What a start to the term's jumping huh!? With temperatures at the top of near -30C I'm glad I stayed at home!
Nonetheless, it didn't put off Kiki Chan and Richard Arthur from getting up there and doing their AAF level 1's with success! Congratulations, you are now one of us!
Unfortunately though, jumping was halted by the weather yet again, this time not by the wind or fog, but snow, resulting in a frozen-shut hangar and no skydiving :(
Well the weather might have beaten us this time but we'll be back and I think I speak for everyone when I say the party was pretty awesome.
Plenty of games, ridiculously embarrassing stories, jelly shots and 'THE WHEEL' seemed to help the night pass and I'm sure I wasn't the only one in a less than average state Sunday morning.
Keep it up freshers you're all fantastic and I look forward to seeing you on a weekend soon.
Here are the two competition jumps we managed to do when the winds just about allowed:
The first weekend of skydiving this term was the BCPA Indoor Championship 2011. Everyone will be pleased to hear that Warwick put in a strong performance, coming in third place in the competition overall, placing in both the 4-way FS and Tunnel Twister events:
4-Way FS Team (4th place)
Sam Lee
Alex Lane
Will Squires
Michael Bunting
Tunnel Twister (2nd place)
Sam Lee
Well done to everyone else who took part in the competitions, particularly our freshers who were among the best entries while being the least experieced!
Also, many congratulations to Antonia and Tony who got married in Sweden over the same weekend. All the best for the future from the whole club!
In the weeks since our last news update a lot of our club members have made some fantastic achievements in what has so far been one of the best years in the club's history. Below are some highlights...
A Licence
Peter Gambrill
Greg Eden
Vineet Sivadasan
AFF Level 7
Hugo Volk
Oli Sheppard
RAPS First Freefall
Arvind Aradhya
Ben Cadge
And, although technically before term began...
FF1
The Prez!
A full list of the club's achievements each month, including all first jumps, can be found in the skydiving forum. Congratulations everybody!
Only three weeks into term and we've already got 18 new members jumping out of planes with another 27 booked and ready to go.
We've had fantastic succeses so far and already have a new qualified member, with many other members making huge steps towards becoming qualified skydivers!
We've still got a few spaces left on our courses so sign-up and join the party!
All our information meetings have been and gone, but you an still sign up for courses even if you haven't been to one.
Taster Sessions!
In short, if you want to experience freefall safely indoors, come to a Taster Session, even drag a friend along! Great afternoon out and only £30.
RAPS
Want to skydive for £180? Got a few friends who all want to do a course together, sign up for a RAPS course. Each jump after the first is only £30
AFF
Got all the money to learn to skydive burning a whole in your pocket or just want to become a skydiver as soon as possible? AFF is the way to go!
If you have any questions no matter how silly, just send us an email!
Skydive Warwick arrange courses and taster sessions throughout Term 1 for complete beginners and new members of the club. These are held at Skydive Weston in Oxfordshire and details of the courses can be found here.
Dates of courses and taster sessions will soon be detailed on this website. We will also hold a number of information meetings in the first few weeks of term where you can find out everything you need to know about the courses, costs, requirements etc, and where you can ask any questions of our experienced Exec.
Skydive Warwick have come back from the BCPA Nationals 2010 as Competition champions for the second year running!
After a close fought year against Southampton, who unfortunately claimed the achievements league, could not shake us from the top spot in the competitions league.
In the individual league, 1st place was claimed by Garrick Foster-Taylor of Southampton, 2nd place by Sam Lee and 3rd place by Tim Gaines both from Warwick.
Warwick also placed 1st in the Midlands regional league.
A huge thanks to everyone who has taken part in monthly competitions and travelled across the country to take part in all the events, bring on next year!
*NEWSFLASH*
The most important election EVER has been completed. The 2010-2011 Committee of Skydive Warwick is:
President: Tim Gaines
Vice President: Michael Bunting
Treasurer: Martin Roberson
Training and Progression: Chris Horrobin
Social Sec: Claire Seymour
Sponsorship and Funding: Sam Lee
Good luck to all of you (and me) in what will hopefully be another successful year for the club!
3 weeks ago today 18 members of Skydive Warwick jetted off to sunny California in a group of over 112 British students for 2 weeks of luxurious weather, unforgettable skydiving and epic parties!
An amazing time was had by all, and the achievements made over those 2 weeks by our members is just astounding! The full list of achievements can be found here.
