This weekend there is a perfect opportunity to work on landing accuracy, improving canopy performance and increasing usage of front risers, rear risers and steering toggles. Competitive Canopy Pilot TJ Landgren is hosting a canopy skills seminar for all levels of skydivers Saturday, August 7, at Atlanta Skydiving Center. The camp includes a ground school followed by four videotaped landings with debriefs by TJ. Many of the skills taught during the camp are necessary sign-offs for A, B and C licenses. Intermediate skydivers will learn how to get more out of their canopy. Cost of the course is $110 plus the cost of four hop and pops. The ground schools begins at 8 a.m. and will immediately be followed by the four hop and pops. See TJ at the DZ to register or call 678-747-1004 to add your name to the registration list.

The night before, "live water training" will be held Cedartown Health Spa Friday, August 6; from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Skydivers should meet at ASC at 6:30 p.m. to caravan to the gym. Water training is a requirement for the USPA B License. The water training is open to all skydivers, regardless of jump numbers...from 1 to 10,000+ jumps. This is a great experience for those who have never gone through it or those than just need a refresher. You will get live water training of climbing out of a harness and parachute in water. Stewart Cavanaugh, Jim Vance and Mike Gruwell will conduct the training. A $20 per person fee will include pool use and instruction as well as pizza and beverages at ASC afterward. A signup sheet is located on the corkboard just inside the main ASC building entrance.

Congratulations are in order for Aaron Ritche who graduated the ASC student skydiving program Sunday. Aaron tore up the sky with textbook level 7 of a front flip exit, back loop, 360-degree turns and tracking. He ended the dive with an accurate landing in the main landing area not to far from the orange X. We're waiting on the beer Aaron!

We have two new "pro swoopers" on DZ as Vitali T. and Chuck Owen qualified for the Pro Swooping Tour last weekend. Chuck gets special recognition for making his final qualifying jump with a broken foot! Jim Vance was also on his way to qualifying, but was unable to make his last jump due to work constraints. Nice job guys!

John Young made his annual visit to ASC on his way to the World Freefall Convention with Fast Eddie Grantland. Young helped out flying video for a few tandems over the weekend. He also said he would be back soon to ASC as he is retiring this year. And we almost forgot to report on Fast Eddie's first-ever pond swoop last weekend! Fast Eddie made the swoop to remember Nate Gilbert and did Nate proud with a skip off the pond, but he continued to fly his canopy all the way to dry land. Eddie said, while it was fun, it would be his last pond swoop.

ASC swoopers Tyler Lawson and Dan McAllister were in the Netherlands last week at the Holland swoop competition in Texel. Lawson finished 3rd and Dan finished 9th in the intermediate category. Woohoo!

And finally, the ASC staff bid farewell (at least for the summer) to Carl Meurer last week. Carl will be flying the King Air at our Philadelphia dropzone, Skydive Pennridge. Carl plans on returning to ASC this December and staying through the winter. Carl's brother, Johan, will be staying at ASC.