BRIDGE DAY CANCELLED

[imported_badenhop]

I just got the official word from West Virginia.

From JBELL:
The Bridge Day Commission (BDC) reports that Bridge Day was cancelled due to the extra cost to double the security to more than 60. Here's some simple math for those wimps on the BDC.
30 extra officers X 8 hours X $30 per hour = $7200
Hell, let's just round it way up to an even $20,000 as a safety factor.

Wow! $20,000 really compares to the millions that will be lost for WV and the local businesses. Here in WV, the news on the street is that our new Governor Bob Wise is pissed that the BDC cancelled Bridge Day due to funding and then they tried to get additional funding just to MOVE it to another location. Does this make sense to anyone? Not me. Why not try to get funding for the extra officers first, before you cancel Bridge Day?

So when's the next BDC election anyway? Time to get some people in there with basic math skills. Perhaps the NPS had something to do with this also.....

http://www.wvgazette.com/news/News/2001100446/

[guest]

well, it will give me another year to get everyone's year 2000 video out to them.:P

[pringles]

It is really to bad that it has come to this now. If this post is really true, then for those of us that were registered are we going to get back our registration fee? Also how hard is it going to be to get our deposit back from the Holiday Inn?

Matt
bsbd:'(

[guest]

THAT SUCKS!!! x(

I will be the first to say, though, that you have nothing to be sorry about, Avery. Everyone knows (or should) how hard you guys work to pull this off every year and we understand that this is out of your control. Thanks for all of your hard work over the years, we appreciate it...please pass our gratitude along to everyone else.

Keith

[guest]

man i can't believe my own email. i've never jumped at b-day and i think i was looking forward to this more than christmas when i was a kid. thanks badenhop for trying. i sure was looking forward to meeting all of you. maybe next year?
cya:'(

[base428]

If you're still coming to WV that weekend, send me an email. We've got plenty of other "stuff" in the tri-state area to enjoy.

Jason Bell (BASE428)
jbell@vertical-visions.com

[guest]

I feel the same as GP up there. I was totally stoked about going to B-day, thanks for the efforts to all involved, look forward to meeting everyone eventually...until then TERRORISM SUCKS....}>

[guest]

i know that many people suffered far more tragedy than being denied a legal jump from a bridge,and my condolences go out to them,but that doesn't make this suck any less...it seems that there is always someone out there more than willing to #*@# things up for others...Vic....how was the "a" last nite Blair? G.P.?

[guest]

oh well, no more BASE jumping for the gawkers--no more commercialization of our sport through the selling of BD videos. Now, "Bridge Day," as it's called--THAT'S extreme skydiving. Why doesn't it happen earlier in the summer so all the gawkers/skydivers can plan to hit it on the way to/back from Quincy or some other lame boogie? It ain't that bad folks, there are more bridges, even NRGB is still there, it's just the lame that won't be showing up to watch you.

[guest]

Sorry to hear about this, Avery. I know you and the others have worked hard on this and been through the ringer the last few weeks.

I suggest that you keep at least a portion of our registration fees to cover your time and expenses even though the rug got pulled under you by the powers that be. I am sure most all registrants will support this - you should not bear that cost alone, since we all benefit from your hard work.

Frankly, however, I was planning to skip Bridge Day this year anyway. Too much law enforcement scrutiny for this 'ole dog. While I can understand the concerns of the authorities about any large collection of Americans in one place right now, I don't get how BASE jumpers are the prime culprits for domestic terrorism. Seems a little over the top to me, but what do I know?

Anyway, Avery, here's to some good jumps and less pressure on you for a while anyway. Come up to our neck of the woods for a bit - we'll show you a good time and plenty of fun B's to boot.

Peace,

D-d0g
ddog@wrinko.com

[Donk]

Well...

I can't even put it into words. I vote you keep my registration fee donate it to one of the relief funds established for the WTC/Pentagon victims. Maybe the non-BASE supporters will realize their is more to us than they know.

Donk out!

