The Lunatic Fringe Podcast

Another kick ass mid week reboot with Shannon and Louise!

Living mirrored lives on different sides of the planet, Louise Kristensen and Shannon Seyb had a passion and drive for most all the same things. From Horseback riding and yoga, to tunnel flying and a love of the sky and our community, forming a team to spread the love and a positive vibes was the only natural thing to do. Biding their time until they can train for dynamic two way tunnel comps and get back in the air, Louise and Shannon take the time to tell me how they got their starts in the sport, and how they've spent their "down" time lately keeping it interesting here in the Lunatic Fringe.

EPISODE #300!

Fourteen years old isn't terribly early to be exposed to the wonderful world of skydiving if you're a second or even third generation jumper, but for someone with no connection to it... James Heck was that kid. Through random circumstance, James found himself packing parachutes almost right away, and even though he'd be required to wait what must have seemed like a lifetime to manage that first jump, he knew it was exactly what he wanted to do. Now a proud camera flying, TI instructing, pleasure swooping  BASE dabbler, James knows what it's like to just decide to go after what you want full force, just like a good Lunatic Fringer should.

Back in the can after way too long, the one and only David Junior Ludvik catches back up with us to talk about his beginnings in the sport, the wild and wonderful ride that was a decade in Dubai, life after the sandbox and a more military take on the sport, and just some all around fun catching up with The Lunatic Fringe. 

Another kick ass mid week reboot with the one and only Mark Norman!

In this episode I get the chance to sit down with one of skydivings true ambassadors.  Having come up in the sport during times of great change and innovation, Mark recalls what it was like to be there "when". Through struggles with burnout and addiction, he's persevered to cultivate a love for skydiving, its community and all the lessons he's learned, and freely shares them with me.

Leaving Southern California for the North Shore of Hawaii Sounded like the perfect opportunity for a then 18 year old Robin Jandle, and it was. So when the opportunity to go make a skydive over one of the most beautiful places on Earth came up, she was... absolutely not into it. So, as good friends are known to do, they took her anyway and peer pressured her on to the plane. One grudging tandem turned into a second, then AFF in one of the most challenging places in the world to learn, and before she knew it, she had her sights set on a career in the sport. Now a competing member of the US  Canopy Piloting team and a working instructor for Superior Flight Solutions in North Carolina, Robin Jandle happily embraces her place as possibly be the busiest skydiver in the Lunatic Fringe. 

Another kick ass mid week reboot with Ellis Danho Bourbonnais!

Ellis Danho Bourbonnais is the quintessence of a renaissance man to say the least, but most certainly not in the way most people would think. From surfing in the Gulf and then Hawaii, to MMA, skydiving, BASE jumping and climbing, Ellis is more at home pushing his personal limits than most people are on a sofa. Attacking new passions whole heartedly is where he's at his best, and he takes this time to give us a few of the reasons why.

in 2012 going out to make a tandem skydive in Poland was pretty much like everywhere else. You book it, you jump. But when Marta Molinska made her first skydive, she didn't even make it to the ground before she was asking how she could make it as a pro. Her instructor not only got her to the ground safely and aimed her in the right direction to begin her journey, but remains her biggest supporter to this day. Now, not just the AFF instructor she set out to be on that very first jump, but managing a skydiving operation and now one of the three people helping to organize what has become the incredibly successful European Skydiving Symposium, Marta has taken her initial passion for skydiving to the next level, and the next, and the next... Lunatic Fringe all the way.

Another kick ass mid week reboot with JYRO!

Back in the can to talk all things nylon are Julien Peelman, Chris Stewart and first timer Chris Snell who are quite literally the ABC's of canopy development, design and production for New Zealand Aerosports. From concept to the production of Proto types to test jumping, we sit down to chat about exactly what it takes to put together the industries leading wings that help keep the lunatic fringe in the sky.

“Imagine a free fall from an altitude exceeding 26 miles, breaking the sound barrier unaided, and ascending to the highest crewed balloon flight—this is Hera Rising. Their historic dive aims to leave its mark on history and in hearts, smashing records and lifting spirits.”

Meet Eliana Rodriguez, Swati Varshney and Diana Valerin, the Hera Rising teammates who, along with everyone at Rising United have aimed their sights higher than ever before., determined to take the Lunatic Fringe to the highest levels.

Another kick ass mid week reboot with Mas Di Siena!

Mas Di Siena's entrance into skydiving wasn't exactly smooth, and was a start that would have dissuaded more than most from pushing to reach the level in our sport that he has. Hell, it would have kept most playing video games instead. Ex competitor, professional skydiving instructor and proud as hell meat hauler, Mas has managed to project a shiny outlook and happy disposition that most "working" skydivers should strive for, a great way to approach life in general, and a Lunatic Fringe kind of singing voice that's simply to die for...