The Lunatic Fringe Podcast

It's been an interesting mix for Evan Santangelo. Like most kids of a certain disposition, he would go out of his way to try and find new and creative ways to have fun. From trampolines onward, he found a real joy in body awareness; so when skydiving entered the mix... well, there was little doubt that he was all in (even after getting sick on his first tandem.) Balance that with his work as a professional musician, and a pretty solid presence online and you get a guy that not only keeps it coming from all angles, but actively looks forward to the next phase in his Lunatic Fringe travels.

Back in the can after a busy "summer" off, Jamie Webster brings us up to speed on what it's been like chasing his Lunatic Fringe dreams of flight...

A recap of round 1 - Absolutely horrible. Having passed on the idea of a tandem and gone straight to AFF, Jamie Webster's instructors told him upon landing from his first jump that perhaps skydiving just might not be for him. Luckily, Jamie isn't exactly the type to take no for an answer, and from jump number two on things started looking up. Thousands up jumps later, and years of experience as instructor behind him he's solidly proved those first impressions wrong. Not that he hasn't had his close calls… In one of the most intense experiences shared on the podcast to date, Jamie fills us in on what it's like to spend time staring at the bottom of a 182, snagged, suspended and terribly threatened by gear designed to save lives, not take them. Jamie will be the first to tell you it is all about learning from your mistakes and close calls, proving why sticking with the Lunatic Fringe is his preferred path.

A second generation skydiver, there was never any doubt in Gonçalo Resende's mind that jumping was the thing for him; or more specifically, that the dropzone was where he belonged. Even from a very young age, it was the organization itself and the inter-workings of a dropzone that truly intrigued him. Small for his age at the time, jumping wasn't an option for him as young as he would have liked, yet that didn't stop him from racking up thousands of jumps by the time he grew out of his teen years. Wanting nothing more than to completely immerse himself in our world, Gonçalo thrived on everything from packing and rigging, through camera flying and instruction, and well into competition. A champion in his own right, his goals might not be what you would expect… Yet it's his goals and his drive to excel in every aspect of our sport that solidifies his place deep within the Lunatic Fringe. 

With aviation as the dream, but without the means, there was a real chance that becoming a pilot would have remained out of reach for Chris Rosenfelt, but he simply wasn't that kind of person. Working multiple jobs and having a mother willing to match dollar for dollar, Chris pushed hard towards his dream of becoming a pilot. Yet in modern aviation in the United States, simply having your pilots license doesn't mean much without opportunity. It was the world of skydiving that offered him a real shot at the career he dreamed of, even though it offered a fair amount of hardship and trouble. Now, after almost countless drop zones and a myriad of different aircraft, Chris not only works as a professional pilot, but helps mentor those looking to take the same path. With websites like skydiverdriver.com, he's working hard to give back to the lunatic community that has allowed him to move forward with his dreams.

Skydiving absolutely was not on the agenda. It was chemical engineering. That was the direction he had taken, and Brian Naiman was happy with the choice. But as it's been known to happen, skydiving snuck up on him, and a random invitation by a skydiver to join him at the drop zone let him down a new path. When everything from dissatisfaction at work to a pandemic got it the way, the once unthinkable became reality. Enter the new partner of Skydance skydiving in Davis California. Now, handling everything from social media to managing the upcoming scrambles in October as well as their film festival in November, Brian's journey towards the lunatic fringe is complete.

Twenty seven years and still going strong. When Matt Yount got his start in skydiving, tandems were just becoming a normal way to enter the game, and now… Now not only does Matt find himself a tandem examiner but he finds himself traveling the globe helping to share our sport with individuals and skydiving federations worldwide. With trips to incredible places like Nepal, Iceland, the Maldives, Egypt and many more, he is absolutely one of the authorities on what it takes to make it as an international tandem instructor. A lifelong member of the Lunatic Fringe, Matt may have a bunch of years behind him, but he'll still l be going strong for sometime to come. Now, with his sights set on giving back to the skydiving community as a board member, he wants to put his lunatic past to good use!

With childhood roots firmly planted in Pennsylvania, Amish country to be exact, the tribe that was Crosskeys in 2005 was about as different as you could possibly get, but different was exactly what Kylie Rhodes was on the lookout for. It was under canopy on her very first jump that she found herself asking her very charismatic and handsome tandem instructor how she could do 'this' for a living. Before she knew it, she was working in manifest alongside Liz Mann, one of the greatest ever to touch a DZ microphone who, in rather short order assessed that Kylie might be a little more high energy than even the CK office could handle. The perfect shift? Hanger master, and the awesome responsibility of being one of the first people in skydiving most of the customers back then would interact with. Yet it wasn't until she found herself working in a Florida tunnel that Kylie would help establish her own version of the CK tribe she had become a part of. Now, almost 20 years after it all started, the memories of her beginnings within the Lunatic Fringe are still as strong and wonderful as ever, even if slightly fuzzy around the edges.

Spending a solid portion of your first skydive trying to figure out how to get back in the King Air might not be how you’d expect a championship skydivers career to begin, but that’s exactly how it went for Richö Butts. A self proclaimed mellow child, it wasn’t until motorcycles entered his life that Richö Started to see the appeal in a slightly more ‘radical’ lifestyle. Even with motorcycles having become a passion for him, one might think an individual whose profession is risk assessment might be a bit more adverse to it in their own life - yet from skydiving to rally car driving, motorcycles to aerobatic aircraft, BASE and more, there’s simply no doubt Richö Butts has a real thirst for the Lunatic Fringe side of life. 

From jump one, Sherry Schlater Butcher wasn't just all about jumping, she was all about the process of learning - and of teaching. For her, skydiving turned out to be a perfect mix of the two, so when she found herself swimming in the deep end almost right away, it was with a real purpose. From static-line to AFF, Tandem Instructor to Skydive University coach, Master Rigger to AFF Examiner and all the way through to National Judge and DZO, there pretty much isn't any role that Sherry cannot fill. Once again on the path to retain her long held an consequential seat on the board, Sherry Schlater Butcher proves that the Lunatic Fringe has much more to offer than a bunch of one trick ponies.  

Boiled down to the basics, Matt Fry is all about the big stuff. Having learned to balance a productive job in the 'real' world against outlets like skydiving, climbing and mountaineering. He may not exactly leave himself a lot of free time to just do his own thing, but that suits him just fine. From state records to the big 200 way coming up in Chicago, Matt sees his drive for adventure sports leading him from massive groups of friends holding hands at 150 miles per hour, to the solo endeavors deep in the mountains he loves so much. Add to that his desire to help those with similar aspirations, and it's easy to see that Matt Fry will be hanging with the Lunatic Fringe for the long run.