After the departure of awesome cameraman and all around super guy Kevin Naftzger from the team, we began an extensive search for the right person to fill the empty slot. We are happy to say that the team selected Jason Imamura as our new cameraman, and he accepted. Jason was teammates with Rob as recently as 2008 when the two won the Intermediate division of the USPA nationals. Now that the team is complete, we're excited to do great things this year!

We are proud to announce two new Sponsors. Rhythm has decided to partner with UPT for our container needs, and with Sky Systems for our helmets.

With nearly a 40 year history in designing and manufacturing harness/container systems, and over 50,000 units sold worldwide, Bill Booth's companies have long set the standard for for innovations in engineering and safety in skydiving. Among these are the hand deploy pilot chute system, the three-ring release system, the sky-hook, and magnetic riser covers. With the growth in popularity of free-flying, the Vector saw improved riser, pin and bridle protection to address the high-speed airflow rigs were now being subjected to from all directions. We are proud to be sponsored by UPT and look forward to making our own contributions to the continued development of this awesome equipment.

Sky Systems has been the premier company for skydiving helmets for over 20 years. With quality helmets like the Factory Diver, first released in 1988, and later the Oxygn, A3, Hurricane, Nvertigo-X, and others, countless world champions and weekend jumpers have enjoyed the fit, comfort, style and protection of Sky Systems helmets. Sky Systems also sells quality accessories like the Sky Tie, Tube Stoes, and Sky Eyes goggles. With the countless kicks and knees to the head we've given each other over the years, we are especially glad to have Sky Systems equipment protecting us!

Click on the logos above or the links below to visit our newest sponsors' websites.

Sky Systems
UPT

Labels: Sponsors

SDC Rhythm XP is looking for a Cameraman (or woman) for 2010.

Rhythm is passionate about doing the best jumps we can do and having tons of fun doing it. We are proud of building a strong team based on open-mindedness, commitment, a positive attitude, no excuses, and confidence in ourselves and one another.

Besides working every year to reach new competitive levels, we are also dedicated to contributing to the sport through various coaching endeavors, including 8-way and 16-way player coach projects, team-for-a-day, team coaching, and tunnel coaching.

We are looking for a videographer who is interested in being part of this project and acheiving something big. Team schedule is available, and will include about 12 days per month, 10 of which are during the week, amounting to ~750 jumps for the year. We will train out of Sebastian, FL through April and then move to Skydive Chicago around the beginning of May to finish the season.

The benefits of being part of our team include tons of jumping, the opportunity to become among the top in your discipline, having a lot of fun, strong sponsorship, great competition experiences, and playing a key role in helping others reach their skydiving goals. Our cameraman would also have the opportunity to lead the group of videographers who support our organized events.

While experience is a plus, we believe the right level of commitment and positive attitude is more important than a long resume. Also, strong work ethic and professionalism are required. Please contact all@rhythmskydiving.com if interested.

Labels: Miscellaneous

Here's a video of Nick Whitmer, one participant at our December tunnel camp who made great progress over his hour of tunnel time.

After an extensive process to find a new teammate, we are excited to announce Thiago Muradas as our newest member of Rhythm.
Starting with a search that began shortly after nationals and ending with tryouts at the Paraclete wind tunnel, we interviewed various prospective teammates, many of whom would have been excellent choices. We would like to especially thank Nick Grillet and Samer Haija for coming all the way to Paraclete to fly with us.

Are you looking for a way to improve your RW skills? Want to train on a team? Want to compete at the US Nationals at Skydive Chicago next year? Check out Rhythm's 8 and 16 way projects for the 2010 season.

Each 8 and 16 way team will have a member of Rhythm as captain, teammate and player-coach. Teams will train at Skydive Chicago and Paraclete XP, over 5-6 weekends, to leave time for other activities. Teams will be matched up based on similar goals and experience, so whether you're new to the sport and looking to learn more about competitive RW, or are a seasoned 4 way competitor looking to compete in 8 way, there will be an option for you. The best part is, all of the planning and organization are taken care of. Schedule and budget is set ahead of time so there are no surprises.

See attahced for more information and an application.

Please feel free to email (janette@rhythmskydiving.com) or call (312.543.4857) if you have any questions.

Rhythm 8 and 16 Way Information Sheet
Rhythm 8 and 16 way Application

Labels: Events

The November tunnel skills camp was a lot of fun, and December is going to be huge. For anyone interested in joining us who has not signed up yet, there is some time Thursday and Monday, but we're otherwise full in December. So....

Rhythm is adding another Tunnel Skills camp - February 5-8. Whether you're going through AFF or have 1000's of jumps, come join us for great flying and great fun. Don't let this one pass you by. Sign up early to reserve your spot.

From Tunnel 11/21/09

Last weekend we had another great tunnel camp.

From Tunnel 11/21/09

Saturday and Sunday were filled with awesome 1-on-1, 2-on-2, 3-on-1, 1-on-3, some freeflying and even a 6-way.

From Tunnel 11/21/09

With the winter coming, we'll be hitting the tunnel hard once again for skills camps and training camps.

From Tunnel 11/21/09

The next camp, December 12th weekend, is full, but we'll post the date for the following camp (some time in February) soon.

From Tunnel 11/21/09

More pics here:

Tunnel 11/21/09

We hope you enjoy the post of our 10 4-way rounds at Nationals.

Labels: Competitions

The 2009 season culminated with USPA Nationals at Skydive Spaceland the week of October 12th. What a great experience that was! The team ended up in 6th place with an 18.1 average, and we were all proud of a performance that included 10 strong rounds with some specific moves that demonstrated the team at its best. The entire 4way competition was challenged with weather holds that extended the competition by an extra day. Fortunately for us, our training prepared us for that!

We were also proud of the Furies, who won the Advanced class. It was great to see them represent and watch as they beat out the competition.

After 4way, we joined up with Sebastian Tempest in 8way, and that was great fun as well. While Laurent had to get home, Tempest's videographer Pat joined us as Kevin filmed the team. This was the last season of the Tempest-Rhythm 8way team, as next year each Rhythm member will be leading his own 8way in a player-coach 8way project. Contact janette@rhythmskydiving.com for details.

While the 8way competition was going, 4way VRW proved to be an extremely exciting competition that pitted Arizona Arsenal vs our own SDC Standard XP. In truth, we were more enthralled with 4way VRW than our own 8way. Standard performed excellently, keeping the competition close up until the last round, where unfortunately they were not able to keep up with Arsenal. Standard has come so far this year, and we're looking forward to watching them grow and to growing alongside them as both teams push each other in 2010.

Finally, Steve had a lot of fun in 16 way, and thoughts of putting together a 16way team to represent SDC in 2010 quickly began to brew...Contact steve@rhythmskydiving.com for details.

Throughout the entire competition, Kevin Kanaski's awesomely consistent pack jobs kept us jumping confidently without the slightest worry about our openings.

Thanks to everyone who supported the team this year. SDC, Manifest, our packers, all those who participated in our events, and friends and family who supported us with wellwishes.

