June 13, 2005

June 6, 2005

Subject: Last Sunday...

June 2, 2005

My name is Claudia and I jumped this Saturday as part of the huge JMU group. First off, thanks so much for dealing so well with all of us. I know we must have been very overwhelming but you guys did an amazing job and I know that we all had the time of our lives.

Secondly I had a quick question...I ordered a video with my jump and I did have a videographer with me when I went but I just wanted to check back and make sure all that was underway and being taken care of.  Travis did my video, Paul was my tandem master and I jumped off plane 12 if that helps any thing at all.

And finally, and this is such a long shot, I had so much fun that I want to come back. I'm actually going to try and get up the funds enough to get a license and really jump, but while I do so I really want to stay in the environment.  While I was looking around the website there was a part that said you guys are looking for packers. Of course Ive never packed a chute before so I didnt know if that was for only experienced divers or anybody. If it is for whoever I would love to look into spending weekends up there packing for yall and enjoying myself. Just a thought...it may not even be a realistic one.

But thats it, I just wanted to check up on my video and see about packing...thanks again for letting us all come out!!
--Claudia

feel free to use my email in the testimonials, ill say even
better things if it helps you out, i could brag on you guys
for days!!

enjoy your day!!
Claud

April 18, 2005

December 15, 2004

I just wanted to send along my praise and gratitude to you and your staff at Orange Skydive. We had an amazing day with you on Sunday -- one that will remain in our memories for many years.

I jumped with Kate’s group in the last dive of the day. As you may know, Kate was diagnosed with leukemia on September 5, 2003. She was quickly rushed to the hospital and told that she needed to start treatment right away. The news kept getting worse which led to Kate’s transfer to Johns Hopkins Hospital a few days later. Luckily, Kate responded very well to high-dose chemotherapy and officially went into remission on September 19, 2003. She continued to receive treatment until March 2004. Those six months were filled with many alarming, horrifying and frustrating moments. But Kate has diligently worked hard the past six months to reclaim her life after cancer.

Kate wants to mark her remission anniversary each year with something special. This is what led our group to Orange Skydive. Sunday was a very special day for all of us. But we really had no idea how special it would become thanks to Lambert, Bob, Tony, Dennis and Tres.

I’d like to especially acknowledge Lambert. He was an excellent instructor and made sure that we were not only well informed about our diving experience but also gave us the assurance that our experience would be safe and fun.

And safe and fun it was. After several hours of weather (cloud cover) delays, Lambert rallied other instructors and video/photographers to make sure that our group got on the last plane and was able to stay together. I was lucky enough to be paired with Lambert. He talked me through every step of the process and made me feel like I was in very good hands. He even took the extra time to make sure that I had a soft landing since I’m running a marathon at the end of the month. If it wasn’t for Lambert’s leadership and care, my group wouldn’t have had as wonderful an experience as we did. In fact, we may have not gotten to have the experience at all on Sunday.

It was so amazing for me to see Kate’s huge smile return on her face on Sunday. As you can imagine, this has been an insane year for her. But her jump allowed her to celebrate her remission and make a fresh start for another cancer-free year. Plus, I think she’ll turn into a future dive addict.

I hold you and your instructors in the highest regard. You have a remarkable staff that knows exactly how to work hard and play hard – a motto I try to live by everyday. Thank you again for an amazing day!

Warm regards,
Janice Cori

October 5, 2004

Hey gang,

Many thanks go out to your excellent staff for making my, and my daughter's first jump (tandem), an exciting and very safe adventure.

She jumped with Paul T. and I jumped with "Ostridge".  I was impressed with both the professionalism and knowledge both of these fine men showed in preparing for and including our first jump.  You can bet this won't be the last time we jump at Skydive Orange.

Larry W. Lindsay  "60 and loving life"
             &
Danika  Lindsay

 September 2004

Ned,

Wanted to thank you, Ike, Ostrich, Dennis and everyone at Skydive Orange again for such an awesome experience yesterday! Vince and I loved every second of it! A day truly to not be forgotten and an experience I will share with everyone!!

Thank you!

Jacqui Delaney

September, 2004

I want to send this email out to everyone involved at Sky Dive Orange who
made my first jump on Sunday, a most memorable one.  From Amy (won't hold the
accounting mistake against ya!!!  Just kidding), to Mike, to Shane my Jump
Master- Dude you Rock!  I'm only hoping though that the kind of day we had
waiting isn't the norm for us Newbee's.  I guess you Mother Nature has a
mind of her own when it comes to teazing first time jumpers.  Hey, the club
is great, people are great and for that and the factor of the jump itself,
will bring me back for more jumps.  I'm spreading the word around work about
you all and I have someone already that is coming with me to jump.  My
question would be if I were to get a group of people to come, how many would
it require for me to jump for free?  Would we get some type of discount?
Just trying to get an idea so I can try to put something together.   THANK
YOU
AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tony Brula

June 8, 2004

I wanted to thank SOI and Event Horizon for sponsoring and putting together
the RW skills camp the weekend of May 8th-9th 2004.  I had a great time and
learned a lot that weekend.