[guest]

I vote with "DONK". I can spare the "small" registration fee. Especially when considering the "HUGE" ammount of work the BDA has actually gone through to pull this off. Whatever happens with the collected fees should be the choice of the BDA. Thanks again and though I'll miss the crowd, the "party ain't over"!
BASE476

[imported_mknutson]

http://www.wvgazette.com/news/News/2001100446/

[base428]

The Bridge Day Commission (BDC) reports that Bridge Day was cancelled due to the extra cost to double the security to more than 60. Here's some simple math for those wimps on the BDC.

30 extra officers X 8 hours X $30 per hour = $7200
Hell, let's just round it way up to an even $20,000 as a safety factor.

Wow! $20,000 really compares to the millions that will be lost for WV and the local businesses. Here in WV, the news on the street is that our new Governor Bob Wise is pissed that the BDC cancelled Bridge Day due to funding and then they tried to get additional funding just to MOVE it to another location. Does this make sense to anyone? Not me. Why not try to get funding for the extra officers first, before you cancel Bridge Day?

So when's the next BDC election anyway? Time to get some people in there with basic math skills. Perhaps the NPS had something to do with this also.....

Bridge Day or not, you can't put out the fire that burns deep inside each BASE jumper!:P

Jason Bell - BASE428
jbell@vertical-visions.com

[guest]

This event is held every year and is an event that is stupid and a waste of time. It should have been cancelled along time ago, stupid idiots jumping off a bridge trying to kill themselves. Get a ##### gun and do it right. I think at this time it is better to understand the reasons it was cancelled and shut the ##### up and let us do our job.

[guest]

>I think at this time it is better to understand
>the reasons it was cancelled and shut the #####
>up and let us do our job.

And what is your job exactly?

[guest]

...what is your job, indeed. Further, why do you waste your stupid time buzzarding this site? Better to understand yourself.

cya&-)

[guest]

i assume this isn't the real will forshay...? but that's really funny....
cuase if it is, or if that @$$hole reads this. thanks man, i finally got your PATHETIC video, and you didn't even get my landing, instead you duped on the same set of about 40 landings twice. you dumb@$$... good thing for the real Will that all the base jumpers are so ticked about not being able to jumpat all this year it overshadows the spite we have for Will...

anyway.


>well, it will give me another year to get
>everyone's year 2000 video out to them.:P
:*

[guest]

Fu(k you, a$$hole!

If your job is anything remotely related to this event, then you have already failed miserably, without even making a good faith effort.

You are a goddamn coward piece of sh1t!

[guest]

First I want to say THANKS to Avery and Harry and everyone else who worked so hard this year, only to have Bridge Day canceled.
As to the money involved, talk about pennywise and pound foolish...
Well , I figure that I spend about $500 each year on Bridge Day ( Hotel, meals, pictures, T-shirts, etc.,) . All the airlines have great airfares to Europe right now, even on short notice ( At least they don't turn tail and run like the BDC in West Virginia ). I think I'll have my Bridge Day jumps in Norway or France this year. I invite everyone else to do the same.
As to the threat of terrorism on Bridge Day...
Has anyone from the Bridge Day Commision told Bin Laden to pull that big red pin out of his world map targeting Fayetville, West Virginia yet ?
I mean really...no disrespect to WV, but do you think he has even heard of you?
Maybe thats it!- The National Park Service and Bin laden are working together to stop BASE jumping

C-Ya!
Dangermonkey

[guest]

This is exactly what I have been telling the media for 2 weeks. Here's something you may not have known: We have a hidden underground bunker about 40 miles from the bridge that was going to house the entire Congress of the United States in case of attack. It cost many millions and was a secret for 40 years.

Why did they pick this area for it? Because most Americans have never heard of WV (much less our enemys). So we have the perfect place to hide.

The leaders of my state are simply jumping on the "we're important too!" bandwagon. If it werent so sad...it'd be laughable.

Now....

Just a fair warning to anyone who might still come to WV (as several said they would) :

Don't even LOOK at the New River Bridge. Security is so tight that anyone caught even studying it is subject to interrogation. There are a minimum of
6 guards on the bridge at all times. There are also guards parked at either end. These people will be there for a long time it seems.

If you come within 500 feet on foot... you're taken for a nice ride in a police car.