This weekend, October 31 and November 1, we have our last Team for a Day of the season. There's still room both days. Contact janette@rhythmskydiving.com.

Labels: Competitions, Miscellaneous

Congrats Jetstream Tango on a great tunnel camp! JaNette just joined Jetstream Tango at Paraclete XP for three days of fun in the tunnel. The camp was a success on many levels. Lots of laughs, and good times, plus some awesome flying and great teamwork. We're looking forward to seeing Jetstream Tango in action at the next MWSL meet. Thanks again guys!

Labels: Tunnel Trips

From 2009 MWSL Meet 2 at CSC

Last weekend we had the second meet of the MWSL season at CSC.

From 2009 MWSL Meet 2 at CSC

Four teams competed, and every team showed great improvements from the first meet.

From 2009 MWSL Meet 2 at CSC

Unfortunately, we were only able to complete three rounds, but still there were a number of very noteworthy accomplishments: 1. CSC Pareto Optimal had a 13 point round, that team's highest single round score! 2. SDC Flying Fish scored a 10, blowing away their previous single round record! 3. Jetstream Tango more than doubled it's previous meet average! 4. Every team did a meet Personal Record!

From 2009 MWSL Meet 2 at CSC

Thanks to Amy and Gary for coming with us and supporting us with packing, to CSC (Doug, manifest, and all the staff) for hosting a great meet, and to Alan for running the show. Also, thanks to Andy Cam for donning the camera for us on Sunday and helping us to get 18 more jumps in when the weather cleared up! Read more about MWSL Meet 2 on the NSL website

Labels: Competitions

We hope you have fun watching this video from our May 2009 Tunnel Skills Camp. We definitely had fun making it! Thanks everyone!

Check out our 10 rounds at the Paraclete XP Meet on YouTube:

Labels: Competitions, Tunnel Trips

This weekend was the first MWSL meet of the season.

From 2009 MWSL Meet 1 at SDC, June 20

7 teams competed in 4 different classes and put up great performances.

From 2009 MWSL Meet 1 at SDC, June 20

Rhythm was meet coaching and judging (except for our own jumps!)

From 2009 MWSL Meet 1 at SDC, June 20

The meet went very smoothly, thanks to SDC and Alan Butt, and everyone had a lot of fun.

From 2009 MWSL Meet 1 at SDC, June 20

4way in the midwest is definitely growing, and it's exciting to see this many teams at the local competitions.

From 2009 MWSL Meet 1 at SDC, June 20

From Paraclete XP Wind Tunnel Meet - June 13,14 2009

Last weekend was the indoor skydiving championships at the Paraclete XP wind tunnel. These meets are a great experience for any team looking for competition experience. All the spectators can watch from just feet away and the teams enter the chamber in rotations of three to four per session. With everything that close and immediate, the pressure is unlike the relative isolation of a jump meet.

From Paraclete XP Wind Tunnel Meet - June 13,14 2009 - Photo by Chad Wilcox

There was 4way, 8way, freeflying and VFS. The variety kept things interesting to watch even for the inexperienced spectator.

From Paraclete XP Wind Tunnel Meet - June 13,14 2009 - Photo by Chad Wilcox

From Paraclete XP Wind Tunnel Meet - June 13,14 2009 - Photo by Chad Wilcox

We're proud to have scored a team best of 23.1 after 10 rounds, finishing in 4th place.

From Paraclete XP Wind Tunnel Meet - June 13,14 2009 - Photo by Chad Wilcox

As competitors, we especially appreciated the opportunity to compete alongside many of the best 4-way competitors in the world, including Airspeed, Fury and the Golden Knights. Rarely do we get to see skydivers flying at such a high level so up-close.

From Paraclete XP Wind Tunnel Meet - June 13,14 2009 - Photo by Chad Wilcox

The team from Virginia Tech, VTSD, also deserves recognition for putting up some impressive scores in the Rookie competition. Watch out for them at Nationals in the intermediate class.

From Paraclete XP Wind Tunnel Meet - June 13,14 2009

Thanks to Chad Wilcox and Yvonne Saa for taking some awesome photos, and of course to Paraclete for putting this event together.

From SDC Rhythm XP Skills Camp #3 - May 30-31, 2009

We held our third tunnel skills camp at Paraclete XP the weekend of May 30 & 31st. It was a fun group of 12 people, plus the Furies were along to share time with us as well. The group ranged from first time tunnel flyers to experienced 4 way teams. It was fun to see everyone improving over the camp and having a good time and cheering each other on.

Labels: Events, Tunnel Trips

From Team for a Day 3 - May 10, 2009

This past weekend was our third Team for a Day, and our largest turnout yet. We had three teams on Saturday and two teams on Sunday, and made 23 "team" jumps over the two days.

From Team for a Day 3 - May 10, 2009

The groups ranged from experienced skydivers looking for a day of good 4 way, young jumpers wanting to learn more about 4 way, and even a formed team using team for a day as a tool to start their training season. It was great to see everyone learning and having a good time.

Special recognition goes to Beth Schipke and Bob Moore who have attended at least one day of every TFaD weekend so far. :)

From Team for a Day 3 - May 10, 2009

Thank you to our cameramen, Pete, Henrik, and Kevin, our awesome packers, and the lovely SDC manifest ladies for keeping us in the air.

From Team for a Day 3 - May 10, 2009

Next Team for a Day is June 27&28th and will be the last one until fall. Contact JaNette@RhythmSkydiving.com to sign up or for more details.

From Team for a Day 3 - May 10, 2009

Labels: Events

From SDC Bar Night 2 - May 6, 2009

We had another great bar night in downtown Chicago this Wednesday. Old and new friends came out in full force.

From SDC Bar Night 2 - May 6, 2009

Bar night is a great way to catch up with all your friends during the week, and see how silly they look in work clothes.

From SDC Bar Night 2 - May 6, 2009

Along the way, we're spreading the word about Skydiving and SDC to other bargoers.

From SDC Bar Night 2 - May 6, 2009

And proving you don't have to wait till the weekend to get a little crazy...

Labels: Events, Miscellaneous

From SDC Rhythm XP 2009 Team for a Day 2

Last weekend we held our second team for a day event at SDC this season. We had an enthusiastic turnout with a great group of people. Although the weather was not right for jumping, we made good use of the time by going over the dives and technique, creeping, and even practicing debriefing methodologies.

From SDC Rhythm XP 2009 Team for a Day 2

On Saturday afternoon, we held our first seminar in the SDC continuing education series. The team split the 12 participants into 3 groups and discussed body position and basic movement, including neutral body position, up-down, side-to-side, forward-back and turns. We not only talked about the movements, but also had everyone perform them on the mats and creepers.

From SDC Rhythm XP 2009 Team for a Day 2

There are still slots available for Team for a Day May 9,10. Also, please join us for our next seminar, May 16th. Contact JaNette@RhythmSkydiving.com.

