Lunatic Fringe Into the Void

From Nervous beginnings in communist Hungary on military rounds with a reserve he had to pack himself, to Four-Way world meets to a stint packing for the Golden Knights and test jumps on Icarus canopies that would be enough to make anyone lay the nylon down and walk away, Attila Cszmadia has come a very long way in his time in the sport; and as the long time GM of NZ Aero it's safe to say there's a whole lot more to come. Join us as we talk about slow starts, fast canopies and growing up with the Lunatic Fringe.

At first glance you might not see a whole lot in common between Brazilian Jujitsu and skydiving, but if you look twice you just might be amazed. Ricky Rout, a black belt and passionate coach in Brazilian Jujitsu spotted the similarities between the two immediately, and put to work the mental toughness he'd earned through years on the mat to work for him in the air. Born in India and raised on the island of Guam where wrestling became a passion, Jujitsu seemed like a great fit as a "pastime" on his way to university; but like many deep in the Lunatic Fringe, pastimes have a way of becoming lifestyles. Join us on this edition of Lunatic Fringe as we speak about Jujitsu and skydiving, the mental game of each, the drive and joy continuing to learn can bring, and how a chance meeting with one of skydiving's icons put Ricky on a new path.

Florida kid born and raised, William Lux always had a slightly different idea of fun.  Tearing away from the police on the back of a motorcycle as way to get a little rush may have been fun, but skydiving turned out to be a much safer way to get his fix, and William took to it almost right away; although it wasn't exactly love at first jump...  Join us on this edition of Lunatic Fringe to find out about bouncing around the country, swooping the Amish, and exactly what William means when he says for work he "lays pipe".

Being a champion many times over is amazing. Having a reputation for riding the cutting edge of the sport you love is spectacular. Thinking outside the box and embracing new and bold and daring in a sport full of daring people is wonderful. But let's face it, being the parents your nine year old daughter looks up to and admires makes all that pale by comparison. Dunia Alhegelan, daughter of Omar Alhegelan and Cheri Johnson will be the first to tell you that traveling the world and jumping out of airplanes is something she's wanted to do forever, because well, dad does it, and does it really well! On this episode of Lunatic Fringe I get the whole family in on the act to talk all about life, love, travel, skydiving, mixed up birthdays and piercings. Join in and enjoy Omar and the family!

At 17 he knew. Well, he knew after he talked his mother into signing the release anyway. Marat Leiras showed his dedication to the sport of skydiving almost right away with a 400 kilometer drive one way to the dropzone just to get through AFF. With some serious skill, some wonderful luck and a whole lot of great timing, Marat managed to travel the world, train and jump with some of the best the sport had to offer and even marry the Iowa girl of his dreams; all without ever overstaying his visa!  join us as we talk about everything from wind tunnels and BASE jumps to what a crowd of 70,000 looks like from above.  All on this edition of Lunatic Fringe Into the Void.

It's the return of Mr. Tom Noonan to talk a whole lot about safety!  At a time when more skydivers are less current than they've ever been, Tom has great information, tips and advice on everything from canopy choices and getting back into the nylon groove, to AAD's and his personal take on Covid.  Join us for a super informative and safety based talk on this edition of Lunatic Fringe.

When you start out your life as a packing weight, you're either going to hate everything about our sport, or you're going to be in it for life. Luckily for Laurie Lubbe the latter is what happened.  The daughter of a French National and World champion in Style and Accuracy, she fell in love with the sport the first time she found herself under her own canopy, and never looked back.  Now herself a sponsored athlete by the French Federation, Laurie takes the time to tell us about what it was like growing up in the sport, her journey to the tunnel life and competitive aspirations, what she believes it takes to chase the title of "Champion", and what life for her has been like in the time of Covid.  Join us for a fun and upbeat chat on this edition of Lunatic Fringe.

Anas Bekkali.  Like a lot of us, he got his start in "Air Sports" almost completely by accident, and like most of us, it totally took over his life, and damn has he made the most of it!  Starting off as a pure "tunnel rat" and transitioning to the sky, he's managed to do a whole lot with his ten or so years in the sport.  From skydiving over Everest with the Moroccan Flag and jumping his countries flag back home (where he was invited to meet the king), to plans for jumping the great pyramids of Giza and an adventure show of Morocco, Anas is working hard to make the most of his time in the Lunatic Fringe.

I've always wondered what non skydiving mom's and dads think about the sport we all love, how they deal with the stress and fear, and how they handle dealing with their kids involvement in the Lunatic Fringe, so to find out, we sat down with Bonnie and Nancy, the mothers of Junior and I respectively to find out how they coped, and still do...  Slightly embarassing and fun, join us for a little family time

Rafael Schwaiger. He likes to fly in tunnels and sometimes he skydives. Perhaps the most ridiculously understated introduction any guest has ever given themselves on Lunatic Fringe.  Unless you pay no attention to what's been happening in the tunnel for quite some time, then you're well aware of just how talented and charismatic Rafa is. World Freestyle Champion and holder of so many other titles and accolades that I won't even begin to attempt to list them, I'll still be the one to tell you that I think his biggest accomplishment is being so exceptional at what he does, while still being a happy, fun and slightly out of his mind guy. Please join us as we talk all about Rafa's path down the Lunatic Fringe, and I describe what I get to see on camera that you can't!