“Doing a great job Webmaster!!

“I am not a skydiver, my son Dave is, I was in the Air Force 5 years and never had to jump as a Navigator. The web page you produce is phenomenal and you have the time to compete too! I would be a nervous wreck.

“We live in Michigan and being able to see the teams on the computer during the last two Nationals has been fantastic. The only complaint I have is the names of the people under the pictures of the team never correspond with their positions in the pic, but the pictures are great this year, you can really tell who it is--got up close.

“My wife and I have been to Eloy a couple times to see Dave's team compete, so we have been there first hand to see the great fun.

“Good luck and keep up the good work!!

Thank you, Tom N.”

Tom, it is feedback like this that keeps this web site going. Thank you! I want to let everyone know that all the team photos are being taken by my father, Roy Wagner, who is thankfully now retired and able to spend time helping T1 and T2 cover these events. Every time we do a meet he raises the bar on the team photos. Roy also wrote the spreadsheets that drive the results tables and helps keep the web site updated.

The NJ Debate: The Webmaster's Position

As we have seen, the NJ (or 'J' on the scoring summaries, for “not judgeable”) is applied to scoring formations where the judges cannot see a correct formation or inter because of the video angle or video framing. This is most common on exits, but can happen at any point during a skydive.

My position is this: the J is a legitimate description for why a formation or inter is incorrect, but it should apply the same penalty as a bust. Many people will argue that this is an unfair penalty on the teams, but I hold that it is not. To find out why, read on.

The rules state that the teams must clearly demonstrate the correct formations and inters to the judges. Suppose this team has an inter between the first and second scoring formations where the judges cannot see simultaneous separation. That's a bust, right? The video angle is good, but not perfect, so two judges hit the penalty button (the team didn't show it to me) and one judge hits the NJ button (the camera was a little flat). This results in the collation seen in the table below (second scoring formation). Despite the fact that three out of five judges didn't like the inter, the team still gets credit for it. This illustrates the conundrum: at what point does a judge determine that the fault lies with the camera flyer or with the team? Should the camera flyer's performance and the team's performance be considered one and the same, or should they be regarded separately?

I, of course, hold for the former. If teams want the exit to be part of the skydive, then they have to include the camera in that equation.

My position is that the "J" should be eliminated from the scoring process; it only serves to hinder the integrity of the final results. Introducing the vagaries and inconsistencies of camera performance as a separate ingredient of the judging process is a disservice to those teams that are working hard to win a championship. Kill it, before it kills a winner.

When I earned gold medals at the 1993 and 1995 world meets, I'd like to think it was because my camera work was part of a team effort. I worked hard to make sure my team's performance was shown clearly to the judges. If I failed to perform, it would have, should have, reflected on them as well.

And a little side note to USPA and the IPC: Want to guarantee an exciting meet right up to the end of the final round? Make the final round an all random skydive and you'll see sparks fly until the “fat lady sings.” That would be cool.

Send your feedback to the webmaster and I'll post it right here.

Here! Here!

I agree. The camera flyer is as much a part of the team as any of the competitors and his/her performance should impact team accordingly. That being said, just as if a competitor misses a grip and the team is penalized, if the camera flyer does not capture the point, the same should apply.

When I was part of the Gold Medal 10 way team at last years nationals, I had to make sure that I captured when the last grip was taken and if I did not capture that grip, when it happened, the team could be penalized. *My team* could be penalized.

All of the participants are part of the team, not just those on the far end of the lens. It's a group effort and everyone's performance should be judged accordingly.

Mike Garza 
Aerial Dynamics, Inc.

Well said, Mike! 
- tim