Labels: Events

Here's a video of our most recent tunnel skills camp, on March 28-30. As you can see, there was a lot of great flying. From first time flyers to experienced 4-way teams, everyone had a lot of fun and made a lot of progress. Contact us for more information about our upcoming skills camp, May 30,31, or about any of our other events.

Labels: Events, Tunnel Trips

From SDC Rhythm XP Tunnel Trip 5 - 4/18/09

Last weekend we shared tunnel time with Fall Out and the new Furies. Karyn and Shannon met Rhonda and Anabel for the first time as teammates this weekend. Also, we celebrated Shannon's birthday Raeford style - cake made at Walmart eaten at Applebee's.

From SDC Rhythm XP Tunnel Trip 5 - 4/18/09

Fall Out is making great strides with their new inside center, Kim, not to be confused with their Point, Kim. This might be the first time the women outnumbered the men during one of our tunnel trips, which is not a bad thing...

From SDC Rhythm XP Tunnel Trip 5 - 4/18/09

From SDC Bar Night

Last night we organized our first Chicago Bar Night, for local skydivers to get together and help spread the word about skydiving at SDC. We had a strong showing at Sedgwick's Bar downtown, with 14 friends showing up for a great time of hanging out and talking about AFP, Ninjas, tandems, genetically enhanced corn, landing in corn, tattoos, flaring, and whatever else comes to mind over the course of a night at a bar.

From SDC Bar Night

Thanks to everyone who joined us. Keep an eye out for the next Bar Night, coming up in May. Those who would like to keep up-to-date on these very important events should become fans of SDC Rhythm XP on Facebook.

Labels: Events

Sunday's Team for a Day Group, From SDC Rhythm XP 2009 Team for a Day 1

We had a great weekend of Team for a Day this past weekend at Skydive Chicago.

Team Optima geared up for a load From SDC Rhythm XP 2009 Team for a Day 1

On Saturday, Team Optima and Team Pulse made 7 and 9 jumps each, which for many participants was the most they had done in a day. On Sunday, Team Infinity and Team Cypres2 each made 4 jumps before some squirrely winds picked up -- it is spring in Chicago after all.

Team Pulse Next to the Cypres Windblade From SDC Rhythm XP 2009 Team for a Day 1

Many participants did both days. It was great to see the groups having a good time, and making huge improvements from jump to jump. Extra thanks to Pete, Henrik and Kevin for videoing for the weekend, and to Whitney & manifest, and the packers for keeping us on loads all weekend long.

Team Optima Creeping, From SDC Rhythm XP 2009 Team for a Day 1

Our next team for a day is scheduled for April 25th and 26th, and is already filling up. Contact a member of Rhythm to sign up.

Labels: Events

We are getting closer and closer to consistently warm days in Chicago, and as it does, we're looking forward to applying what we learn in the tunnel to the real thing in the sky. We held our fifth tunnel training camp of 2009 this past weekend at Paraclete, and as we work through our training plan, it is always challenging and fun. This weekend we were joined by CK Kindle and Ranch Fall Out. Next weekend will be our first Team-for-a-Day event at SDC. It's nearly full, but there are a couple of slots left if anyone is interested.

Labels: Training, Tunnel Trips

From SDC Rhythm XP Skills Camp #2 - March 27-29, 2009

Last weekend we held our second skills camp for 2009. It was our largest camp yet, with 20 people and about 18 hours of flying over the weekend.

From SDC Rhythm XP Skills Camp #2 - March 27-29, 2009

We had teams like Spaceland Mamba, SDC Flying Fish and SDC Quest, as well as a lot of individual flyers looking to do everything from basic flying skills to advanced one-on-one to 4-way. We even had non-skydivers join us for their first time getting their knees in the breeze. Perhaps a couple more skydivers have been created!

From SDC Rhythm XP Skills Camp #2 - March 27-29, 2009

From SDC Rhythm XP Skills Camp #2 - March 27-29, 2009

From SDC Rhythm XP Skills Camp #2 - March 27-29, 2009

Every camp, we are amazed to see how quickly people progress in the tunnel.

From SDC Rhythm XP Skills Camp #2 - March 27-29, 2009

For those who were coming back for their second or third skills camp, it was especially impressive to see their progress comparing the end of the last camp to the end of this camp.

From SDC Rhythm XP Skills Camp #2 - March 27-29, 2009

From SDC Rhythm XP Skills Camp #2 - March 27-29, 2009

Thanks to everyone who came. There is still time available for our May 30th camp, but it's going quick. Just email JaNette@rhythmskydiving.com if you're interested in signing up.

From SDC Rhythm XP Skills Camp #2 - March 27-29, 2009

Labels: Events, Tunnel Trips

It was great to see a number of 4-way teams training at Paraclete on March 14th weekend. JaNette and Steve were not the only 4-way couple, as CK Kindle was there to train as well. Also, the Brazilian team Amazonas traveled from a hemisphere away to get some flying and coaching at the best tunnel in the world. We trained almost entirely in rigs this weekend, and while it was a challenge at first, we all agreed it was really beneficial. Getting a feel for the bigger starts and stops is very valuable. The team will be doing nearly all our tunnel training in rigs this season.

Labels: Training, Tunnel Trips

We could not have asked for a better weekend in March for opening day at SDC.

From Opening Weekend

The weekend started on Friday with a heavily attended Safety Day. Presenters thoroughly covered the key safety concerns every skydiver should refresh themselves on, and it was also great to catch up with old friends and meet many new ones. Thanks to Pirate, we all know what a Mae West is now...

From Opening Weekend

Both Saturday and Sunday, the sun was shining, winds were light and variable, and the Otter flew loads all day. It was an especially great time for many newer skydivers to get recurrent for the upcoming season, and we were happy to help a number of people get checked off again. In addition to that, from 2-ways to 7-ways, we enjoyed organizing some great jumping during the days followed by delicious dinner and fun at the SDC bar at night.

From Opening Weekend

The season has begun! We're looking forward to our next weekend at SDC, which will be Team-for-a-day 1, April 11/12 weekend. There is still some space available, but people who are interested in joining us must sign up beforehand. Also, while our March Tunnel Skills camp is full, there is still availability for the May 30th weekend. All experience levels are welcome.

From Opening Weekend

Labels: Events

We enjoyed our second jump camp this past weekend at Sebastian. Thanks to Velocity's ability to do some last minute rushing to help us get our second rigs, and ParaConcepts' rapid turnaround on rigging, along with loaner canopies from both Paraconcepts and Lyle at Sebastian, we were able to jump two rigs last weekend. And you know what that means! Back-to-Backs! For most of the day we did sets of 4 back-to-back jumps followed by a 20 minute break before the next set. While there were some interruptions along the way, it was really exciting and fun to run from the landing area, drop our rigs, and run to meet the plane for our next jump, 4 times in a row! Even with a boogie going on, and some weather issues on Sunday, we were able to crank out 25 jumps over the two days. Thanks to Kazu for coming with us and taking some great pictures.

As always, we have to thank Pat for video and helping us get organized, as well as our packers Miko and Chad. And of course, the great staff at Sebastian. And check it out, here's Rob in his new Infinity! Of course we were all jumping our new second rigs. Don't worry, we each bought each other beer!