If you'd like to try skydiving for yourself then we are able to offer both AFF and RAPS courses for complete beginners throughout term 3. Simply register your interest on the sign-ups above and we'll arrange a course for you.
This term has seen a multitude of achievements from our members. From completing a ground school to winning BCPA national competitions, our members have worked hard to maintain our clubs place as the best skydiving club in the country! So here is a list of this terms top achievements!
3 newly qualified skydivers! Michael Bunting, Alex Lane, Chris Horrobin
C-Certificate + 200 jumps: Sam Lee
5 Hours Freefall: Antonia Nilsson
AFF Level 7: Gregory Eden
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Here are the results of this terms competitions! (Top 3 placed shown only)
BCPA Monthly Draw (February) - 1st place: Sam Lee, Tim Gaines, Greg Lucas, Phil Tzourou (Camera)
BCPA Indoor Championships
4way - 1st place: Sam Lee, Antonia Nilsson, Tim Gaines, Greg Lucas
A massive congratulations to Michael Bunting who completed his last AFF jump this afternoon and is now a fully qualified skydiver.
Mike started on RAPS in 2009 and after a fierce battle with dummy pulls and 5 second delays, he finally gave in and converted to AFF. Despite the dreadful weather, through commitment and perseverance, Mike has now obtained his A-license and is very close to getting his B-license already!
Once again, well done Mike. We look forward to jumping with you!!
Antonia Nilsson left members of Skydive Warwick reeling yesterday after dominating the pool tournament. After a fortuitous escape from a 7 balling in the first round caused by an accidentally potted black Antonia went on to win her group stage. She then won all her knockout matches to come away with the title of Skydive Warwick pool champion: congratulations Antonia!
After this a few members abstained from the rest of the social, notably Tim Gaines because his tooth hurt a bit and Sam Lee because he was feeling a bit tired.
Friendly drinking games began, much banter was had and we headed into Top B at about 11:30. A thoroughly fun time was had by all involved. Who knew that was possible at Top B?
Weston has been open for only 2 weeks now and already we've had a bunch of achievements!
AFF progress: Emma Pledger - Completed and passed level 1. Gregory Eden - Completed 3 jumps, passing levels 2 & 3. Chris Horrobin - Completed and passed levels 4,5 & 6. Alex Lane - Passed levels 5,6 & 7 and completed first solo jump Michael Bunting - 5 consols down and CH1 rating obtained.
RAPS progression: Chris Horner - Completed 2 static line jumps. Juliana Bois, Nicole Blake, Wang Wang and Hermanus Conradie -Completed a RAPS FJC
On the experienced side of things:
Martin Roberson - Passed his packing test Sam Lee - The weather finally held out and he completed his 200th jump, gaining his C-certificate. Antonia Nilsson - Achieved 5 hours of freefall this weekend.
Well done everyone! Let's hope next week is just as good!
Warwick claims gold in all 3 Competitions last weekend at the BCPA Indoor Championships!
The 4-way FS competition was won by Antonia Nilsson, Greg Lucas, Sam Lee and Tim Gaines.
The Tunnel Twister competition was won by Sam Lee with Tim Gaines in a close 4th, and Greg Lucas in 6th.
The Freefly competition was won by Phil Tzourou and Jenna Pickering in a combined Warwick/Southampton entry.
This was the first competition for many of our new skydivers and all showing excellent results!
Huge thanks go out to Sam Lee for organising the event!
Presenting the infamous BCPA Easter Tour 2010, which this year will be going to California, USA!!
With up to 100 students from around the UK attending (I don't envy the cabin crew of our transatlantic flight!), cheap courses, cheap jump tickets, cheap food and drink, amazing weather, unparalleled aircraft and some awesome partying; your Easter simply cannot be spent doing anything else.
The trip is Monday 29th March - Tuesday 13th April (16 days) and is open to everyone, whether you are a complete beginner, or an experienced skydiver.
All details and sign-up are available here. Deposits need to be received ASAP to secure a place at the current prices. We're taking existing RAPS and AFF students and running new AFF courses out there.
FEATURING:
- Over 200 students from around the UK
- Special BCPA-only bar prices
- BCPA DJs with awesome 4000W sound system, lasers, smoke & strobe - so be ready to party until the early hours!
- Bonfire and drinking into the night at Langar Henge!
- Fancy dress (No theme - just bring the best costume you have in your closet!)
- Massive firework display!
(and occasionally some Skydiving!)
The only cost is £5 for transport, so check out the details and sign-up asap!