I was particularly impressed with how the coaches were able to deal with a
variety of skill levels - one participant had an  A license with 23 jumps
and had not jumped for over a year and another participant had over 1,000
jumps and was using this as a review to brush up on his skills.  The camp
started off with a review of basic skills/body positions.  Reviewing the
basics was particularly good for a few of us (me included) to correct some
things that we had either forgotten about or had been doing wrong for
awhile.  As a result of the camp, the participants know how to plan a RW
skydive - specifically we learned some basic exits, formations, how to get
back together after we screw it all up, and how to get away from each other
to safely deploy.  We also know how to debrief and plan for the next
skydive.  In addition, the coaches did a great job getting us up in the air
and providing really useful feedback and guidance on what we need to
practice to be better skydivers.

I think one of the obvious measures of success is that there is a pretty
good size group of new jumpers that now know how to organize an RW jump and
are actually doing it.  The last couple of weekends at the DZ our little
group of newbee A license holders has jumped several times together.  We
still have lots to work on - but we are safely having fun and continuing to
learn and improve.

>From my perspective the camp was a huge success.  It has given me some
structure and guidance on things that I can work on and has made me into a
more frequent jumper (don't laugh at that one!) because now I have a
built-in group to skydive with and things that I can work on during each
skydive.  Hopefully Event Horizon will do another skills camp like this
sometime soon!  I would definitely participate!
Thanks-
Ingrid

May 25, 2004

Last Saturday, 1 May 2004, my son, daughter-in-law and I had the pleasure of
doing a tandem jump to celebrate my 60th birthday at Skydive Orange.  My
initial reaction when reaching the hangar was, "Do I really want to do this?
These folks look too laid back to be trying to convince me that it was safe
to put my son and daughter-in-law, and me, in their trust".

However, my reaction changed as the training progressed.  Shane McGroarty
did an outstanding job of taking us through the ground training.  A very
strong emphasis on safety, with the right amount of humor, helped dissipate
any fear that we had. Our tandem instructors; Shane with my daughter-in-law,
Melissa; Nick with my son, Iain; and Jason with me, were all outstanding.
Every single step was repeated to make sure we understood that we were safe
and each step of the jump from moving to the door to landing was explained
so that we'd know exactly what was happening and what to expect.

We had a great time.  Unfortunately it went too fast, so I expect we'll do
it again so that it can sink in.  Shane was right, he said that the brain
can go into overload.  There's so many fun parts  to absorb on the way down
and I found that I was afraid that I'd miss one of them.  I did, thus my
need to do it again.

To all of you; thank you for giving me something wonderful to celebrate on
my birthday.  You certainly made a marvelous day unforgettable.

Shane, Jason and Nick, thanks again! I look forward to doing this again with
you.

P.S. My apologies to Jason for me having him take the slow route down. I
know he wanted to go a wee bit faster, but being a Scotsman I want to get
the most hang-time for my bucks.

David Burns

I forgot to mention Dennis, the photographer. The video was
terrific.

May 3, 2004

March 30, 2004

from Silver Spring, Maryland

November 4, 2004

Richmond, VA November, 2003

I did my first tandem jump with Shane this past weekend and have not been able
to wipe the smile off my face ever since!  What an amazing experience!  You have
a wonderful operation going at Skydive Orange and between the people and the
setting - I could not have asked for a better experience.  One of things that
really struck me (even before I jumped) was how happy and friendly everyone was
at Skydive Orange.   In addition, Shane was a fabulous tandem instructor and
helped me relax and have fun.  He was the perfect blend of seriousness and
professionalism when it came to safety and instruction - and then knew how to
joke around and help me relax, have fun, and get the most out of my first jump.
I have tried to explain to people just how awesome an experience it was but I
don't think my words really do justice to it.  However - I have been told that
my excitement and my permanent plastered on smile help others to understand just
how great it was.