Believe it or not, this picture of Laurent was taken at Sebastian!

Labels: Training

Here's video from our third tunnel camp of the season. Tunnel is so much fun!

Labels: Training, Tunnel Trips

We had our first jump training camp for 2009 this past weekend at Skydive Sebastian. It was really great to get back in the air. The weather was perfect: blue skies, light winds, 70 degrees. Sebastian is a beautiful dropzone -- welcoming on the ground and scenic from the air.

Unfortunately, Kevin couldn't join us this camp. The good news was that our old friend, Pat Walker was able to film the team for the weekend.

Thank you to Pat for video and organizing packers and rigs, Rob for video and beautiful pictures, Pablo and Chad for packing, Amanda and Carolyn and for keeping us on loads, Hal, Woody, Collin, Festi and ParaConcepts for lending us second gear, Angel & family and JaNette's parents for the visit and yummy Florida goodies.

Labels: Training

Here's the new video of our latest Tunnel skills camp at the Paraclete XP wind tunnel. Enjoy!

Labels: Events, Tunnel Trips

Last weekend Rhythm held its first tunnel skills camp for 2009 at the Paraclete XP windtunnel. 10 skydivers joined us for 8 hours of 1-on-1, 2-on-2 and 3-on-1 flying, and even some freeflying! Jumpers' experience level ranged from 10's of jumps and zero tunnel time to thousands of jumps and many hours.





As you take the elevator up to the third floor of the Paraclete facility, no matter what other tunnels you've been to before, you immediately realize that Paraclete is a tunnel like no other. Paraclete is a tremendous tool for learning, and whether people were doing their first sideslides or working out slot-switchers in fourway, everyone made great improvements and had a lot of fun over the two days.













Thanks to everyone who joined us! Now we're excited for our upcoming training camps, and can't wait till the next skills camp in March. That one is already going to be even bigger, and we're looking forward to flying with many of you - and many other friends - again! Check out the Rhythm photo gallery for more pictures from our camp.

Labels: Events, Tunnel Trips

The team received its new Larsen & Brusgaard Optimas and Visos today! We can't wait to use them in our first jumping weekend in Sebastian two weeks from now!

The Viso is so much more than an altimeter, with comprehensive logbook data, speed meter, backlight, and more.

And with the Optima, you can not only set a variety of tones and beeps for the different stages of free-fall and canopy descent, but it also has a visual LED port to plug in a warning light at the altitudes you set. Click on the pictures to learn more about each product.

Labels: Sponsors

One of our newest Sponsors, Airtec GmbH, makers of the Cypres and Cypres 2, is celebrating the sale of their 50,000th Cypres 2 by giving away one gold-plated Cypres 2. Follow the link to check out their new website or click on the picture for details and to register by March 30, 2009. Also, the entire website has been revamped with tons of great info about Cypres, events, safety and more. Enjoy, and good luck!

Labels: Sponsors

Click here to read the article on www.skyleague.com (NSL)

Labels: Articles

Rhythm is very excited to announce Airtech GMBH (Cypres) as its newest Sponsor. The word Cypres has virtually become synonymous with AAD over the years. Since 1991, more than 80,000 customers over countless jumps have depended on Cypres for its quality and dependability to be their last chance at survival in case of a high-speed malfunction or no-pull situation. It is simple to use, as close to 100% reliable as you can get, and tested in the real world by countless jumpers. When all else fails, we trust our lives with Cypres.

Labels: Sponsors

SDC Rhythm XP is very proud to announce Larsen & Brusgaard as our newest sponsor. L&B are makers of the most advanced audible altimeters and other skydiving accessories, and we've enjoyed products like the PRO-TRACK, JUMP-TRACK, VISO, and OPTIMA as long as we've been skydiving. After years of personal experience, we appreciate the reliability and usability of Larsen & Brusgaard products, which also include the ALTITRACK, SOLO, and NEWTON RING SITES for camera fliers. We're excited to be a part of the Larsen & Brusgaard team, at the top in its industry. Feel free to ask us about their products!

Labels: Sponsors

Last weekend we had our second tunnel camp of the 2009 season. It was another great learning experience for the team, and another opportunity for us all to gel and build the relationships within the new group. After two hours of tunnel on Saturday, we were grateful to meet up at Kirk's house for a BBQ dinner and hanging out with friends from the tunnel - as well as engineering the dives for the next day. Thanks to Melanie for the awesome food and warm company. Thanks to Trey for his photojournalistic work.

Labels: Training, Tunnel Trips

SDC Rhythm XP is proud to announce that Para-Concepts will be sponsoring the team in 2009 for our gear and rigging needs. The Para-Concepts shop on site at SDC is a year-round full-service rigging loft and store, that carries everything a skydiver needs, from new and used gear to t-shirts and clothing, to replacement lenses, batteries, and gloves to videos, books, and jewelry, the list goes on and on. Para-Concepts staff is also very knowledgeable and friendly and provide first-rate service. Check them out next time you're at Skydive Chicago.

Labels: Sponsors

Last weekend, we had our first training camp for 2009, which was also our first camp with Rob. We flew four hours over Saturday and Sunday at the Paraclete XP wind tunnel, and enjoyed a great start to our season. The SDC Furies joined us for this camp, and they were looking great. Kirk Verner, who will coach both teams in 2009, helped us to start off on the right foot, and set the tone for the rest of the season. Just 3 days to go till our next camp!






Rhythm is doing extensive training in the Paraclete wind tunnel this winter and spring, and we're looking for skydivers to join us. Please contact steve@rhythmskydiving.com if you're interested.


Here is some video of our time.

Labels: Training, Tunnel Trips

Click here to read the article on www.skyleague.com (NSL): Did you know that Rob Radez prepares for a challenging season with SDC Rhythm XP?

Labels: Articles

Rhythm is excited to announce that we will be training next year at Skydive Chicago (SDC). Our new website www.rhythmskydiving.com, the banners, and our new logo reflect the change. While the decision was difficult, we are confident this is the right move for the team, and we're excited by the opportunities at SDC.

This year's plan includes more training days, more jumping, and more tunnel. At the same time, there will be even more organized events, especially as we grow the team-for-a-day program and our popular tunnel trips. See the 2009 schedule for more details. There will be plenty of 3-day and 4-day training weekends over the summer, as we practice side-by-side with Mandrin, the Furies and the other VFS and FS teams. Plus, we'll be taking winter trips to Skydive Sebastian to train there before the Chicago weather warms up and the winds die down. SDC's support makes all of this possible.

We're looking forward to a great 2009 and beyond!

Labels: Sponsors

We're very excited to announce our newest teammate Rob Radez. After flying with Rob last weekend, and getting to know him better, we know he will fit in on our team very well. He brings some great experience from his previous team R4, who won intermediate gold at the Nationals last year. He's also an engineer like us -- and a fellow MIT alum too!

We'd like to thank everyone that helped us through this process of finding a new teammate, including all of the awesome people that we met, and those that came and tried out.

