VICTORIAN/SOUTH AUSTRALIAN STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS BORDERTOWN -
NOVEMBER 2006
VIC/SA State Meet Round-up Tim Bates had a dream. It was to have the combined state meet of VIC and SA at Bordertown again and that dream was realized in his honor when the 2006 Vic/SA state meet was held at Bordertown airfield, SA on Sat the 4th and Sun the 5th of Nov. The logistics of the meet wasn’t going to suit everyone as Bordertown is 2.5 hours from Adelaide and 5 hours from Melbourne. As a result, numbers were predicted to be down but that wasn’t going to deter the organizers, Mark Gazley & Shannon Straubinger, and competitors from having a state meet that Tim would be proud of. The big blue and yellow 750XL turbine from Skydive Nagambie arrived on the Wed to give a few teams to train and familiarize themselves with the temporary drop zone. It must have brought over some of the famous Victorian weather as the conditions weren’t too kind to the 2 SA inter 4way teams taking advantage of the training days before the meet. Only 4 loads were completed on the Wednesday and Thursday. Fortunately the heavens cleared up and the winds abated on the Friday to give Overindulgence and Jelly Fish a chance to polish their newly learnt moves. As the day went on, Cryogen (4way) from VIC and We Got Nufin (FF) from SA decided to have some fun and get training also. By the time last load went up, all of the competitors had made the long trip mostly from Melbourne & Adelaide and were settling in before enjoying a quiet bevy and a good night’s rest before the serious stuff started the following day. There was an air of excitement and anticipation among everyone that this was going to be a state meet to remember. And with Tim watching over us, it made even more special. People were relaxed, getting along, there was no pretence. I think it was more so because it wasn’t anyone’s drop zone, all competitors were on neutral ground and it wasn’t being run like a business! People were there to have fun. This is what it is all about- having fun with friends. Meet director was Mark Gazley who welcomed competitors, helpers, spectators and Tim Bates’ family on the Saturday morning. The weather again wasn’t ideal as it was overcast at 2000ft! It gave us a chance to reflect on one of the reasons we were all there. Tim’s sister Bec and father Robert led a moment on his short life as most skydivers there were touched by Tim. It was also “Dollar for diabetes day” organized by Carly …….One dollar from every jump made by skydivers during the meet was going to research for diabetes as Tim was heavily involved and passionate about diabetes. When the clouds dissipated, and the all clear was given by Mark, a hop’n’pop memorial jump in Tim’s honor kicked off the start to the meet. It was now down to business. Fiona and her apprentice Laura were doing a fantastic job at manifest, keeping everyone in line and getting the day going. The day turned out to be a beautiful one as Airtite led the way early in the open 4way section closely followed by Rust from SA. Live Wire (VIC) and Inacoma (VIC) were battling it out for a medal place. In the inter section, Exit Strategy (young guns from VIC except for Chris Adams!) were battling their way through the pack to prove they weren’t just there to party. Though they did plenty of that on Sunday! Hot on their tails were Jelly Fish (SA), Overindulgence (SA), Crunch Time (VIC) and the oldies, Cryogen (VIC). The judges, Gail and Jenny, were busy doing their thing in front of those TVs. In the Freefly section, Vertical Logic had no competition in the open section with no other teams registering for the event! And in the Intermediate Freefly division it was a tussle between We Got Nufin (SA) and Amnesia (VIC) for the honors with Narcolepsy (Vic) doing their best to hang in there. The meet started to draw a crowd as folks in Bordertown were constantly hearing the roar of the turbine and seeing people jump out of it! I don’t think they get too much excitement out there! Some locals wanted to see what the fuss was all about and decided to have a jump themselves with a JM. People of all ages were cheering and clapping in support for the competitors as they landed and made their way to the packing grass. The atmosphere was awesome and it showed in the competition. People were even running to the plane every 2nd load to feed the pilot! On ya guys. Before we knew it, the sun was about to set and there was no time left to do a 16way, as earlier planned and organized for commemorating Tim Bates. We were just over halfway into the competition and the pilot was exhausted! How much sleep did you get Mr. Pilot, or have you gone to bed yet?! There was only one thing to do then. Have a feed, a quiet bevy and bed. The gliding club put on a feast for us, the day tapes were played with much laughter and cheer, and everyone was telling tales of their day. Some enthusiastic teams managed to get in some more practice on the creeper pad as most competitors were snoring away into the night. Sunday greeted us with blue skies and all were eager to jump. The meet organizers decided to have the 16way Tim Bates memorial jump at the completion of the competition, to get the day going quickly and give everyone a chance to complete their rounds early. Well we were straight into it again and more locals came to support the meet. There were more tandems to the delight of the organizers as it meant more money to be donated for the diabetes fund. In the 4way open, Airtite had wrapped up 1st place, as the other teams battled it out to the end. The oldies, Cryogen were the winners in the inter 4way, though Greg did his very best the night before to keep everyone awake with his snoring, maybe the reason they won! The surprise of the meet was Jelly Fish coming up with the goods for SA as they had the least amount of jumps between them. Vertical Logic was awarded 1st place by default in the freefly open but as there were no other teams, they left empty handed. And in the inter FF, Amnesia won the comp with We Got Nuffin second (after Riko rectified the overexposure on his camera to give We Got Nuffin some points!). Following competition the 16way went off, a letter T was built so that all from the ground and in the air could remember Tim and be with those that shared in his life and it was an honor for me to be part of it, even if all I did was fly the plane!! It wouldn’t be a state meet without a fly-by from the XL with Tim’s sister as co-pilot! With all the competition finished, the medals, encouragement awards and prizes were given out before the real party started. What a party it was. A big thank you must go to Mark Gazley and Shannon Starubinger for organising and coordinating the meet. Big thanks also to Gail and Jenny for their tireless judging, Fiona and Laura for their efforts at manifest. Special thanks must go to the Bordertown and Keith Gliding club for the use of their facilities and airfield, Don and Lou Cross for the providing the plane. Special thanks also to the Bates family who made the trip and share Tim’s legacy with us. And thanks Terry for flying the plane! And a huge thank you to everyone who participated in the meet as well as those that put the extra effort in and helped out behind the scenes. With your efforts, we were able to raise over $3000 for diabetes research. Nice one! Well what a state meet it was. It will be remembered for a long time, not for the medals or the glory but for the spirit of the meet, the spirit of competition and the legacy that Tim Bates left behind. (And the party!) Let’s hope next year is a combined meet in Bordertown, as those who attended will tell you, it was an honor to be part of the meet and the trip was well worth it. See you next year. by Terry Latchman FINAL SCORES  WHO WAS WHO?
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State Meet 2006 |
