John Dobleman, affectionately known as “Mad John” or “M.J.” in skydiving circles, received his USPA Regional Achievement Award for the Pacific Region from DZO Shaun Fenner at Bay Area Skydiving in Byron, California, on September 2. The citation on his award reads, “For nearly four decades of promoting the sport in the Pacific region as a load organizer, fun jumper and world record holder, always supporting safe skydiving and fostering a fun and welcoming drop zone environment for jumpers of all skill levels.”

Dobleman, D-7790, has been a USPA member for more than 40 years. He is known for being an inclusive, welcoming and fun load organizer for jumpers of all experience levels. This sentiment was expressed by numerous jumpers who supported his nomination. One remarked, “It’s all about the love of skydiving for that guy! It’s almost more than just jumping out of planes for him. He wants to give back to his people. We’re his family, and he wants to help everyone grow and spread the knowledge.” Another remarked, “M.J. keeps new and old skydivers returning back to the DZ weekend after weekend and ensures all jumpers feel welcomed into our community. No skydiver is left to jump alone when Mad John is around.”

The surprise presentation took place after a beautiful sunset awards ceremony for the annual Summer Six 6-way speedstar competition, an event Dobleman has organized for more than 10 years. (No one, including Dobleman, seems to remember when it started.) Fenner and a crowd of Dobleman’s former students (which includes Fenner himself) also presented him with a brand-new Jump Shack Racer container, something he had been not-so-silently coveting for years.