The team is currently working to firm up plans for next year, with the goal of getting started with training very soon. Stay tuned for more details.

Labels: Miscellaneous

Last weekend we had our third tunnel skills camp at Paraclete XP Skyventure. With 10 people attending and over 12 hours total flown, it was a busy and fun weekend. We did some one-on-one, some 4 way, and there was even some freeflying -- Thanks Andy for helping out with freefly coaching.

The tunnel was busy between our camp and the Fastrax Blue camp and tryouts. It was great to see some old friends and meet new ones. We also had tryouts for our open slot during the camp, and had a blast flying with some awesome candidates. Stay tuned for more news.

Labels: Events, Tunnel Trips

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, JaNette and Steve traveled to Florida under the guise of visiting family. While there, we joined up with Rodney Cruce and our player coach from 2007, Chromy for the NSL championships to compete as Teiwaz Red (AKA Teiwaz Rhythm). Click here for the NSL Article. It felt like a mini-reunion jumping with Chromy, and both he and Rodney were awesome to fly with. We had a very fun time. It was also fun competing against Teiwaz Bu, and against Tempest again, who asserted their dominance over ten rounds. We'll be coming after them next year! Besides the meet, we had a lot of fun jumping at Deland with JaNette's "uncousin" Hal, Slim Jim, Gilles and Kris, and a bunch of other people. Oh yeah, it was great to see family too...

Labels: Competitions, Miscellaneous

Both Kevin and Steve put together year-end videos from our 2008 season. Here is Steve's video in three parts. Below that is Kevin's video in three parts:

Steve's Video

Steve's Part 1:

Steve's Part 2:

Steve's Part 3:

Kevin's Video

Kevin's Part 1:

Kevin's Part 2:

Kevin's Part 3:

Labels: Events, Miscellaneous, Training

November 8/9 weekend marked the final team for a day and scrambles events of the 2008 season. While we're singing a familiar song about the weather not cooperating for Team for a day Saturday, and it wasn't any better Sunday, we had a great time with the creeper competition for those who showed up.

Despite a ceiling of about 2000 ft, some snow and temps in the 30's, we had enough people turn out on Sunday for 3 scrambles teams. After all, there were awesome prizes to give out! Since it was not jumpable, we had a creeper meet. To keep it fresh, we changed things up for the fourth and final round by making it a creeper relay race.

Three teams competed for the 15 minutes of tunnel time donated by Paraclete XP, the 50% off a Tony Suit, and the PD goodies including tshirts, hats and a great camel back hydration system. Team one, "The Fourskins", was Andy Bonwit, Michael Lehrer, Eric Haszlakiewicz and Henrik Csuri. Team two, "The all girls team, the Me," was Helen Morris, Ellen Steckbar, Allison Harper, and JaNette Lefkowitz. Team three, "Team Whatevah" was Marcello Lupo, Nathan Dexter, Eric Bambach and Andrzej Imporowicz.
The women were determined to win the top prize, and it was evident in the faces of each teammate during their performances. Their focus would not be shaken by the aggressive heckling tactics of the other teams. Later, team captain JaNette would explain that pre-jump pep talks focused on maintaining concentration and mental discipline. Surely, that paid off in rounds one through three. Could they keep it up in round four?

After three rounds of intense 4-way competition, "The all girls team, the Me" had a commanding 13 point lead over the next two teams, who were both tied for second. The scores going into round 4 were 70, 57, 57.

Among the remaining two teams, "Team Whatevah" appeared to have the best chance at catching the women after two rounds, with "The Fourskins" falling behind early. However, while "Team Whatevah" delivered consistent performances throughout, "The Fourskins" would come back with a vengeance in round three, outscoring both teams to even it up for second place.
So now the hardened competitors find themselves at Round 4 - a test of hardened wills and pure athletisism. In this round, competitors would propel themselves on their creepers across the length of the North Hangar and back in a relay race. The competition's officient, Steve Lefkowitz, explains the rules and the scoring format. Like Mad Max, the only rules are, there are no rules! The final scoring format is 30,25,15 for first, second and third place, which means it's still anyone's game, but the girls will have to come in last for either of the second place teams to win the top prize. Sensing the other teams are out for blood, the women replace Ellen with a ringer, her young son Matt.


And they're off! All three teams are furiously racing down the hangar towards the packing weights. In the first leg, the women fall behind, and it looks like it's anybody's race. But now JaNette and Matt execute a flawless handoff, and Matt burns down the hangar and back like a thoroughbred, making up nearly all the ground they had lost. Now it's the third leg, and all three teams are reckless and wild as they pour through the turn. They deftly maneuver, and muscle for rank, and as each competitor passes the creeper to the 4th and final leg, it looks like team "Whatevah" will safely cross the finish line in first. Nathan Dexter pushes through the finish line, and the flags go down, but he has crunched the numbers, and he knows that winning is not enough to get the top prize for the day. The women must come in third!

In a fearless act of self-sacrifice, Nathan throws his body in front Helen to block her from finishing before the "Fourskins." Helen reacts almost instantly, reaching wildly across Nathan's body to finish as Henrik crosses the line for the "Fourskins"... But is it enough? The battle weary warriors will have to wait for a video review for the final judgement.

With great earnestness, Steve reviews the final moments of the race. It is indeed a close one, but in the end, Nathan's heroism pays off for his team, and "Whatevah" takes first, edging out the women for the top prize of the day. So there it is: According to the international regulations, the members of "Whatevah" will enter the drawing for the 15 minutes XP tunnel time and they will each get a great assortment of PD goodies. "The all girls team, the Me" are also extremely happy as they will draw for the Tony Suit 50% off gift certificate, and the "Fourskins" will happily draw for the PD camel back as well. Michael Lehrer's first time at CSC is a prolific one, as he walks away with the camel back. Helen, who is in need of something to replace the old jumpsuit she was borrowing from JaNette, quite fittingly wins the Tony Suit gift certificate. Finally, Eric Bambach, who graduated AFF earlier this season and was already planning on joining the CSC Rhythm XP tunnel camp December 5-7, wins the 15 minutes tunnel time.

The day truly turned out to be exciting for everyone involved. The only thing that could have made it better was if we all had some time in the air. Thanks to everyone who came out and participated. And a big thanks to the Paraclete XP wind tunnel, Tony Suits, Performance Designs and CSC! Also thanks to videographers Kevin Naftzger and Pete Jabczynski. Unfortunately there were no skydives to video, but they were right there ready if the skies cleared.

Labels: Events

We are very proud of how the 2008 season went. The four of us grew a ton this year individually and as a team. We had a lot of fun along the way, and the better the skydiving gets, the more fun it is. We are currently making plans for 2009, with goals to grow more, practice more, and score higher. Brian will not be continuing for 2009, and so we're excited to begin the hunt for a new teammate.

Anyone who is interested should email: all@cscrhythm.com

Labels: Miscellaneous

We hope you enjoy this video of our 4-way jumps at Nationals. Please also check out the link to the pictures we added. 8-way video is on its way too!