In March '09, after a massive fundraising effort, over 220 Warwick students, staff and graduates successfully jumped from planes to raise in excess of £60,000 for over 100 charities. The event set the UK record for the greatest number of tandem skydives completed in one day (137!) and became the University's largest ever charity event.
Our goal for 2010 is simple: more money for your charities. Now taking place over two weekends, participants will be aiming to raise over £100,000 for charity, whilst enjoying the experience of a lifetime at the lowest possible cost. With two weekends of skydiving, entertainment and record breaking activities planned, we aim to provide the most thrilling and fulfilling experience available within student life.
So if you're interested in skydiving for just £5, raising money for a UK charity of your choice, and being part of the most exciting event at Warwick this year - The Great Warwick Jump 2010 is for you!
We have now held all of our information meetings for this term, but it is still possible to sign-up to beginners skydiving courses and taster sessions.
Our final information meetings are TODAY in Meeting Room 6 in SU HQ. One at 4pm, one at 5pm, and one at 6pm.
They only last approx half an hour and we'll explain all about how you can go do a solo skydive as soon as this weekend or do a taster session in a vertical wind tunnel for just £30.
Skydive Warwick arrange courses and taster sessions throughout Term 1 for complete beginners and new members of the club. These are held at Skydive Weston in Oxfordshire and details of the courses can be found here.
We would recommend anyone that is interested in joining our club or trying one of our courses to come along to one of our information meetings in weeks 1 and 2, held in Meeting Room 6 in SU HQ (the Students Union Admin Building - right next to the Piazza):
The British Collegiate Parachuting Association end of year 'Nationals' event was held last week and Skydive Warwick came away with more trophies than ever!
Achievements League - 1st Place
Competitions League - 1st Place
Individual League - 1st Place (Sam Lee) AND joint 2nd Place (Phil Tzourou)
Award for Contribution to the BCPA - Sam Lee
A huge congratulatons to everyone that contributed to this success!
Sam Lee (President of Skydive Warwick) was also elected as Chairman of the BCPA so will be in charge of organising all of the BCPA events and Competitions over the coming year, so watch this space!
With everything from FREE ALCOHOL and FREE FOOD, competitions for everyone from experienced skydivers to newly qualified and student skydivers, this is the event for YOU.
Oh, and it's only £5 thanks to our awesome budgeting. Now that's a bargain! (Need to sign-up before Monday 17th August to get it for £5 - normal price £40!)
The following socials and events are running in term 3:
Socials Week 5 - Monday - FREE Top B - link Week 9 - Saturday - Sports Ball - link - FULL Week 10 - Tuesday - BBQ and Sangria Social - Details to be announced
Skydiving Trips Week 6 Weekend Trip - BCPA Event at Weston - link Wednesday Week 9 - Weston - link
Week 10 Weekend - BCPA 'End of Exams' at Langar - link
Our Annual General Meeting is to be held on Monday 27th April in B2.12 (Science Concourse) at 6pm. Nominations for exec positions will be made on the day.
If you would like to come and talk to us about running for a position, the exec will be in The Dirty Duck in the Union on Thursday 23rd April at 7:30pm.
BCPA FAN-tastic 2009 (formerly known as BCPA Valentines!)
A day of flying around the worlds' largest skydiving wind tunnel followed by a party till the early hours of the morning, topped off with a day of skydiving!!
It sounds like a dream come true for any skydiver! Find out how you can join in here.
Open to all, complete beginners and experienced alike!
Well we're only 1 term down and we've now got 53 new trainee skydivers on the way to becoming fully qualified, 250 people taking part in Warwick's biggest charity event, and we're now the 3rd largest sports club at Warwick - unbelievable for a sport classed by most as an extreme / minority sport!
Every Easter the University of Warwick Skydiving Club participate in the BCPA Foreign Trip. This consists of up to 100 student skydivers from around the UK descending on a dropzone somewhere around the world, taking advantage of cheap courses, cheap jumps, great weather, and cheap drinks(!).
This year will be no different, and the details for the trip have now been confirmed.
It will be held in Spain between 28th March and 7th April. That's 11 days out in Sunny Spain!
All details and sign-up are available here. Deposits need to be received ASAP to secure a place at the current prices. This trip is open to all. We're taking existing RAPS and AFF students and running new AFF courses out there.
