United Parachute Club Sept. 29

by Frank Matrone

The Northeast held one of its most successful DQ camps so far! It wasn't the best as far as the largest completion or even the most completions but there was a great turn out of new talent and new CReW enthusiasts. Participants returned from Canada, Massachusetts, Rochester, Long Island, Maryland and PA. A group of experienced but new to DQ guys came from Gardiner. In all there were about 22 or 24 jumpers. It was nice to fill the Twin Otter with CReW. Sunday morning the first load went to CReW because the RW people were too slow!

At least a dozen Prodigy canopies were supplied by Flight Concepts. Thanks goes to them for coming through for us again! It seems people are having an easier time adapting to the different air foil. Maybe the instructors have figured out how to get the fine points across.

Lecture was held Friday night as usual to bring the new people up to speed. This continues to prove to be a very useful part of the camps. Ted, Aleth, Laura, and Frank worked Friday night to get through the lecture and to get everyone packed for Saturday morning.

The first dives ranged in size from two ways six or eight way boxes depending on experience. Locals Carolyn and Chuck made their first ever CRW dives with Ted and Frank. Uli, who had one CRW dive under her belt from the week before, did alternating base pins and stair steps with Aleth.

Of course as the weekend went on the dives got larger and many cases of beer were earned. There were at least three four stack awards and two CCSs earned. Everyone got the practice and experience we were all looking for.

This turn out is very promising. Plans are to have a practiced Northeast base that people could just show up and dock on! DQ has scheduled a CRW camp at UPC the first week end of every month starting April 1996. Come out and be part of what's happening!