Capital Commentary
by Chris Needels, USPA Executive Director

Out with the old, in with the new! If only it were that easy for USPA policy makers. At its July meeting in Alexandria, Virginia, our board of directors faced some very tough decisions, and our elected officials were up to the challenge.

Since almost its beginning, USPA has tried to be all things to all people. But while that sounds like a good thing, it simply can’t happen. Programs, large or small, require resources. And for USPA, resources are few because we have a small membership. We have to make smart choices.

When we elect new directors and they attend their first board meeting, they see a briefing slide titled, “New Program Litmus Test.” Among the test questions are the following:

• Is it funded, and if not, will it fund itself?
• Does it have a substantial constituency?
• Does it serve the best interests of the membership as a whole?
• Is there the manpower to implement and maintain the program?
• If there are not the necessary resources, what other program(s) should be reduced or eliminated to make way?

At the recent meeting, some under-subscribed programs were put on the chopping block to make room for some new. The awards program was ripe for review, and the statistics showed a decreasing interest in the skydiving performance awards, specifically the freefall Falcon and Eagle awards, the barely-three-years-old 3-D Award and the canopy formation “stack” awards.

The tough decision to eliminate these awards was not whimsical by any means. A comprehensive random survey three years ago showed that of all the programs members valued, these were ranked near the bottom. USPA also surveyed members via the website on the value of these awards. While responses were not many, there was a clear consensus that these awards could go. And the number of awards given, as can be seen monthly in Parachutist, is small and dropping.

Skysurfing as a Nationals event was also on the block but escaped the axe. Still, the message was clear: If there isn’t substantial participation at this year’s meet and the next, it will join para-ski in the has-been category.

Then what’s new? Perhaps most notable is a soon-to-be-launched program for state and national records. More often than awards qualifications are met, state records are broken. Members call in and ask how they get recognized or what the existing records are that beg to be broken. The answer is that we have no records program at the state or national level, only international. This is strange, since our constitution calls for us to document at least national records. There were also new programs in competition, safety & training and membership services.

Until we get substantial sport and membership growth, we’re stuck with a zero-sum game. To get a new program, an old one of equal cost must go. But this isn’t all bad. Outdated programs die hard. Sometimes, they need a little nudge. In this fast-paced world of thrill sports, only the strong survive. Skydiving has been around almost as long as there have been airplanes, so we must be doing something right. But there are other recreational opportunities, extreme and mundane, that are hot on our tails. We need to look forward, not over our shoulders. The National Skydiving Museum will take care of the history.

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