Highly anticipated, and back due to popular demand, The Great Warwick Jump returns for 2009. This year the event is not only set to break a Guinness World Record, but also to become one of the country's largest student-run charity events. First devised in 2008, the event offers Warwick students the chance to do a skydive for the charity of their choice, at a cost of just £4.
Sign up for The Great Warwick Jump 2009 is now open, but demand is expected to be exceptionally high this year, so readers are advised to register early to avoid disappointment. Any one who is interested in the event is encouraged to attend the information evening on Thursday 13th November, in Ramphal R0.21 at 7pm, where the event's Chairmen giving a presentation and taking questions. Check out www.thegreatwarwickjump.com for more info.
Our Dropzone, Weston, are hosting a huge (free!) fireworks party on Saturday 1st November, the same weekend as our first AFF course. While all lift spaces are now full for that weekend, if you want to drive or take public transport please post here and we'll give you details. If you take other members in your car we'll pay you £15 to cover costs.
1. Information Meeting
We're holding an informal Information Meeting on Monday of Week 4. Details here.
2. Socials
The week 4 social is at Top B on Monday night. Sign up here to get a queue jump!
Also, all pictures from the last 2 socials are on Facebook - check them out here.
3. AFF Course
Due to the incredible demand for AFF places this year, we're now holding a third trip! I know we have more interested people than places however so sign up asap if you want to secure your place. This will be the last trip this term and we're not sure if we'll be running any next term.
Places are being filled at an unprecedented rate for all of our courses!
Due to this high demand we have managed to secure a second AFF course on the weekend of 22nd and 23rd November and a second RAPS course on the weekend of 25th and 26th October. Again places are limited to just 6 for the AFF course and 12 for the RAPS course so please sign up ASAP!
Sign-ups for all of our trips are now active on this website. Please register on the website with you details and click 'sign-up' on the trip you wish to join. You will be prompted for payment once signed up so please follow the on-screen instructions.
Places are limited and we cannot confirm any further dates at this moment so please sign up and make your payment ASAP to guarantee your place.
For more information on all our trips and courses and for general information about the skydiving club and how to become a skydiver please attend one of the following information evenings in the UNION NORTH MEETING ROOMS: (Now called SU HQ)
Thurs 2nd Oct: 4pm, 5.50pm, 7pm
Fri 3rd Oct: 4pm, 5.30pm, 7pm
Mon 6th Oct: 4pm
Taster Sessions and Training Sessions for 2008/2009 are being finalised at the moment and the details and trip sign-ups will soon be going live right here on our website. Keep checking back and sign-up quickly as we expect high-demand for term 1 courses!
The Skydiving Club is pleased to announce a new home dropzone for 2008-9: Weston DZ.
Experienced jumpers will receive a discount on membership (now £10 until January), and jump tickets are just £20 with kit hire another £10. Good news for the RAPS students too - just £30 a jump! If you're a TA or OTC member then there are further discounts as its a military airbase.
If you'd like to come and check out Weston with us, sign up here.
Yesterday, at the Design Centre in London, myself, Rob and James attended the finals of the Real World Awards that we had entered back at the start of the year (view video here).
I'm very happy to say that we came away winning the Most Improved Club or Society prize, which consists of a trophy, certificate - and £3,000 for the club!
The British Collegiate Parachute Association (BCPA) Nationals took place last week, and the Warwick Skydiving Club (winners of the 2008- 09 Most Improved Club of the Year award) had quite a bit of success...
Warwick won the BCPA achievements League
Warwick came second in the BCPA competitions league
Phil Tzourou came second in the BCPA individual league
Robert Smith came sixth in the BCPA individual league
Phil Tzourou won the pre FF1 competition
Robert Smith came 2nd in the pre 100 jumps accuracy competition
Chris Worth came 3rd in the student accuracy competition
Ed Morley came 2nd in the post 500 jumps accuracy competition
Ed Morley won the BCPA trophy for Individual contribution to the BCPA
Ed Morley was elected as Chairman of the BCPA
At the Sports Fed Ball last night, the club came away with the award for Most Improved Club. Particularly commended was the increase in membership, and the amount raised for charity. Well done everyone!
Please sign up on the Help at the School Fete 'trip' above if you are able to come and help run the stall and chat about skydiving at Binley Woods Primary School on Saturday afternoon. All of the details are on the forum under 'Trips and Events'.
President - Louise Barnett
Vice President - James Richardson-Bullock
Treasurer - Phil Tzourou
Social - Sam Lee
Chairman of GWJ - Rob Smith
Chairman of GWJ - Nick Ellison