Nationals 08

Labels: Competitions

After a fun, rewarding, and challenging season, the team was eager to compete at the USPA nationals in Eloy. We arrived late Friday night and met up with Gosia and Karyn from the SDC Furies. Saturday and Sunday we got settled in and made a few practice jumps.
The 4-way competition ran Monday and Tuesday, and the meet ran without a hitch. The weather was perfect, spots were great, and judging was quick and fair. After ten rounds, CSC Rhythm XP finished with a 16.9, reaching our goal to win the advanced category with the highest average in that division ever. We were proud of the jumps we did and the energy we kept throughout the meet. Like always, Kevin did an awesome job as the team did not receive a single camera bust. We appreciated all the support, cheers and congratulations we received from our friends and family in emails, text messages, and phone calls throughout the week.

Tuesday night was the medals ceremony. Standing on the podium and getting our gold medals was a great reward for all the hard work we put in. On Wednesday and Thursday we competed in 8 way with Sebastian Tempest, as Tempest 1X2. During the 4 way competition, we made a bet with Tempest that the team that scored the highest in 4 way would get to name the 8 way team. Throughout the 4 way event, the lead passed back and forth between our two teams, and that was very exciting. In the end, as the 8 way name indicates, Tempest, who was competing in the open class, won by two points.

For many of us, the two practice jumps we did Tuesday afternoon was our first experience with the 8 way draw. After funneling both jumps Tuesday evening, we had the kinks ironed out and stuck the exits from round 1 on. We finished in 6th place in Open with a 9.4 average after ten rounds. We learned a lot on every jump and had a ton of fun. Thanks to Tempest and to Bu for filling in for Thiago. Thanks also to Todd Hawkins and Andy Honigbaum for popping in while we crept to give us much appreciated advice. Thursday night was the 8 way awards ceremony. It was great to watch Carolina Ice get the gold in Intermediate after seeing them work so hard at the tunnel. Also, we were proud of our friends from the SDC Furies and Spaceland, who took the bronze in that division.

With 4 way and 8 way done, we celebrated on Thursday and Friday. The Bent Prop is a great place to party after competition! We also got to watch Doug, Matty and Nathan compete in freeflying and the VFS competition. Tiffany and Travis Mills also represented CSC in Freestyle, and it was exciting to see how great they did. All the competitions were great to watch, and the DS project, Mayhem, and the CSC Dragons performed very well.

What a great year! Now it's time to get ready for next nationals.

Labels: Competitions

This past weekend the team travelled to Brian's home in Houston, Texas and trained at Skydive Spaceland in Rosharon, Tx.

The weather was perfect and warm, 16-way, 8-way and 4-way teams kept two otters turning, and we did 19 great jumps from 10.5 over two days. Saturday we enjoyed a Texas BBQ for Spaceland's Hurricane Ike benefit. It was great to see some familiar faces and also meet a bunch of new friends. Thank you to Spaceland for the hospitality and to Tami, Chad and Cheryl for keeping us packed all weekend.

Labels: Training

After a few weeks off, we had our 11th training camp this past weekend, our last one at CSC before the Nationals. Typical of October in Chicago, it was a little chilly, and at times rainy and cloudy, but we managed to get in 27 jumps over the weekend, with the help of some neck gaters, glove liners and double socks. Stay tuned for video highlights of the weekend.

On Saturday we again shared Kirk's coaching with Andy, Alan, Henrik and Tom. It was fun to have another team to train alongside.

Thank you to Pete J for coming out and taking some cool photos of us on Friday, to Josh for lightning fast packing to keep us in the air, and to Henrik and AJ for filling in on video in the cold.

Next weekend, the team is travelling to Brian's hometown, Houston, to train at Skydive Spaceland for two days for our final training camp. We're looking forward to some warmer weather and making some new friends.

Labels: Training

We had a great turnout of nearly 30 people for our scrambles event this past weekend. Unfortunately, low clouds kept us on the ground all day. Fortunately, we are able to reschedule the event for Sunday, November 9 at CSC.
We also have an exciting new prize added to the pool -- 15 minutes of tunnel time at Paraclete XP Skyventure in Raeford, NC, the biggest and most powerful wind tunnel in the world. The time is good anytime -- however, if the time is used during one of our CSC Rhythm XP camps, free coaching from Rhythm is included as well.
The total prize pool now includes:

• Free jumps from CSC
• 15 minutes of tunnel time from Paraclete XP Skyventure
• 50% off a new jumpsuit from TonySuits
• Some Sweet Goodies from Performance Designs (Hats, T-Shirts, A camelback, Bottle openers, Stickers, patches, pull-up cords)
• Case of beer from CSC Rhythm XP

Email steve@cscrhythm.com to sign up.

Labels: Events

Here are some highlights of training camp 6 at CSC. Enjoy!

Labels: Training

The team is currently in the middle of a great month of skydiving, where we have 3- or 4-day weekends for 4 weeks in a row. Labor Day weekend turned out to be beautiful, and our best camp for getting jumps in so far. The weekend of 9/5 wasn't as agreeable, but we were still able to get some good jumping in that weekend too. On Saturday and Sunday of 9/5 weekend, Andy Boyd, Alan Butt, Henrik Sternberg and Tom Bohm put together a team with cameraman Brian Snarr to share Kirk's coaching. They did some really impressive stuff, and we're hoping this is a preview of a team to come. Unfortunately, the team had 3 chops over those 7 training days - 1 from Laurent, who broke his promise to never chop - and 2 from Kevin. We are 2 for 3 in recovering the canopies, and hopeful about the 3rd. Thanks to Henrik and AJ for filling in camera duty Sunday. It's great to see a new group of skydivers gaining skill in flying video.

Labels: Training

The team held its 7th jump camp this weekend, and participated in the final MWSL meet of 2008 at SDC, posting a 16.3.

After getting in the 4 rounds at SDC, we rushed over to CSC to chase the good weather. Our home DZ helped us crank through the loads and we were able to get 3 more jumps that evening. On Sunday, we followed it up with 9 team jumps before 2:30. Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day, and Laurent, JaNette and Steve continued jumping until sunset with whoever would join us. Among other jumps, Kevin joined us for a memorable four-way after Brian left - memorable because it was the first jump with Kevin where he wasn't hovering above us! Turns out he's an awesome 4-way skydiver!
Thanks to Alan Butt for putting together a great MWSL meet series, to Buzz and Henrik for filling in on video Sunday morning with no more than a 5 minute call, and to Kevin for joining us as we drove from DZ to DZ.

Labels: Competitions, Training

We hope you enjoy this video with highlights of our latest Team for a Day event at CSC. We had a lot of fun working with everyone! Team experience levels ranged from 10's of jumps to 1,000's of jumps. Thanks again to all who participated.

Labels: Events

We held our 5th Team For a Day event on Aug 2-3, and for the first time had great weather both days. Two teams completed 8-9 jumps each day. It was really great to see some new and some familiar faces to Team for a Day, and to see all groups doing some great 4 way and improving throughout the day.