This is one time that bandit jumps could get someone shot (literally)

Blues

Cool

[base428]

Ditto on the cops guarding the NRGB. Living here in good old WV has it's avantages when it comes to small town news such as this. A friend of mine reports driving across the NRGB Sunday with cops at both ends guarding it. This is reportedly due to the recent US attacks on Afganistan. You can expect it to be guarded for sometime.
On another sad note, here are the phone numbers for those on the BDC if you care to express your displeasure for the cancellation of Bridge Day due to lack of funds:

Keith Spangler 304-465-5617
Bill Laird 304-574-4259
John Witt 304-574-4290
Elmer Hess 304-469-4341
State Police 304-469-2916
NPS 304-465-0508
Fayetteville PD 304-574-0255

While I understand the security concerns, even during war, we should not alter things such as Bridge Day because of the tremendous financial and social damages it will have on thousands of people.
I'm gonna miss seeing all my BASE buddies at Bridge Day this year! Many of you are like family to Jennifer (my wife) and I. And Jennifer was just as upset as I was about the cancellation!!

Maybe next year, my friends......:'(

jason bell
base428
jbell@vertical-visions.com

[guest]

Well D-dOg...I'm happy to see you don't have a problem spending other peoples money. It does suck for the BDA and everyone else who planned on going to B-Day this year. Oh well. However, they are not puttingon the event so I want my money back! I'm sorry for all of the time Will and everyone else has put in but that's part of the job. If they don't like it, they should resign from doing it.

I'm sure I'll get flamed on this but I don't care. The registration fee was for Bridge Day. NOT to cover the time someone put in for a NON-EVENT!!

So, when will the registration fees be returned to the registrants? Hopefully quicker than Will got his videos out last year.

SKYDIVNEKD

[brothermuff65]

who and the f--k are you and what cowardly outfit do you work the president says get back to normal and thats what we should do not run and hide and cancel all gathering sounds like nps wimp or other gov dipsh-tif you dont like it dont watch it but dont stop us because you cant hack it :* :*

[guest]

The BDA accepts the responsibility to spend the time "pulling off" this event. If they feel it is too much, they should not accept the position.

They did NOT "pull off" the event! It was cancelled. For whatever reason, it was cancelled. How can the promoter choose to keep the money or not? If that were the case, they could promote anything that wouldn't be "pulled off" and then keep the money.

I paid for a B-day event. I did not pay for a NON-EVENT. The refund should be left up to the registrant and not the BDA.

SKYDIVNEKD

[base311]

Yes skydivenekd, I must admit that I was a great bit perturbed by d-dog's appropriation of my registration fee, as well. I did give some consideration to the fact that there are folks out there who've suffered a far greater loss than I and I thought, perhaps, I was merely overreacting to his having encumbered my funds. However, I think my biggest gripe here is not so much that I can't afford to miss out on the money should it not come back, but on D's speaking for everyone (and especially their money).

Now, all that having been said, send mine to the red cross and send me a receipt denoting such.

peace,
Gardner

[imported_Tom Aiello]

At this point, I'm glad Bridge Day was cancelled. It freed Avery up to give me an incredible Day of Bridges right here at home.

Thanks Avery, you rock! That place is an amazing playground (found a fifth one today)!

--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@ucdavis.edu

[guest]

Isn't there an obstacle below?

[guest]

This message is for every one involved in the sport of BASE jumping and the cancelation of Bridge day.
I think if you can cancel an event such as bridge day for the reason of safety (large numbers of people in one area) I think every other sporting event such as Sunday foot ball should be cancelled.
Also I think a thank you to Jim Guyer should be posted for his great attempts to have bridge day rescheduled. Who by the way is the worlds oldest BASE jumper no offense Jim, hes the coolest guy you could ever get to know, He is planning on a jump on an anonymous date on el capitan some time in the near future, and another jump in eastern North Carolina if your interested in the location drop me a line at freeflyaz@hotmail.com
Thanks Buster Newman

[guest]

Sorry Buster and no offense, but we cannot reveal these sites over the net and only very carefully to anyone else.
And the one that you were helping me research is not in Eastern Carolina but the one you have climbed west of where you live.
I sincerely hope that you understand.
I am only responding because I don't want to imply to the other guys that I would reveal the location of a site. I would never do that.
Respectfully,
Jim