 14-19 June registration open at www.bigways.eu (note this BWC is being held concurrent with the 100 way event) Register SOON for this event–slots are filling!
German 40 ways 23-28 June Berlin Germany http://www.gojump.de/uploads/tx_templavoila/Kate_Cooper_english.pdf
Belgian Big Way Camp 1-5 July Cerfontaine Belgium http://www.4xtremetime.com/en/pages/BWC.html
Irish Boogie and Record 25-29 July IPC Ireland www.skydive.ie
P3 Big Way Camp 3-6 September Perris, California. www.skydiveperris.com (registration not open yet)
We are very aware that these are not the only large or technical Formation skydiving events being held in the world over the next year. Some we are aware of, others we aren’t. What I can say is the above are events will be formal qualifying events and will have JFTC recruiters and coaches will be providing feedback and direction to women interested in attending this event. Other events may count as qualifying events but do not assume this without clarifying the event(s) directly with me. I am personally responsible for the quality of the women selected for JFTC 09 and I am taking this task very seriously.
I strongly recommend coached tunnel time with emphasis on fall rate and stability drills prior to attending JFTC. You can learn how to be FAR more efficient in both slow and
fast fall with more awareness of your own body position. Tracking dives are also excellent ways to work on being comfortable and aware in different tracking speeds. Lastly I strongly recommend a canopy control course–remember that on a large formation event the landings are not always on field, and indeed not always directly into the wind–you also may be wearing more weight than you are accustomed to and landing at a higher field elevation than your home dropzone. Success does not happen without planning and safety is, as always, our first and foremost goal.
I truly look forward to seeing you and jumping with most of you in the months ahead. This event is a passion of mine and to have the privilege to share ones passion with so many
fantastic, strong and talented women is a gift indeed. Please embrace my passion and make it yours for the next 8 months. Let us work together to make a difference–a difference for skydiving, a difference for women, and a difference in the fight against the terrible disease known as breast cancer. It is only together that these differences will be made and I look forward to sharing this journey with each and every one of you.
Peace, blue skies and pink suits…
Kate Cooper-Jensen
Mallory Lewis
Tony Domenico
Richard Seymour