Before I work up my fear again I was thinking about trying to do a non-tandem
AFF jump sometime soon (maybe this Sunday or or the following weekend).  I am
not sure if I need to start over and do the category A jump first or what I need
to do since my first jump was a tandem.  I can't wait to feel the thrill of
jumping again and the peace of the ride down (however the landing still makes me
a little nervous).  Anyway - I wanted to check in to see what kind of
availability you had in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks again for an amazing experience and I look forward to hearing from you
about scheduling another jump!
Ingrid Schroeder
September, 2003

9/10/03

Hello,

  My name is Bob Hoeft and I jumped for the first time this past Saturday. 
I just wanted to send you all a note to tell you that I had a great time.  I
was really impressed with what a friendly and relaxed environment you guys
have, but at the same time people are very professional and knowledgeable.

  I especially want to thank Lambert and Rahlmo, who were my instructors for
my AFF dive.  They really helped me out - especially when I got some last
second jitters at the door of the plane (that first step is a doozy!).

  Anyway, my wife and I have settled on an agreement where I can plan to
jump one day every 3 weeks or so.  I intend to continue taking the AFF
classes so that I can eventually get my license.

  Thanks again and see you in 3 weeks or so!

- Bob

July 21, 2003

My name is Loretta (Lori) Shaw, and I just wanted to write you all a note and thank you for such a wonderful first experience in skydiving.

Donny Boss and I made our first jumps at Orange on May 3, 2003. It was a very long, cold day, but we got to jump around 5:30pm at 11,000 feet when the clouds lifted some. We loved it so much...

Anyway, I want to personally thank Shane (my tandem guy) and Dan W. (my camera guy) and Lambert (Donny's tandem guy) and Bobby P. (Donny's camera guy) VERY MUCH for making our first jump exciting and very memorable. We watch the tapes over and over and show them to all our friends weather they want to see them or not :)

It was a long day that day we jumped and we were the last tandems, but those guys were still upbeat and very pleasant and professional even though they were probably tired. So, please keep up the great atmosphere and great personalities!

Donny is planning on doing an AFF jump maybe in this fall or next spring. We will come to Skydive Orange for sure!

Thanks again!
Lori Shaw and Donny Boss

Summer, 2003

Hey Ned!! I just wanted to take a minute to write & thank you for the GREAT day of fun & excitement you and your entire staff gave me last Sunday!! WOW---it was F$#&*!G AWESOME!!! I did a tandem jump with Lambert while Elmo filmed the whole thing. The jump with Lambert was INCREDIBLE, & Elmo is a regular Spielberg the way he edited & produced the video....it gets better each time I watch it!! I also found them both to be TRUE professionals with GREAT senses of humor who made me feel very comfortable on my first ever jump. It was something I've wanted to do for a long time, but for one reason or another never made the time for. Having done it, & sharing the pictures & video with family & friends, some asked me if I felt "different" or "changed" in any way. I guess it didn't really hit me until the next day, what with the excitement of the jump & all that day, but I would have to say yes, it definitely did!! My only regret is...I wish I would have done it SOONER!! I know you guys do this day in & day out, & perhaps like anything you do over & over it may at times become routine or boring. That's why I'm writing this e-mail--to let you know what an AMAZING thing it is that you all do and on top of that, make look so easy!! I hope to see you all again in the near future--maybe in Skydive University!! Thanks again for a GREAT day & experience!!

Don Strawder 

P.S. One question. What's the story behind the 3 finger "gang sign" I see in the web site pics? Just curious. 

All the other signs were taken. SOI registered it several years ago year
when some gang in L.A. forgot to renew. SOI still leases limited rights to
Snoop Dogg, though.

-Rahlmo

11/30/02

 hey there
first of all, I would like to tell you that you made my 1st skydiving experience a blast and gave me a video that is awesome!! I love it!! thank you very much!!
I was out at the Orange skydiving place a few weeks ago with my husband and kids....don't know if you remember or not....but anyway.......thank you very much!!

second.......the video you made was great and I was wondering if you do any other kind of work like that besides with your videos from skydiving? I have always wanted to make my parents a video from a bunch of photos of their life together...their marriage, special events, pictures of me and my brother as babies, our marriages, our kids, etc.. and have it all run together and have music playing just like the skydiving video but have never found anyone that can do that..........can you do that with still photos, or would it have to be video? if you do anything like that, how much would it cost and what would I need to give you?
will you let me know when you get a chance?
thanks again!
deb curry

(This email refers to a video done by Dan Wayland)

November 18, 2002

October 19, 2002

October 19, 2002

Hey,
I brought my dad Dave to skydive for his 50 b-day and the day was totally
awesome! We both did a tandem jump and had a great time. I had a video made
of both of our jumps, Dan did my video. This guy is truly unreal, I have seen
several video of various friends and other people I have come into contact
with, their videos were OK and some were good but the way Dan did mine with
the editing and professionalism was truly remarkable! I had his website but I
am unable to get on, could you please respond with an email address or
website or phone number so I can talk to him about future video on a more
grand scale. I am looking forward to my next jump, hopefully this Saturday, I
would need to do my 2nd tandem. Can I just show up to do that or do I need to
make a reservation? Would the wait be the same if I was by myself? Please let
me know how to get in contact with Dan, you guys have a great asset in him, I
wish the guys who worked for me had 25% of his pride in what he does. Thanks
again for a great day, see you soon.

