Blue Skies Magazine September 2012 Issue

From the desk of Kolla:

The September 2012 issue, #35, is on its way to the hearts, minds, and mailboxes of all current Blue Skies Mag subscribers. If you are not a current subscriber, why don’t you go ahead and remedy that situation now. blueskiesmag.com/subscribe. Click. Pay. Receive.

If you are a subscriber and do not receive your issue #35 by October 1, please contact Kolla@blueskiesmag.com.

Here is what you will find in the unique and beautiful flower called issue 35:

  • DZ Awards 2012
    • Voting starts here and now!
  • The HTC One Project, Part 2 | by Sydney Owen (not Syndey, or even Amanda. SYDNEY. OWEN. BAM!)
    • Sydney’s interview with Norman Kent continues. Many lovely pictures of Roberta Mancino.
  • Harnessing Fear: A Skydiver’s Guide to Effective Self-Talk | By Beth Athanas
  • Gravity | by Annette O’Neil
    • A lovely BASE story.
  • Summerfest Photo Essay
  • What’s the Rush? | by Douggs
    • The coolest fucking BASE jumper in the world wants you to slow down. And get off his damn lawn. Seriously, there’s no good reason to rush your BASE career just so you have something to post on YouTube.
  • Turning Points: God Save the Queen | by Kurt Gaebel
    • How in the world did the UK field 72 teams for 4-way FS competition at their National this year?
  • Pants Off Dance Off | by the Fuckin’ Pilot
    • A couple cold cuts in a washing machine. Yup.
  • I Want to Learn to BASE Jump | by Melanie Curtis
    • Speaking of taking it slow and easy…
  • Jump a Random Skydiver: Chris Bonafide

And that’s all, folks! Let us know what you think of this issue, the things in it, the paper, your mailman, your relationship with your mailbox. Anything. Please. There are bajillions of ways to contact us, choose your favorite and talk to us!

I am thrilled to see more and more BASE related articles by various writers.  The sport needs positive voices speaking out in articles to quiet the negative press.  I am personally thrilled excited to see an article by the lovely and very talented Annette O’Neill.

On a personal note, I am home recovering from the past weeks surgery.  The doctor believes she has gotten it all and I am on a path of 4 to 6 weeks of healing recovery and in office treatments.  May I express my gratitude to all those who have shared well wishes.  Thank You.

Now that I have all this free time which requires me to relax, I hope to get my photos sorted and posted from my 1st BASE trip over this past summer to Norway.

Peace, Cynthia

Blue Skies Magazine August Issue

From the laptop of the lovely and talented Kolla of Blue Skies Magazine.

Left. Left. Left right left. Issue numero 34 in being shipped out now! If you do not have your Issue #34 (August) magazine by August 23, please contact Kolla@blueskiesmag.com.

If you’re not a subscriber, you won’t get a magazine. You’ll just get this, a description of what could be, if you only subscribed. You can fix that by clicking over to blueskiesmag.com/subscribe.


  • The HTC One Project | An Exclusive Interview with the Director of Photography, Norman Kent | by Syndey Owen

    “It was also an amazing experience because I was able to work with my son, Ramsey. And the director loved his work. Not like, ‘Hey, you’re Norman’s son, way to go,’ but was genuinely impressed with his flying style, personality and the way he looked in his part of the commercial. He really held his own and was professional with everyone and I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

    Also check out the extras!

  • A Scumbag’s Guide to Adventure Living | Final Installment 😦 | by Chris “Douggs” McDougall 

    “When you travel you meet people from the areas you are in; most people like to hear where you have been and what you have been up to. People also like to have sex with people from lands afar with foreign accents sometimes. These people also generally live somewhere! So why not combine it all together with a fun night of laughter, rooting, and a roof over your head! Win, win, win, I say!”

  • A Road to a World Record | Part 2 | by Anna Howerski

    “I have the feeling no amount of training will be enough to calm the heart rate, so it’s a good thing I can use the nerves as fuel. I should have enough to fly to the moon!”

    Watch Anna talk about the record! youtube.com/watch?v=TR7wyn5l5-Q

  • Photo Break | Chicagoland Skydiving Center‘s Burlesque for Breasts | by Javier Ortiz and Becky Johns
  • The Fastest Man in the World | A Chat with Tony Uragallo, winner of the World BASE RAce 2012 | by Cynthia Lynn Guzman

    “I climbed a 1,000’ tower, the ladder went continuously upward, not an easy climb. It was dark outside and I really couldn’t see much of anything. I took an assist with my PC toss and found myself under canopy with no idea of which direction I was heading. I was looking for guide wires, the tower itself, waiting to hit something before I landed. When I landed I thought to myself, ‘That was an idiot thing to do.’”

  • Past Lives | Careers before Skydiving | by Mike Gruwell

    “For the most part the other ballerinas thought I was a nutbar. With my penchant for Norwegian metal, piercings, and brightly colored knee socks most people would have never pegged me as the type of person that would spend hours in a ballet studio rockin’ out for the opportunity to perform a solo variation on stage,” Amanda says.

  • Turning Points | What Does Fussball Have to do with Skydiving? | by Kurt Gaebel

    “People ask me that question quite frequently: ‘How did you launch the National Skydiving League?’ The answer is that simple: I missed playing fussball.”

    Kurt Gaebel, circa 1979

  • I Took Off My Pants… | by The Fuckin’ Pilot (who else?)

    “Then again, with a thong as my wardrobe, skin color and skinny arms were the least of my problems.”

  • My Tizzle | by Melanie Curtis

    “True friendship never dies. It lives on in us, in how we are changed by those friends, in how we choose differently because of their influence. Knowing Jonathan has been one of the greatest gifts in my entire life, and I know even with the years I have ahead of me that very few will ever be able to compete.”

  • Jump a Random Skydiver | Chris Ash

    “After losing several friends in the sport, I have always asked myself the question, ‘Is this worth it?’ And the answer has always been ‘Yes.'”

    Chris Ash! Photo by Photo by Jonathan Jefferies

World BASE Race 2012 Video Wrap-Up