Kevin earned official rockstar videographer status filming all the teams, doing 15+ jumps each day.

Stay tuned for a video of highlights.

Labels: Events

Labels: Competitions, Training

Click here to read the article on www.skyleague.com (NSL): Did you know that CSC Rhythm XP set new MWSL records last weekend?

Labels: Articles, Competitions

We hosted the fourth Team for a Day event July 19 and 20 at CSC. While the morning weather discouraged some, on both days those who stuck around got to do really fun skydives. On Sunday, one of the teams got 8 great jumps, seeing real improvement throughout the day. It's great to see how popular the team for a day events are, and to see more and more people doing 4 way around the dz!

Labels: Events

The Fourth of July weekend turned out to be a great weather weekend for jumping. We had a 4-day camp. Unfortunately, Brian was out of comission for the last two days due to injury (fear not, he'll be back in a couple of weeks!). Andy Honigbaum, our coach for the weekend, filled in to allow us to keep jumping. Thanks Andy! Thanks also to On-The-Fly for joining us Saturday! Jumping with another team always adds to the energy on the DZ, and we enjoy having you around. Photos by Kevin Naftzger and Pete Jabczynski.

Labels: Training

Click here to read the article on www.skyleague.com (NSL): Did you know that the Midwest is producing a new top team?

Labels: Articles, Competitions

What a fun weekend. We were at the Paraclete XP wind tunnel in Raeford, NC this weekend and had a full schedule. Butch, Eric, Helen and Andy joined us on Saturday and Sunday for some tunnel coaching. Thanks for joining us -- we had a great time. All were looking pretty sharp in the tunnel by Sunday afternoon.

On Saturday we also did some 8 way training with fellow PD sponosored team, Sebastian Tempest, in the tunnel. Kris from Tempest lead us through 45 minutes of tunnel training. For many of us, it was our first experience with 8 way. We're really looking forward to training with Tempest again in September and competing at Nationals.

On Saturday and Sunday we competed in the Paraclete XP tunnel meet. It was a lot of fun to see all of the teams there, and compete. We entered the chamber and did two rounds at a time. We finished the meet with a team best score (in the tunnel) of 222 points over 10 rounds, finishing tied for 6th place overall. Round five was a highlight, with another team best of 42 points in one round.

In addition to coaching and 8 way and the meet, we also were able to do almost 2 hours of 4 way training. On Saturday we did some b-slot speed drills. On Sunday, we trained in the tunnel with rigs on. Using rig covers and handle covers we were able to fly with our own Infinity containers to make for a very realistic experience. It was quite a workout, but a great learning experience for us.

On top of all of that, JaNette and Steve stayed Monday for some solo work and 2on2 with Kirk and John, and Laurent, Steve & JaNette tried out some back-flying, with expert coaching from Mick at the tunnel. What a blast! Thanks Kirk, John and Mick.

All in all, a pretty awesome weekend. Looking forward to the upcoming 3 day training weekend at CSC, including MWSL meet #2 down at SDC on Saturday. By the way, CSC will be open on Friday morning with loads flying from 9am all day as we train. Come on out and join us!

Labels: Competitions, Events, Training, Tunnel Trips

Thanks to everyone who was able to join us, and for our awesome video guys who make each jump more memorable, better to debrief, and who also provide us with some awesome photos. Photos by Kevin Naftzger and Pete Jabczynski There were some great jumps, a lot of fun, and a lot of learning along the way for team-for-a-day #3.

Labels: Events

Click here to read the article on www.skyleague.com (NSL): Did you know that the new CSC Rhythm XP lineup started with team record scores?

Labels: Articles, Competitions

We put together our 10 jumps from MWSL Meet 1 at CSC last weekend, and posted to youtube. Here it is. Enjoy the star wipes!

Labels: Competitions

Tired of creating random draws off the tops of our heads, we decided to make an over-complicated excel file that could do it for us. The program randomly generates draws for any division you want, and will even put the pictures together for you in an easily printed format. If you know the dives you want to do, you can enter them and have the generator make the pics for you as well. Check it out and let us know what you think. Make sure to save the file to your computer before opening it. Then, enable Macros when you open the file. Rhythm_Draw_Generator_V5.xls

Labels: Resources, Training

The MWSL held its first meet of the season this Saturday, May 31, coinciding with the team's second 3-day jump camp. Three teams attended: SDC On The Fly, CSC Victory Hop, and CSC Rhythm XP. With Kirk Verner providing meet coaching, Alan Butt running the meet, and CSC working with the teams to make sure everything went smoothly, the competition was a lot of fun for everyone. On the Fly and Victory Hop had some close competition for the first few rounds, but On the Fly was able to pull away in round 4. Unfortunately, due to winds, the official meet ended with 4 rounds. Still, Sunday was a beautiful day, and those who stuck around got to get a lot more jumps in. We finished the meet with a 15.6 ave over 10 rounds - a team best and personal best for everyone. We are really excited to see our work at the Paraclete XP tunnel and CSC paying off, and looking forward to learning and growing more. We are also psyched to see the other Chicago area teams making good progress and enjoying 4-way like we do.

Labels: Competitions, Training

What a great weekend! We had our first jump training camp at CSC this past weekend with our coach, Kirk, and despite a few weather holds, made 34 jumps over 4 days. It was great to finally get in the air.


We're looking forward to our second training camp this weekend, and our first meet at CSC. Kirk Verner will be the meet coach for all teams to use.

Labels: Training

We had a great turnout of almost 6 teams for Scrambles #1. Unfortunately, the May weather did not cooperate and high winds kept us on the ground -- a common theme in Chicago this time of year.

Rather than jumping, we had our second bad-weather-day creeper meet. Competition was tight, but JaNette, Kevin, Allison, Pawel and Asia finished in first with Rich, Tom, Tracy and Jean close behind.

Labels: Events

We had a great time last weekend at our second Team for a Day event. Saturday brought great weather and smiling faces! We had three teams plus video, with some participants just getting into 4 way all the way to seasoned competitors. Teams completed 6-7 jumps each, repeating each dive to focus on improving technique.

Thank you to CSC, including Melissa and Lisa and the packers for keeping us on loads all day. Thank you also to our videographers, Kevin, Pete and Ben.







Our next team for a day is scheduled for June 14/15 and we're already getting full -- sign up now!


Congrats to Butch for his 400th!

Labels: Events

West Suburban Living, a magazine dedicated to Chicago's western suburbs, covered the increasing popularity of skydiving in its March/April 08 issue. The article highlights the experiences of CSC and CSC Rhythm XP specifically. It's a nice article that does a much better job of getting to the appeal of skydiving than many others that portray the sport as nothing more than a thrill. Plus, there's a somewhat funny misunderstanding of what the writer calls "Rhythm teams."
Flying High

Labels: Articles

This past weekend was our first of seven Team for a Day weekends. We had all of our slots filled, for three teams on Saturday and two on Sunday. We had a great turnout on Saturday despite 30+mph winds. We didn't let that stop us from stretching, prepping and creeping with the group, and then holding an impromptu creeper meet in the heated hangar. Surprisingly there were no crushed fingers! Congrats to the winners: Team "We Rule Even More (even though we're unoriginal)" Scott, Annie, Lem, Laurent, and videoguy Kevin. In second was Team "Infinity", followed by Team "We Rule" in 3rd place.

