Ddog's SkyMag Conundrum

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>I offer these extraordinary jumpers, who have made substantial
>contributions to BASE:
>Mark Hewitt
>Dennis McGlynn
>Will Oxx
>Martin Tilley
>Moe Viletto
>Todd Shoebotham
>Robin Heid

I have heard some of the names, but what have they done?

Atle

[imported_Mac]

>I have heard some of the names, but what have they done?


Alot - but without as much video and public forum presence?

Just my worthless 2 groats worth.........


Peace to DW.........

[Yuri]

Avery,

I will gladly sign my name under the following statement:

>"Dwain has contributed far more to our sport than any other single
>individual, EVER".

Further on, i will respectfully agree that you were asleep during the past decade.

There are many remarkable individuals in this sport, but DW clearly stands out as the brightest jumper of the last few years. Just to sum it up briefly: undoubtly the best BASE jumper in the world that pushed pretty much every limit of the sport light years ahead and shared his knowledge and experiense with others so extensively that most of us can now push the same limits a bit further. A lot further, actually. You just have to be willing to learn from somebody who is far better than you - not an easy task for an average base jumper.

I feel this subject touches into basic psychology. It would be interesting to analyze why IPBC comps died out and if it had anything to do with Slim and DW being the best... ;-)

Plenty of respect to everybody on the list.

bsbd!

Yuri.

[base428]

Avery, your name should be on that list also!

I think a more appropriate term for Dwain would be "father of BASE aerials", although jumpers have been doing aerials for many, many years.

The jumpers on Avery's list above were BASE jumping when some of you were still in diapers.....longevity in our sport is something I truly admire.

------------
Jason Bell (BASE428)
Email: jbell@vertical-visions.com
Web: www.vertical-visions.com or www.bridgeday.info

[imported_Tom Aiello]

> but without as much video and public forum presence?

I found Dwain's jumping quite a bit more impressive than it's public perception. I think his reputation captured less than half of how good he really was.

I was far from his constant companion, but I did do enough jumps with him to know that his skill set far exceeded his publicity.

--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@mac.com

[imported_Tom Aiello]

Don't you think it's a little inappropriate to take issue with good things said about someone as a memorial?

The purpose of eulogizing is to say all the great things you can about someone, to help everyone remember them in the best possible way. A certain amount of hyperbole is expected, and acceptable, at times, and the eulogization of a fallen friend is definitely one of those times.

For the record, I believe that Dwain Weston was, at the time of his death and for several years before, the best BASE jumper on earth.

I also believe that he, and everyone else you have listed (except for that Yuri guy, who is he, anyway?) has given far more to this sport than I will ever be able to.

--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@mac.com

[imported_badenhop]

Tom,
No, I don't think is is inappropriate. I made many jumps with Dwain. (I keep an accurate log-book of each and every BASE jump I make). He sure was a gifted jumper, and if I had been present, I would have had good things to say about him at a memorial. This post is addressed to one person in particular, and poses a direct question about a firm statement which I find untrue, and an insult to many LIVING jumpers. There will never be any single individual who will deserve the title of 'Greatest Contributor', as it is the collective effort of all BASE jumpers to advance the sport. There is only one true father of our sport, and even he made an error which went against advice that he himself would have given, and it cost him his life. There is a huge difference between being highly skilled in certain areas, and being the biggest contributer EVER. And the best of the best have come and gone. Nik was the best, but made a choice that was not recommended, and unwise, cost him his life. Skypunk was the best, but an error in judgement cost him his life. Rob was the best, but even against advice from more experienced jumpers, made a choice that cost him his life. I could go on, there are many dead BASE jumpers whom many of us knew and respected. Some of the best died outside BASE jumping. Frank was the best, but it was not a BASE jump that killed him. It brings up the case of Dwain, who died outside the sport of BASE jumping. I have seen with my own eyes, Dwain doing fantastic BASE jumps. I have also seen with my own eyes, Dwain just scrape through by a hair. Are there any of us who have not done both?

An aside to Yuri,
In another forum, you wrote:

Yo !
Just like any other pilot, a birdman ought to look in front of him and avoid obstacles - be that a wall, a canopy or another birdman. Not quite a rocket science, just basic VFR ;-) You have unbelievable amount of control in a wingsuit - something most jumpers don't understand until they begin to fly.
Seriously, though: it is naturally very easy to avoid things in front and under you........snip
bsbd!
Yuri.

