The Lunatic Fringe Podcast

From a very young age, extreme for Matt Jaskol was common place.  Starting first on two wheels and then to four, racing simply became a way of life, and one that he chased with true passion. Yet just like life, racing and it's pitfalls left him looking for some type of escape and distraction from the negatives, and skydiving became his very unexpected release. From pushing the limits on a path aimed toward a seat on the pro racing circuit, to skydives around the world, and eventually to a soul searching experience in the jungles of Indonesia, Matt Jaskol has more than enough to put pen to paper, and in this episode takes his time to share just a taste of his path with the Lunatic Fringe.

Fear.  It's the one thing that the best in our sport have had to contend with, but for Luigi Cani it was almost too much.  Having started his skydiving career with static line jumps that terrified him, he couldn't understand why something inside him kept pushing him back into the airplane, regretting it almost every time. Yet it was that same fear that taught him just how valuable and special the path he had found could be, and what has driven him through an amazing 25 years in our sport.  Not satisfied with the ordinary now anymore than he has been at any other point in his career, the soon to be 50 year old icon in our sport is beginning his training toward yet another possible world record on the 34, with a firm grip on his goals deep in the Lunatic Fringe.

Ryan Brownlow.  Second generation skydiver with a passion for the sport instilled in him by a father that went big, he grew up packing parachutes and seeing firsthand his Dad's community of jumpers.  As he came into his own in skydiving, he had the opportunity to surround himself with some of the best in the world in their disciplines, eventually leading him to his; canopy piloting. A member of the now 10 year strong team Alter Ego, he and his wife Jessie, a multiple world record holding badass herself are still both going strong, finding a way to balance the real world and parenting while still holding a solid place among the Lunatic Fringe.

An OG jumper that started his static line course in the early 90's, Mr. Paul Wetzel, aka "Weasle" would go from rocking out of college where he had substantially more motivation for beer and skydiving that his courses, to Army Ranger school where he'd earn his jump wings; From trailer life in Louisiana to tandems in Las Vegas, and from helicopter flight ops in Iraq and Afghanistan to a food truck in North Carolina. Along the way he's made a Japanese man vomit with his ass (And my assist), taken thousands of tandems, hiked the Appalachian trail from end to middle and back and figured out just like a whole lot of us, how lucky he is to be part of the Lunatic Fringe.

USPA in the house!  The Director of Competition and Records sits down to tell me all the in's and out's of life inside the belly of the beast! Adding to the burn is a litany of brutal hot sauces eaten between Steve Hubbard, Junior Ludvic and myself as we talk about everything from world records to the changing of the USPA guard with the addition of the one and only Albert Berchtold as the big boss.  Join us on this informative and entertaining Lunatic Fringe!

He might not be the best known name in the sport, and you've not seen him standing atop a podium after a sick canopy competition, but he's been there none the less.  Julien Peelman wasn't just creative in how he began his time in skydiving or even in how he got his gig with NZ Aerosports, but it's that exact creativity and training that has forever solidified his name and legacy in our sport. Designing wings that not only saves lives, but smash world records, he's put his skills to work on everything from the Petra to the Kraken and everything in-between, and he's helping keep himself and so many more happy and active with the Lunatic Fringe. 

Back for a little more abuse, Olga Namova, professional skydiver, canopy pilot competitor and NZ Aerosports athlete sits down to have an entertaining, yet serious and sobering conversation about injuries in our sport, her rush in days past to get back into the air regardless of the consequences, and the lessons she's learned on staying safer, taking better care, and recognizing the dangers of pushing too hard too quick. Listen in for a little great advice about how to either avoid, or if not, how to get back into the air wisely after an injury with the rest of the Lunatic Fringe.

You don't know them. You've never heard of them. You'll probably never meet them, and almost certainly never jump with them, but I promise you this is a chat you'll love listening to.  Having just done their first tandem skydives the day we recorded, they will take you straight back to the excitement, the fear, the wonder and the sense of accomplishment each of us had after that first experience with rare air, and remind you even if just a little how truly lucky we all are to have this sport and community.  

A climber since he was very young, Ivo Ninov had to learn to overcome his fear of heights in order to follow his passion, and overcome he did. Without any real pretense or ego Ivo will tell you about his countless climbs in Yosemite, setting record after record up some of the most formidable rock on the planet. As member of "The Stone Monkey's", He, Ammon McNeeley, Nicola Martinez and two other world class climbers set their sites on BASE as a means of "transportation" back down the mountain when their climbing day was done; but Ivo will be the first to tell you that skydiving didn't come naturally to him, and was one of the hardest learning experiences of his life. Yet this, just like most every other goal he's set for himself was one that he achieved, going on to mark his path in the BASE world as one of the top athletes of his time. Join us on this episode as we get a look at Ivo's continuing path on the Lunatic Fringe.

Don't let the package fool you.  Michael Washburn, or should I say, Officer Washburn, Retired US Army Ranger may not be large and imposing, but this guy has been there and done that! Coming to civilian skydiving later in life after a military freefall career that left him less than thrilled with the sport, it was a chance meeting with a guy named "Noah" who flew "wing suits" that drove him to chase a new dream.  Years later, as the team captain of "Sky Trash" wing suit team, he's got a humble outlook, but big dreams, and when it comes to chasing them, you can most certainly see the "Ranger"! Join us on this edition of Lunatic Fringe.