Slots are already filling up for the next few Team for a Day events, so sign up now!




It was also great to see "What's the Point" on Saturday and work out some exits at the mock up. Hope to see you gals & guy again soon!






On Sunday, despite a dismal forecast we were still able to get in 5 jumps with Phil, Eric, Asia and Greg. Happy 100th Phil -- thanks for letting us share it with you!

Labels: Events

Ranch Fallout, Cross Keys O2 Project, and CSC Rhythm XP met up at the Paraclete XP windtunnel this weekend for another great weekend of training fun. As always, we learned a lot, and even got to see what an in-air wrestling match between the Dave's on Fallout would look like . Our money's on Dave.

Labels: Tunnel Trips

We just posted 2 new videos in our gallery. One is a compilation of video with the various skydivers who joined us for the skills camp. Check out those skills!
We also put up video of our attempt at the Bedford tunnel meet.

Labels: Events, Tunnel Trips

What a fun weekend! We just got back from our tunnel skills camp at Paraclete XP. 11 people joined us for over 14 hours of tunnel. We worked on solo skills, did some 4 way, and a few did some freeflying. Everyone was looking great!

Stay tuned for plans for the next one.

More pictures can be seen here

Labels: Events, Tunnel Trips

Neither rain nor wind nor snow nor sleet nor dark of night will deter Rhythm from the tunnel. This time, when a late-March snow storm cancelled over 200 flights from Chicago on Friday, Steve, Laurent and JaNette, inspired by Brian's great trek two weeks previous, packed up and road-tripped from Chicago to Raeford, NC to make the tunnel camp. After a long night of driving, some annoying detours, and a heated debate on the value of the letter "H", the three rolled in to the Paraclete parking lot at 6:52 am to meet Brian at 7 for the first session at 8! Just enough time to chow down on some food that Brian brought, including the team snack - Ham and Croissants!

We were joined again by Ranch Fallout and CT Centerline. It was nice to catch up again with those guys and see all three teams making big improvements. The rock band Three Doors Down came to fly in the tunnel while we were there as well. We worked on funky randoms, building consistency and did a few draws. We also got to try out our new TonySuit jumpsuits -- they look and fly great! Another fun weekend!

We're very excited to be back at the tunnel next weekend coaching/organizing our Tunnel Skills camp!

Labels: Tunnel Trips

I was very happy to see the UPS guy today! A box from Velocity arrived with our new team rigs! They look great! Can't wait to get some canopies in them and start jumping.

Labels: Sponsors

Labels: Tunnel Trips

Under the guise of team building, Steve and JaNette had a party at their apartment. We had a great turnout, and everyone had their fill of beer and pizza. The TV played 4-way videos and other skydiving movies all night. Plus, we had a surprise visit from Grayson Smith who won the late night drooling contest hands down. While it wasn't formal, along the way we got to talk about the team-for-a-day's, scrambles, and tunnel camp we'll be organizing this season.
A good number of skydivers are interested in forming new teams this year, and we're happy to do anything we can to help encourage that. See the Photo Gallery for more pictures from this event.

Labels: Events

Feb 22-23 - We escaped the cold Chicago weather (and Texas) for our second tunnel training camp this past weekend. Did some B slot work and speed drills, and had lots of fun. We also split the time with CT Centerline and Ranch Fallout. It was really great to get to know these teams better. Looking forward to more camps together in the future. We're back in less than 2 weeks and can't wait!

Labels: Tunnel Trips

Holly hosted a great party last Saturday at her house. It was an opportunity to talk about some of the exciting events coming up this year and watch a lot of videos, including some fun "vintage" that Marc had. Holly is already preparing the coming season with her 1st 4-way team. Everybody had a good time. Thanks Holly!

Labels: Miscellaneous

CSC Rhythm is teaming up with fellow PD sponsored team, Sebastian Tempest, to compete in 8-way at USPA Nationals. Our plan is to do tunnel time in the Paraclete XP windtunnel and some jumps. We are looking forward to getting to know each other better, doing some fun flying together, and taking advantage of the large tunnel to practice the 8-way randoms and blocks.

Labels: Miscellaneous

CollegeSkydiving.com is a great resource for college students, beginner jumpers, and anyone looking for good skydiving information on the web. Last November, while at the Orlando Tunnel, JaNette, Brian and Steve met Ben Lee, who runs the site. Since then, the team has been exchanging ideas on how we might contribute to the great work Ben is doing, and how Ben could help us get the word out on the programs we are starting in the Midwest. Meanwhile, PD has been supporting college jumpers for some time now, and even created a blog on Ben's site where skydivers can ask questions specifically addressed to PD athletes. We are enthusiastic about helping out, and since we are now part of the PD team, the relationship makes an even more perfect fit. Please make sure to check out CollegeSkydiving.com, and let us know what you think.

Labels: Miscellaneous

Click here to read the article on www.skyleague.com (NSL)

Labels: Articles

Last weekend was a time for many firsts for CSC Rhythm. It was the first tunnel camp in 2008, the first camp with the new team, the first camp with Kirk Verner, and the first camp in the new Paraclete XP windtunnel. Each of these new experiences far exceeded our expectations.
In a short time, the team has developed a great rapport that is evident both in the air and on the ground. Kirk is a great coach, who is guiding us both jump-by-jump and helping to lay out a longterm vision for the team. This includes not only flying and 4-way technique, but also team building.
The new Paraclete XP windtunnel is extremely impressive. We heard tons of great things about it, and yet only after entering the tunnel that first time did we really appreciate how superior it is. For starters, the size and smoothness of the air are awesome, but every detail from the moment you walk in the facility is the best we have experienced.
Finally, thanks to O2 for joining us as well. They looked great, and we enjoyed sharing the experience with another team. Can't wait till the next camp!

Labels: Tunnel Trips

CSC Rhythm proudly announces that Tony Suits has agreed to sponsor the team. Tony has been making jumpsuits for over 20 years and is now the largest jumpsuit manufacturer in the world. The team has put Tony Suits through its own test through thousands of jumps and about 200 tunnel hours. The jumpsuit is the piece of gear that gets the most wear, getting abused in the tunnel and in the air, during jump camps from sun-up to sun-down. They have to be comfortable, fit perfectly, and take hours of tugging, yanking, grabbing, scraping and pulling. Tony Suits Jumpsuits stand up to the worst we can do, and we're proud to be a part of that quality team.

Labels: Sponsors

Over the New Year's break, Steve and JaNette visited SkydiveRatings.com in Zephyrhills for the coach rating course. We had a great time and learned a bunch. Thanks to Bram and Nathan for running a fun, informative, and valuable course, and also to Louis French for the challenging evaluation dives.

Labels: Miscellaneous