Did Dwain go out of his way to hit that bridge?
(Ddog, any comment?).

If my partners and I had not created the platform known as the IPBC, then many jumpers would not have had the inspiration to be the best, Dwain included. Yes, he was one of our champions, and it gave Dennis McGlynn no greater pleasure than to be beaten.
(Or else someone else would have started a BASE competition, and you could hammer them for trying to bring organization into the chaotic world of BASE). I myself am just an average BASE jumper. Not outstanding by any measure, been to the hospital, pulled off a couple dangerous tricks here and there, and had some close calls. I am alive today, but may not survive my next jump. I hope nobody jumps up and says I did any more than my fair share of contribution to a sport that I have a strong passion for.......

[Yuri]

>Did Dwain go out of his way to hit that bridge?

On a form: i find it a bit strange that you as a moderator of BASE Board want to discuss issues that belong to a skydiving forum (or pinning your own threads on top of the board, for that matter).

On a matter: here you are touching a sensitive subject that is inappropriate to discuss on any public forum. Either you do not have all relevant information, or you act in a rather evil manner. What i posted in a wingsuit forum deals with obstacle awareness, and that is completely irrelevant in a case where a pilot is very well aware of an obstacle and arrives within two feet of his goal - a precision any experienced wingsuit flier can wish for. Any further discussion can be had in private.

>If my partners and I had not created the platform known as the

I assume this was in response to my remark? I did not talk about creation of IPBC but rather of its demise.

bsbd!

Yuri.

[imported_badenhop]

Well Yuri, you know what they say about assume....... so, assume nothing.

Form?
Okay, so it's a bit strange, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

Matter?
You did not post in a wingsuit forum, it is a BASE forum on dz.com and the subject was about mid-air collisions. Are you saying that Dwain was trying to get that close to the bridge? After promising to stay a 'safe' distance from the bridge? And why should this discussion be held in private?

[imported_Tom Aiello]

>And why should this discussion be held in private?

Perhaps it is in the best interest of our sport, and it's future, to have the discussion in private.

Perhaps privacy will help protect those who are friends of our sport (or friends of each of us individually), who are still alive and have things to lose.

Dwain is gone. I believe our task now is to comfort, help, and protect those who remain. Having spoken with Dwain a bit after Nik's death, I am certain he would feel the same way.

--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@mac.com

[imported_Tom Aiello]

Disclaimer: I haven't read the article, so all I'm working from is the quotes Avery provided above. (Anyone want to email it to me?)

>...a firm statement which I find untrue, and an insult to many LIVING jumpers.

I doubt that it was meant as an insult to anyone. It sounds to me more like a case of offering tribute to the fallen.

I count everyone who has posted to this thread (what's that, three people?), as well as Doug, as friends. I hope you think of each other the same way. I sincerely hope that the death of another friend will not come between us any more than it already has.

Is there any way we can all just agree to disagree, and move on?

--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@mac.com

[d-dog]

Tom just alerted me to the latest "BASE jumpers having ego-stroking problems" issue to arise in the wildlands of the bitch board. After I stopped laughing about how totally idiotic the entire discussion is, I was able to compose myself enough to sit and write these words.

I've not see Skydiving yet, so I'm in the dark. The only words I shared with Sue at the magazine were during email conversation in which I (and several other folks) were encouraging her to write some sort of article regarding Dwain's death. Something more than "Dwain died, blah blah." Many of us were also asking her to eschew using the pathetic little weasel as the author of this particular article.

Thus, Sue had asked me (to paraphrase as I choose not to share private email in a public forum) "why should we waste valuable column inches covering Dwain beyond just saying that he died?" To which I replied, I think he's contributed more than any other single person to the sport of BASE.

Am I biased? Well, gosh golly I suppose I am. Dwain taught me to jump and over the years, I jumped alot with him (Avery, I log every jump to minute detail as well, does that make my cock just a big longer right alongside yours?), I hung out with him alot, I considered him my best friend (well I guess dear old Ray and JJ get their Jockeys in a bundle over that one, as if I could give a f u c k what they think about my relationship with Dwain). I tried my best to prevent what happened in Colorado, and I failed. I'll be haunted by those events every day of my life, until the day I die. Nothing anybody says - least of all the pathetic, immature whining of emotional toddlers like JJ - has the slightest impact on any of this.

So, yeah, I guess I do indeed believe based on the data I've collected in my puny 4 years in the sport of BASE that Dwain had a big impact on this sport. Want to argue about it? Go argue by yourself, I don't give a rip if you or anybody else agress or not, Avery. I don't give a bowl of urine what you think, frankly. Want to be insulted by my comment? Go for it! Want to be angered? Get angry! I could not possibly care less, either way.

Dwain's memory need not be "defended" by me or anybody else. Dwain's life, how he chose to live it, is it's own "defense" and no mere words from anybody hold a candle to the reality that was Dwain. He didn't need a manipulative, spoiled little shrew to try to "slay any dragons" for him, he was quite capable of doing what slaying needed to be done all by himself. Sadly, the one "dragon" he could not slay by himself was lead to his door by the same person who now claims to "defend" his memory from the harsh light of reality and of choice.

But now he's dead, and words won't bring him back. If you think he was a come-lately punk focused on publicity and not worthy of respect, well that sure says alot about your own personal insecurities now doesn't it? Jealousy and envy are easy emotions to spot, and ugly ones to watch parade across the public stage. Did you hear that, JJ?

As to the rest of the implied content of this thread, well anybody who hasn't heard what truly happened in Colorado is either living in a concrete bunker without news access, or is simply in denial about reality for one reason or another and we sure know a few of those who spouted their vitriol in public as a bulwark towards their walls of denial. Anybody else who slipped through the firestorm of truth intersecting the false patina of "grief," well my email address is pretty well known and the words I posted at DZ.com continue to reside on my hard drive and are available for anyone who is able to accept the reality of Dwain's choice without pissing themselves in their rush to stick their head in the soft sand of denial.

I guess that the censors really think it is "too sensitive" to discuss in public. Whatever, I don't give a rip one way or another any more. I feel Dwain's (and Nik's) loss each and every day, the bleating from the sheep of the "BASE community" is about as relevant to that as a fly buzzing in my ear.

D-d0g

[imported_Mac]

>> but without as much video and public forum presence?
>
>I found Dwain's jumping quite a bit more impressive than it's
>public perception. I think his reputation captured less than
>half of how good he really was.
>
>I was far from his constant companion, but I did do enough
>jumps with him to know that his skill set far exceeded his
>publicity.
>
>--Tom Aiello
>tbaiello@mac.com


Sorry it was with no disrespect I answered this - I was just trying to make a point that the others on that list were not as well known - (apologies this has moved slightly off thread)! ;-)

be safe all...........

[imported_badenhop]

Tom, the article in SkyMag is very long, much too much for me to type out to send you. Wish I could, but I'm a hunt and peck typist. The story is well written, and pages long. On the final page is a quote from Doug, which he just confirmed in his post, that Dwain contributed more to this sport (BASE) than any other person ever. My initial post was just to pose a question to Ddog to back that statement up. I agree, we are all BASE jumpers, and thus share a kinship. But it is like a family, you do not get to choose what family you are born into. There are some in our BASE community who are intelligent, whacked, disagreeable, ornery, ignorant, immoral, spirited, individual, you name it, they are here. I think it would be impossible for us all to just 'get along'.
I had hoped to entice a tangible response from Ddog, specifically the exact points and merits which brought him to the conclusion that DW had contributed so much to our sport, in fact "THE MOST". Ddog did not successfully give an answer. What he gave was a long dissertation with dragons and shrews and all the rest. Huh? Ddog's post reads more like a fairy tail? Why is it that he cannot give a straight answer? Ddog, how about plain modern English?
Last month, Ddog made some reference to suggest that DW may have taken his own life on purpose, I do not believe that theory. This month, I read that it is his opinion that DW was the greatest! How do those two ideas not seem to meet?
If DW wanted to end it all, why not down some dark alley?
If he was so great, why would he use such a public performance?
These concepts to me just do not make sense. I seek answers and truth. If there are any in our presense who cannot handle the truth, then it is my opinion that they are in the wrong sport. What seems to be the truth to me is that BASE, and parachuting in general, is dangerous. The best of the best can make mistakes which can lead to death. Why should I not voice my opinion publicly? Who should I protect? The dead, or the would be's that will follow in the footsteps of "greatness" only to find out just too late that it is not so easy?

[imported_Tom Aiello]

Do you know who wrote the article? I'll try to find a copy somewhere.

I was thinking that the event sponsors could be facing legal action, and might not appreciate public discussion which could be used to cast aspersions on their choice of jumpers for the load. They gave a lot to all of us by giving us the event. I think we owe them some consideration for it.

--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@mac.com