The Lunatic Fringe Podcast

Tenacious. That's really the only way to put it when a 12-year-old sets her sights on jumping from an airplane and still wants it just as much three years later. There was little to no doubt in Domi Kiger's mind that she would do at least two things. One was blow bubbles scuba diving, and the other was make a skydive. By 16 years old she'd managed to work a part time job long enough to put herself through AFF, and the rest... well, the rest was history at Sorbonne Université and a Masters degree to follow; even though she knew the circus awaited... Now, a skydiving world champion, Joyrider, keynote speaker and airsports liaison to the fashion industry, Domi is still blazing her trail deep within the Lunatic Fringe, with no signs of slowing down.

A mid-week reboot with one of the greatest to ever hit the sky, Mr. Craig Girard!

With more than thirty eight years and over thirty-thousand skydives under his belt, you'd be hard set to find anyone on earth with more overall experience than Mr. Craig Girard.  Multiple World Title and World Record holder, Craig was a member of not only the United States Army's Golden Knights, but Arizona Airspeed, one of the most highly decorated relative work teams in the sports history; a key member of the 400-way team over Thailand and coach for some of the most competitive teams out there, he takes time to sit down with me to share some of his truly amazing experiences and insights into the Lunatic Fringe.

When it comes to skydiving, most modern skydivers know the basics about our sports history. The average jumper can most likely tell you who created the 3-ring system and perhaps even who holds the record for the highest skydive, but you'd be hard pressed to find anyone that knows more about the history of skydiving and parachuting than Bob Lewis. As an ambassador for the skydiving Museum and Hall of Fame and tasked to help create some of its exhibits, Bob Lewis has a true passion for our history in the sky, and takes some of his valuable time to sit down and tell us all about what's gone into creating our wonderful Lunatic Fringe, and those who paved the way. 

Another Kick Ass Mid-Week Reboot with Mr. Curt Bartholomew!

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.

She may say that she was the less dominant twin growing up, but after almost being dared to, Shauna Finley changed up the entire trajectory of her life by leaving behind the track shoes and lacing up a pair of military boots. As a proud member of the Marine Corps, she was able to take the experience she gained during her 11 year career and take it on patrol as a State Trooper, which of course was a natural segue to skydiving...? Okay, not the straightest line to a jump career, but when you hear it all from her it makes complete sense. Now, the proud new owner and DZO of Skydive Shenandoah, she's got the opportunity to flex her years of experience with jumping, rigging and management in the pursuit of her own little slice of heaven, with a birds eye view of the Shenandoah National Park and a firm grip on the Lunatic Fringe.

Another Lunatic Mid-Week Reboot with the one and only Olav Zipser!

The Father of Freefly.  Was he the first person to be on his head in the air? of course not, but he was most certainly the first to go out of his way to stay there! Dancing around the clouds like Peter Pan for the last 30+ years, Olav Zipser has been "freeflying his mind" and traveling the world encouraging others to learn to do the same with not just technical ability, but with heart and passion. With ambitions that range from catching his shadow and its rainbow on every cloud he could find, to looking for ways to blast into outer space, Olav has led his best version of the life he almost didn't choose.

One got his start as a Las Vegas Flyaway tunnel rat back in the 90's. The other began as a 2nd generation Flyaway tunnel rat in Pigeon Forge Tennessee, and between the two, they've taken a love of body flight to the next level of obsession. Now with their sights set on not just dominating the body flight world but revolutionizing it, Mr. Cameron McMahan and Mr. Ray Kubiak are going big for their next chapter. With McMahan taking the reins as CEO of the next generation of Flyaway Indoor Skydiving Center and Kubiak as his partner, they've just announced their plan to open a purpose-built 50,000 square foot facility aimed directly at pro-flyers and enthusiasts as well as those first time flyers that just may be the next-best-thing! Join in on the next episode as Ray and Cameron tell of all the incredible plans they have that help solve the problem of first-time vs experienced flyers, and give everyone the opportunity to dive head first into the Lunatic Fringe.

Mid-Week Reboot with the man with the Jyro plan... Mr. Attila Csizmadia!

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.

As a second generation skydiver, there was no doubt in Will Penny's mind that he would not just make a jump, but become a skydiver; but even for him there was a moment when the decision had to be made between the so called real life he'd been studying to pursue and a life in the sky. Cut to years later when once again Will was faced with deciding between the life he had established for himself as a working camera flyer, and his dream of competition, and again with his desire to step on to yet another path where all the decisions were truly his. Perhaps it's a testament to his character, or the broader character of skydivers and our community, but Will Penny has never been one to shy away from stepping out of his comfort zone, and deeper into the Lunatic Fringe. 

Having made his way through school and started his career as an electrical engineer, skydiving hadn't been much more than a one time experience with a static line jump in college; yet as the real world started to exert itself on him, Mark "Trunk" Kirschenbaum decided to give jumping another go. This time around he could afford to pursue skydiving properly, and quickly found himself not just jumping but filming as well. Back then and especially for a talented electrical engineer, the shortcomings of freefall photography made themselves crystal clear. Luckily for the majority of camera flyers, Trunk had a real knack for exactly this type of problem solving, and the beginnings of his company Hypoxic began to take shape. Now providing camera solutions while still traveling the country and enjoying the boogie life (although a slightly more mellow version) Mark "Trunk" Kirschenbaum and Hypoxic continue to help capture our Lunatic Fringe on video.