My thoughts on the IPBC

[bps]

Hello -

Even though I dislike all of the bickering on the BASE Board, I wanted to take a moment to talk about the IPBC in hopes that newcomers to this sport can read about a supporting view -- in hopes that they don't pre-judge the IPBC before they have a chance to meet the people involved or participate in an event.

I believe that the IPBC has done a lot for the sport of BASE jumping. Some people say that the IPBC has done nothing...well, here is just a few examples of the positive things the IPBC has done for the sport:

1) Pick up a video-copy of the 1st or 2nd Annual Tombstone Challenge. On the tape you will see dozens of openings greater than 90 degrees, line-overs, wall/talus strikes and much more. For the landings, you'll see people landing their canopies *all* over the place.

Now take a look at this year's competition. To the best of my knowledge, there were only 2 openings greater than 90 degrees -- a 100 and a 155. On landings, the difference was even more noticeable. This year, landing outside the circle was the rarity where just getting near it was good 5 years ago.

All you had to do was show up and watch and you could see consistent, good solid BASE jumping skills from everyone.

Through competition, jumpers have honed their skills and it clearly shows. Certainly, you don't have to a competitor to improve, but competition helps fuel that desire to improve and I think it steepens the learning curve.

2) The IPBC has provided an avenue for jumpers from around the world to gather in one place and learn more about each other's jumping styles. I believe Tom Aiello has summed this one up best: Where else can I sit down down and have dinner between 2 people that have 700 and 900 jumps respectively?

Two years ago I showed up at the 3rd Annual Tombstone Challenge with 8 BASE jumps under my belt. I volunteered to work for the event and learned so much in the week I was there. I met dozens of BASE jumpers that I looked up to just as much then as I do now. I walked away with tons of new-found knowledge and a burning desire to one day stand up with a trophy in my hand just like Slim, who won the event that year.

3) The IPBC has shown the world that BASE jumping could be considered as a sport. This doesn't mean that it has to be a sport for you...if you would rather keep it an underground challenge for yourself, you have every right. But some of us would prefer to enjoy the sport in a slightly different way, and I really don't think you should knock it for that.

4) Through competitions, the IPBC has gathered thousands of jumps' worth of data. I'd venture to say over 5,000 jumps worth of data. And from many different objects at that! These stats could be presented to land management agencies, our court system, the media, and many others -- and I'd venture to say that the stats represent our sport in a very positive light!

Conclusion: There has been some serious road-bumps along the way (mostly due to the wildy different personalities in this sport) but in the big scheme of things, I believe the IPBC has done ***ALOT*** for BASE jumping. I know its done a lot for me and for that I am very grateful.

If your dead-set against the IPBC, I respect your opinion, but I also wish that you could respect the feelings of others and not garner such hatred. If someone has done something against you that is truly wrong, I wouldn't dwell on it so much because in the end, people ultimately know who to trust and who not to trust and good things will happen to those who truly deserve it. Jump more and bicker less!

Now, to end this on a more positive note:

Something really cool happened this year after the competition in Moab...

A couple of friends and I went up to the top of Tombstone the day after the competition. It was fairly quiet...back to the way most BASE jumps are. After my friend Chad and I got to the top, the wind had picked up a little and it was fairly marginal at the exit point. While we waited around for the wind to die down, a small handful of spectators gathered in the parking lot. One particular man, unknown to us was standing there holding a stream of toilet paper for us so we could see what the winds were doing in the parking lot. He waited there patiently, until we were ready to jump...

Chad and I had perfect jumps and as we were walking out, we were greeted by the guy that stood there patiently waiting on us. As I walked up, he excitedly asked if I was Bryan Stokes, and when I replied yes, he turned to his friends and said, "This is the guy who won the event...and he also competed with Team ILL VISION!"

Shocked and humbled, I talked to him further and found out that he was a Moab local that was absolutely in love with BASE jumping. He had been coming out to the Tombstone Challenge as a hard-core spectator for the last 5 years. He knew all about the competitors and even asked me about the whereabouts of Slim. (he really liked Slim) His name was Karl and he was an older gentleman probably in his sixties, and for Karl, BASE jumping was the most exciting thing he had ever seen and he had no problem letting everyone know it.

As I stood there and visited with him for a few minutes I came to a sudden realization. Two years ago when I was volunteering my time at the 3rd Tombstone Challenge, I had a fairly long conversation with this man while I was working traffic control on the road. Little did I know that 2 years later I would run into the same man who's passion for the sport runs as high as mine and especially in this context.

Now that's pretty cool.

C-ya,

Bryan

[guest]

Bryan:

I have no argument with anything you say. As I emphasize in most of my posts, it was me who wrote about 95 percent of all the very positive press the IPBC has received in Skydiving Magazine -- for all the reasons you stated.

Unfortunately, the conduct of the individuals who run the IPBC in regard to Malaysia has been that of thugs, criminals, liars and grandstanders and if they don't shut up and behave themselves, they are going to ruin everything they have worked so hard to create.

It is incumbent upon people like yourself to tell these individuals to act right and quit being such utter jerks about the events in Malaysia.

They have in fact contributed a lot through what they have done in the U.S. with the IPBC, and, technically speaking, they acquitted themselves well in Malaysia too.

It is their personal and professional misconduct in those venues, and their CONTINUING misrepresentation of their actions at those events, that is heaping discredit upon them.

They are working overtime not only to steal credit from the people who actually organized and put those events together, but to destroy themselves and what they have created.

This is truly unfortunate because, as you eloquently pointed out, they have achieved a lot.

That is what is so puzzling about this whole thing, actually; they have this long list of accomplishments to point to -- yet they have this bizarre compulsion to declare that everything in BASE where they are even PRESENT is somehow THEIR doing... and then they attack anybody who challenges their lies and lays bare their megalomania -- and insecurity.

I encourage you to privately encourage THEM to stop their nonsense and act like decent human beings and reasonable professionals again. All of us have much to lose if they contuinue on their current dishonest and venomous course.

By the way, congratulations on your accomplishment at Moab. Whatever else may be going on with the IPBC, the fact remains that the Tombstone competition is in fact a legitimate test of basic BASE jumping skills and whoever wins the opening, landing and overall titles has achieved something of which they should be proud.

(So, congratulations to Brenda and Karin too) :)

Love,

Robin

[guest]

Well said Brian!

[CONFLO]

Great article! well written, non bias, independently created thoughts! i my self hope to one day see BASE, as well as other canopy sports, reach people with a sense of aw, respect, and appreciation. just like any other life risking sport you do not need to participate at any certain level, just enjoy it! i feel that our canopy sports are where snowboarding was 20 years ago and i am very excited to be a part of it and try and help the sports grow. i have been kayaking for over 16 years and back in the beginning a lot of people fought to keep it underground, but now because it has reached public appreciation they have built white water parks all over and embrace it in community events! thats where i want to see canopy sports going! it is like anything else though and if we do not police ourselves we will end up being restrained by the powers that be... unfortunately there will always be jerks thinking they own what is not theirs and bring poor image to those who work hard to legitimize what we love!