With the dog days of summer behind us and the home stretch of the skydiving season approaching, it’s important for jumpers to keep their guards up. July is typically the most fatal month in sheer numbers, but the fatality rate stays consistently high through October, even as the season begins winding down.

At its summer board meeting in Arlington, Virginia, the USPA Board approved significant changes to Skydiver’s Information Manual Section 7-2—Professional Exhibition Rating.

If you’re a northern jumper, winter gives you the opportunity to travel south, experience new DZs and get a break from the freezing weather. However, if you aren’t able to travel to warmer climates during the winter months, you’ll need to store your gear.

A freefall photographer caught this damage to his closing loop, which was relatively new, while packing during a busy weekend of jumping.

Diana Martin checks her altitude during an AFF jump with instructors Erin Engelsen (left) and Dennis Dorman at Skydive the Ranch in Gardiner, New York.

Jay Luccioni (black and yellow rig), D-9753, celebrates the 40th anniversary of his first jump with friends at Aerohio Skydiving Center in Rittman, Ohio. 

After 42 years, Strong Enterprises moved to a much newer and more ergonomic facility about seven miles northeast of its previous location. Effective October 1, the new address is 6448 Pinecastle Blvd., Suite 104, Orlando, FL 32809. Phone numbers and email addresses remain the same.

Mile High Hub recently released a worldwide skydiving event calendar for jumpers looking for the next boogie, competition or specialty event.

Skydive Elsinore in California hosted its hot summer boogie, the 11th Karlfornia Boneanza—Trailer Trash Bash, July 26-28.

Skydive Spaceland-Houston in Rosharon, Texas, hosted its third annual Pre-Nationals Formation Skydiving Competition July 20-21. Five teams battled it out in 4-way and 8-way and gained a unique opportunity to get a feel of what it’s like to compete on the national stage.

Dave Lunardi releases the ashes of longtime jumper Terry Zimmerlin, D-12981, at the Cleveland Skydiving Center in Garrettsville, Ohio.

July 17-18, Air Sports Group and the General Sports Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosted the inaugural Swoop Freestyle International Open in downtown Jeddah. The first professional skydiving event in the kingdom featured 18 competitors from 15 countries.

On August 10, Mid-Atlantic Regional Director Chris Wagner presented Jim Burriss, D-9540, with the USPA Regional Achievement Award.

Melvin Brewing, a local microbrewery in Alpine, Wyoming, holds an annual beer festival, Madness Days. The brewery asked local jumpers Bill and Carol Jones to organize tandem skydiving for this year’s event, which it held July 19-21. The result was a beer boogie featuring skydiving rather than the usual skydiving boogie featuring beer!

On August 12, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao swore in Stephen Dickson as the 18th administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Due to numerous requests, USPA has decided to email Foreign Affiliate renewal packets rather than send them via the postal service as it has in previous years.

Cheryl Stearns celebrates her 64th birthday by making her 21,000th jump at friend Gene Stoughton’s property in South Carolina.

The Lost Prairie Boogie is a time to tune out from the daily hustle and bustle of email and social media and tune in to yourself and those around you. It’s a time when 300-plus close friends journey to a small prairie in Montana for 10 days of adult summer camp, skydiving included.

The Maytown Sport Parachute Club held its annual Fun Meet on August 17, about two months later than usual due to poor weather in June.

In August, Matt Fry and Melissa Nelson Lowe hosted a Vertical Sequential Camp at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois.