Record boogie in Oulu

This spring, I got a call from Håkan Jönsson, SF.
He was wondering if there where any jumpers in our club that would
consider that, together with 99 other jumpers, fall out of a couple
of C-130:s and pick a grip or two before landing on Terra Firma
Finlandia. We where honored, of course, but unfortunately we got the
invitation so late that most possible candidates already where
scheduled for other activities. It would be utterly embarrassing if
the club couldn't provide with any participants at all, when we for
once got an invitation. Well, then yours truly had to carry the
imaginary banner and try to do my best.

Here's my diary/logbook for the event:

May 30-97, Friday

Packing!
I can't believe that I always have to bring so much stuff!
And I'm not even bringing my video eq. I'm just there to make a
formation or two! Oh God, if I had to carry the video stuff too!
But considering that the last time I went to Finland, I brought two
rigs, two VCR:s, sewing machine, rigger stuff and a lot of stuff I
probably shouldn't mention here, it was a pretty fair load.
At least I could carry all my stuff myself, this time. Even if my
face color turned slightly blue-ish.



May 31-97, Saturday

Packing!
I can't believe...
Oh, sorry, been through that once!
But of course, there where a lot of stuff that I had forgot.
A last turn at the sewing machine (those who know meï, knows that I
never can let anything be as it is, without modifying it) and then
drag the damned case to the bus to take me to the train.
Why cant I settle for just a few things?
On the train, there where complete anarchy; a bunch of punk rockers,
fat, loud women and a lot of others. Since I didn't feel like
fighting for my, reserved, seat, I, as usually, took my refuge to the
bistro.
About the boat ride: If you have ever traveled on the ferry from
Stockholm to bo, I don't need to explain. If you haven't, I
shouldn't!


June 1-97, Sunday

Woke up by a hysterical cabin made screaming: "You got to leave the
cabin NOW!! "
Apparently, they had ignored our ordered wake up call, or we had
ignored there attempts to wake us. A quick shower, 30 seconds sharp,
and away to catch the train. Again I cursed my own stupidity to
bring all this stuff.
On the train, we looked up the bistro, only to discover that the
Finns makes both drier and moore expensive sandwiches than the
Swedes.
Panics slightly when I realize that i had forgotten my cellphone on
the ferry, but after a moore extended search, I found it in my jacket.
It's incredible how long a day can be on a train. The weather is
absolutely brilliant, I just hope it stays that way the entire week.
When we arrive in Oulu, there were, of course, not enough busses
arranged. But since the weather still was great, we did quite allrigt.
Sitting on a lawn in Oulu, drinking beer in the evening sun isn't to
bad!

When we finally arrive at the place we are staying at, we realize
that, wow, we ar sleeping indoors, on real mattresses!
Checkin is surprisingly painless.
A small pizza, a few beers, briefing and roll call, a few more beers
and then bed.

June 2-97, Monday

Some idiot wakes us by playing Finnish r&r in the hallway. Exactley
what a complete psychopath needs to get in the mood. The queue for
breafkast is about one week long...
The DZ is pretty spartan. A circus tent holds the canteen an a few crappy VCR:S
and TV-sets, on a terribly dusty field, full of moss and dead branches.
But who cares when our old friend 847 (one of the Swedish airforce:s C-130:s)
is waiting for us!
Markku is in charge of the base formation. Johan H and Pernille H hs got one
group of divers/floaters each.
The base-group is in the first load. They nail it so fast, that we wonder what
they will do for the rest of the week, until the actual record. Perniles group
is on the second load, also a good dive, tw opoints.
We are in the next load. We have a few problems, we get the formation, but with
quite a lot of tension.
The camera-men/women are definently not first class. A little sad, perhaps,
when there are so many good, Swedish, cameramen in the formation.
Jump two.
I prefer to forget this one. Dove on to steep, stopped to late and had to take
a tour around the formation. Well, I got in and no one died!
wind break, crap!
Jump three.
Better. Two points, but not a very good one. The fall rate is to slow, and it
takes way to long time to build the first formation.
Jump four.
When's the next ferry to Sweden?! I'm no tshure it was such a good idea to pick
me out for this kind of event. I followed the wrong guy! Heavy!