Jay Link

September 15, 2002

Hey, Skydive Orange-

I made My First Skydive last weekend at Skydive Orange. It was an outstanding experience, an outstanding stress reliever after the drive from Washington DC to Orange, Virginia. My freinds think I'm nuts since now skydiving is all want to talk about.

Bobby Wilson

September 10, 2002

I did my first dive this past Saturday - a tandem
strapped to Paul. 

I had a great time and have encouraged my friends and
coworkers to try it!

The video is great!! Thanks for the rush!!!

Chris Borgeson

July 29, 2002

What a GREAT way to break up the work week!

I wanted to thank you for calling me and letting me know about the
mid-week AFF jump.  I didn't get your voice message till I woke up this
morning and checked the machine... So I'm glad you tried me again.

LT (not sure what his real name is) and I had a great time, and
T-squared and Christoff were great as usual!  I'm really impressed by
T-squared's teaching style.  She must have been a trainer in some other
industry or teacher as well?

I got my 1st class C jump in, but the clouds moved in and Christoff and
I ended up with an uneventful plane ride...

Thanks again for making my week,

Hope to be back at SkydiveOrange soon.

Dean Koyanagi

July 24, 2002

Hi Ned,

We just wanted to thank all of you for such a
wonderful experience.  Along with a group of 12
others, I had my first tandem jump with you guys on
Saturday.  It was by far the best experience we've
ever had!  Your staff, jumpmasters and videographers
were excellent and did everything to keep things
smooth, calm and fun.  I was with Rich W and Bobby and
cannot begin to tell you how great they were on my
turn.  Please extend our thanks to them.  We will
definitely be back for more.  You guys truly throw out
a wonderful party!!

Thanks again,

Janie Layao

July 22, 2002

I would like to thank everyone down there for
the hospitality that was shown to the team.  I haven't had that much
skydiving in over 3 years and it was great to be back where I started, the
fun DZ. I hope to be back up there in the near future and hope that the fun
will continue.  Please put me down on your dz e-mail list and if there is a
way I can become a club member let me know.  Again thanks everyone and hope
to see you soon.

Geno

June 20, 2002

Hello, Skydive Orange!    I cannot thank the club, Lindsay, Waldo and Bobby
enough for making my tandem jump the most thrilling adventure of my life (so
far)!    Right away I felt really good about how serious everyone at Skydive
Orange takes their sport, and the attention to detail that goes into every
aspect of the tandem dive.   Waldo was the perfect Jumpmaster - fun and
laidback, and obviously loving every minute of what he does, but serious
enough to make a novice feel safe going along for the ride.   And what a
ride!   The video Bobby shot and recorded exceeded all hopes and
expectations.   His whole crazy persona helped calm my nerves, and his comic
touches on the video are outstanding! 

I was so floored by the entire experience, I was practically speechless for
at least 3 hours!   Just wanted to express my appreciation and thanks to you
all.   I hope to be seeing you again!  

Sincerely,

Karen Carr

May 3, 2002

May 13, 2002

See this website for some pictures of Jesse and Kristen who jumped here May 1, 2002

January, 2002

October 2001

Other things folks have said about us:

____________
"I feel a lot more like I do now that I did before I made that jump!"

____________
"I had more fun here on a regular day at Orange than I've had at most of the Boogies I went to"

____________
From a fine young lady:
"I think I wet my pants and it's not pee! Hee Hee Hee"

____________
After a first Tandem Skydive:
"WOW! I haven't felt like this since I learned to masturbate!"

---

 

All right, you've seen the good. Nuff said. But it's not like we haven't got our complainers too, like this little controversy brought to light by one of our riggers... And he seems like such a nice guy, too, I'd have thought he'd be more of a team player.

.

.

*Who really enjoyed their Skydive Orange experience, that is- I didn't mean to imply that we were going to tell you anything really personal about our relationships. Oops- did I use the R word? Now I feel really embarrassed. This is starting to sound like a really bad soap opera or something. I mean, I remember when my mom used to watch " As the World Turns", years ago with Dr. Hughes and Mr. Sandler and all that. That show was all about "relationships" whatever the hell that meant. This page is just about skydiving, not mushy nonsense like that.

Anyway, I hope you found this testicalmonial page informative.