Lunatic Fringe - Into the Void

At 13, she's the youngest tunnel coach out there; and although she's not much on bragging about her skills and doesn't really share what she does with her classmates at school, she's got her eyes on being a world champion one day and has a pretty good handle on just how good she really is. Soccer Mom and Dad to be sure, but on a whole new level are Sydney's parents Michelle and Andrew. As a retired skydiver himself, Andrew loves seeing his daughter embrace that which gave him so much over the years, and both he and Michelle have a pretty good handle on how to balance the still "wild" skydiver side of tunnel flying with the teenager they've let loose in our world! This one's a great listen! 

This podcast goes out from the Kennett family in loving memory of Greg Cummings who helped start it all.

Right out the gate she was breaking the rules in skydiving!  Drawn into the sport with family, jumping instantly took over her drive and motivation, and it's led her to multiple records, world travels and skills both in the sky and in the tunnel that most will aspire to but rarely achieve. Naomi Kotzee is a highly sought after instructor, coach and organizer, and because she's one of my closest friends in the sport, she's now no longer a podcast virgin. Take the time to listen in as she shares part of her story into the Lunatic Fringe!

William Booth. Bill Booth. Bill "Lord of the Three Rings" Motherfuckin' BOOTH! Astounding is all I have to say.  When you stop to think about literally all of the game changing inventions this man has brought to our sport, any one of which would put him deep in the Hall of Fame, and then put them all together... WOW! You have a man who has almost single handedly shaped modern skydiving into what we know and love today.  I can't lie, at least a few times in this interview I'm literally gushing with gratitude, because let's face it, without the BOC throw out pilot chute, the three ring system, tandems...  How many of us would have a vastly different life right now?  A wealth of knowledge and a great and entertaining story teller, it is my great pleasure to present to you Mr. Bill Booth on Lunatic Fringe.

With beginnings in the sport rooted in tragedy, Nicole Ludvik turned to skydiving as a way to escape a crazy corporate life and personal hardship by hitting every one of the fifty states from above.  An accomplished AFF and Tandem instructor, she's traveled the world with her husband and significant other, professional swooper and instructor extraordinaire Mr. David "Junior" Ludvik, and you can damn well bet she's got stores to tell!

After a more than close encounter with a tree at high speed, Jimmy McCarthy decided to take on something a little bit safer. Skydiving. Starting out at a high energy, high party factor dropzone in Western Australia,he moved into the life quite easily, and then slid right back out of the "normal" approach to working in the sport. A dedicated tunnel instructor and coach as well as a skydiving coach and speed skydiving competitor, this "Brit transplant" has some cool stories to tell, and great views on his duel sport life.

Embry-Riddle. Not exactly what you would naturally think of as the training grounds for a world class canopy pilot. Perhaps a world class airline jock, or in his case even an air traffic controller, but not the founding member of one of the sports longest lived and most accomplished canopy pilot teams in the sport of skydiving.  Curt Bartholomew began his career just like the rest of us; with that first jump. but then again, most of us didn't try (and almost manage to succeed) to complete their entire AFF course in one day! From balls out as a student to balls out with Alter Ego, Curt has pushed his own personal limits and those of the sport for quite some time now, and he's got all the stories (and scars) to go along with it.  Enjoy Lunatic Fringe Into the Void with Mr. Curt Bartholomew.

Seriously, a man after my own heart.  From tunnel flying, cart racing and his cursing (appropriately) kids, to random dropzone nudity, tutu's and a healthy ability to enjoy the inappropriate, Brian Casserly has embraced skydiving fully, as has his family.  The owner of pussfoot.com, Brian with and 'I' and sometimes with a 'y' goes out of his way to embrace the extreme lifestyle, all while successfully managing to lead a so called 'normal' life to boot! With Puss Foot he looks to draw together all things extreme, turning life with the Lunatic Fringe Into a global community, and hopes you'll be part of the gang! Listen in and enjoy! 

It's heading toward the end of the summer season, and I thought I'd take a little time to catch up with our old friend David "Junior" Ludvik and see what kind of shit my globe trotting swoop champion has gotten up to over the warmer months. Turns out the answer is quite a fucking lot!

Master Rigger, Tunnel Instructor, AFF Instructor, Tandem Instructor...  Fucking over achiever is more like it! Mr Rory Corrigan Started his jumping career at one of the craziest dropzone's on the planet at its peak, and has the stories to tell!  Tattoos, suspension (whoa) and body modification may have been his first stroll down the Lunatic Fringe, but Skydiving has become his life.

Just a babe in the woods some would say. An ordained minister and a bridesmaid for all occasions others might. Even a potential regional man someday in the not too distant future! Zej Moczydlowski (M'ski to the rest of us normal people) started his career in the sport the old fashion way. He was ordered to jump!  From a start in the military to a really rough first hundred jumps as a civilian, he's put a fair amount of time and learning into his 800 jump career. As one of the wordsmiths behind Teem's Friday Freakout and Blue Skies Magazine, Zej has dug in firmly with his life along the Lunatic Fringe, and takes the time to tell a few stories, fire off a few baseless insults at me and a few others, and talk about the direction of the sport and where the next generation may want to lead.