Sauna, beer and video show. I'm getting tired.


June 3-97, Tuesday

At lest they've fixed another breakfast line, so it was pretty painless, this
morning.
A bit cloudy and much colder, today. The groups have been slightly reorganized.
The anchor men have a busy schedule, today. They plan on doing seven jumps
today. That means a lot of dirtdives and shit.
It messes things up, a bit, and since Johan is an anchor, our briefings
become... brief.
Jump one.
A little bit messy. We did what will become our (diver/floater) pieces in the
100-way thingie.
Some traffic and a few sloppy dockings. Perhaps people are getting tired of
making wierd 28-30-way stuff. The next jump will be together with the base. A
total of 70 people.

Well, it looks like the next jump won't be until tomorrow.
It's windy as hell, and we get a wind break for the rest of the day. One jump
today!!!
Instead of jumping, some completely lethal activities where held that
afternoon: a international socker game, Sweden vs Finland!
Of course, our Swedish brave boys showed the Finns who's the best team. Peter S
started of with scoring 1-0, and then the score became 2-0. But to avoid
international incidents, a decision where taken to let the Finns win. Whopping
their behinds in WC-hockey was enough.

Later that evening, a seminar was arranged by JP, Guy Wright and Mike
Haagendaas. JP, as usually, acted standup comedian/harpist.
Markku Tievainen later told us how he, moore or less, walked right in to a
Swedish air force base and asked if he could borrow two Hercs, witch he, to
his surprise, got.

June 4-97, Wednesday
We get our first wind break, for the day, already by breakfast. When we get
out, the decision where taken that we would skip further practice jumps.
A few dirtdives later, and we're in the plane. No one seems to know if we're
really gong or if we're going to do some moore ground practice, or anything at
all, for that matter. Then we get the word: you got twenty minutes if you need
to get something, take a leak or just stretch your legs. And then we go!
The jump was not a great one, but no one died, so it wasn't a complete
disaster, either. Seriously, we had some problems. The dive were much steeper
than during the practice jumps. It didn't cause us any major problems, but the
guys in the trail plane where a bit confused. About 90 people in.
Jump two.
The worst nervousness is gone. At least we have seen how it looks when 100
people try to get to, almost, the same spot. They say that the base flew faster
this time, but I had to fly on my fingertips a few times anyway. In all, this
jump was a lot better. 96 in, even if a few only just made it before break off.
We completed our weedeater arm at 1900m (6300ft), witch give us about 6 seconds
until first break off, at 1600m (5300). Cold as hell today, but not completely
hopeless. Tomorrow we'll nail the sucker.


June 5-97, Thursday

This morning, I was even moore tired than usually. Not only me, BTW, even though
the worst party animals hit the sack earlier than usually.
We take the eight o clock bus to the DZ, make a few dirtdives and off we go.
The jump is fair, not good. A few people go low, one never makes it up again.
At the debrief I hear a few people hum on the well known tune, from one of the
Wally Gubbins videos; "only 99, gotta do it again."
Jump two.
A lot moore sloppy in our line, but the setup part works better. This time we
actually got completion, but just for one second. Next time!
Jump three.
I feel very relaxed now, we did actually nail it, the last time!
At the same time, I'm very concentrated, I simply can't screw up.
I find my line in the dive, I leave the tailgate to the right and behind Turbo
and Zero, and my slot is on there left side in the formation. I find my
reference point in the base, but I go a little to close at first. It feels a
bit wobbly, at first, but then we got our line. For a moment, our piece is a
bit light, so I can see over the whole piece, before we get it down. I can't
see anyone out, so...
Down on the ground many/all are convinced that we had completion. Henrik H,
cameraman, says i was complete for 4-6 seconds, but since the announcement
doesn't come, we almost started to despair. Maybe there was a wrong grip?
Marku gathers us all, to check out names and slots. They have seen that it was
complete, but are waiting for the judges to recognizes the record.
But during lunch, the call comes, over the speakers: New Scandinavian record;
100-way, complete for five seconds!
After appropriate outbursts of joy, we gathered a few people, to try something
else. The concentration just wasn't the same, neither when we tryed a 35-way
round, nor the 25-way what-the-fuck. but it still was a great feeling to come
down from such a crappy jump, and just laugh about it. Let's boogie!

I don't think I will tell any details about what happened that night. Anyone
who has participated in a Scandinavian record knows!
To give you a hunch, I could mention that I', writing this at 5 Am, and am
having great difficulties to find the right buttons and things on this damned
machine. And the party goes on!

One could find Markku with a tear in his eye, when he was being worshipped as
the god of Scandinavian big formation skydiving.

June 6-97, Friday

Went to bed, got up, had breakfast (lunch), went to bed.
I guess I felt like one should, the day after setting a record.
When the night was drawing closer, my head started to come into phase with my
body, just in time for the concert with the Leningrad Cowboys.
That's about all that happened during the friday.

June 7-97, Saturday

Airshow!
We start the day by sleeping in, late. Breakfast and buss transportation to the
airport, at ten o clock.
We dirtdive a little fortyone way thing, to perform later. After that, we have
a couple of hours to look at the airshow, before the buss takes us to the other
side of the airport, where the Herc is waiting.
The weather is great and the sleeve is short, witch will prove to be a
painful decision. There where many strange aircrafts go gaze upon. And then the
time crept close to one thirty and we climb onboard the bus. When we come to
the part of the airfield where the plane is parked, the gate is, of course,
locked.
Eventually the driver decides to try another road. With a military escort, we
search along narrow logging roads and finally manage to find the plane. A last
quick dirt dive, and off we go. It was a pretty funny feeling to load forty one
jumpers and a camera man in a C-130, plenty of room! For once, we had plenty of
time. That usually never happens when I'm involved in demo's. So we have to
wait some tim at 3000m (10 000ft). Eventually, the time for exit is getting
near, so i feel the plane take a leap from 3000m to 4300m (14200ft). Of course,
they gave me the least slot I wanted, super floater on the right edge of the
"lip", under/behind the ramp. But the exit works better than I had feared, and
surprisingly soon, we can smoke a forty one way over twenty thousand
spectators.
Markku had arranged the break off so that the first wave left at 1600m
(5200ft), the next wave at 1400m (4600ft) and so on. According to them who, for
some reason, stayed on the ground, it looked pretty nice.
Atfter the jump, we had the rest of the day to spend at the airshow. we found
som activities that are (hopefully) something outside the normal. For instance
a ladies, armwrestling competition, yikes!
After the airshow, bus back to the school, packing and a quick pizza. Then bus
to the train and a nice sleeping compartment and zzz!


June 8-97, Sunday

After a rush from the railway station to the terminal all we had to do was to
wait for our tickets. About thirty seconds before the gangway is pulled, Johan
came running with them. Yummy, breakfast buffet! Then lazing on a sunny sunday.
The weather is a bit more sunny than my, partially cremated, body can handle,
but all I have to do is to get inside for a while. but after spending half a
day on the boat, I understand why one always travel by night, drinking
oneself back to ste monkey stage. Bored!
When we finally come to shore me, Stefan and Jesper makes one last rush to get a
cab and catch a train. We arrive at the station with plenty of time, only to
find that my train is full. Only thing to do, was to wait two hours for the
next!




Summary:

How to summarize this thing?
Well , it wasn't the most boring week of my life!
I mean, I couldn't dream, when I renewed my license, that I, during one wee,
would make two one hundred way formations, become Scandinavian record holder,
smoke a forty one way over twenty thousand spectators and see Leningrad Cowboys
live!

The boogie? Well, it wasn't the herc boogie one is used to from Sweden, but if
you consider that it was arranged by a club that normally operates with a
C-182, I think this event, with two Hercs was pretty well done.
I doubt that I would take this trip just to boogie jump for one week, but give
them a few attempts, and I think we got something here.

//Sven