Intimidated by the sport. In his own words "lacking natural talent"...  Words that only Ernesto Gainza would use to describe himself because nobody I know would use anything other than "Calculated" or "Driven". Maybe "Forward Thinking" or even "Fucking Crazy" (that was me...).  Currently holding the record for the smallest canopy every landed, the man has taken on challenges that very few ever would, and he's done them with success and professionalism to say the least. Join me as I get the wonderful opportunity to catch up with my friend Ernesto, and find out how he ended up with all of us deep in The Lunatic Fringe.

At 17 he knew. Well, he knew after he talked his mother into signing the release anyway. Marat Leiras showed his dedication to the sport of skydiving almost right away with a 400 kilometer drive one way to the dropzone just to get through AFF. With some serious skill, some wonderful luck and a whole lot of great timing, Marat managed to travel the world, train and jump with some of the best the sport had to offer and even marry the Iowa girl of his dreams; all without ever overstaying his visa!  join us as we talk about everything from wind tunnels and BASE jumps to what a crowd of 70,000 looks like from above.  All on this edition of Lunatic Fringe Into the Void.

From a very early age, Dave Singer knew exactly what he wanted, which was exactly what most other 8 year olds do. A sewing machine... wait, what? Okay, so Dave may not have taken the more traveled road, but it the path that he was absolutely sure he was suppose to be on. From military jumper and rigger, to civilian camera flyer and eventually on to the Mecca of the times for cutting edge skydiving in Perris Valley, Dave never had a doubt that skydiving was his life. Working his way through college to earn an engineering degree specifically to put that knowledge to work in the construction and manufacturing of skydiving equipment, Dave is one of that rare breed of person that knows he is exactly where he's suppose to be, deep in the Lunatic Fringe.

With beginnings in the sport rooted in tragedy, Nicole Ludvik turned to skydiving as a way to escape a crazy corporate life and personal hardship by hitting every one of the fifty states from above.  An accomplished AFF and Tandem instructor, she's traveled the world with her husband and significant other, professional swooper and instructor extraordinaire Mr. David "Junior" Ludvik, and you can damn well bet she's got stores to tell!

On this episode of The Lunatic Fringe, we've got Chloe from Alta Psychotherapy back in the can to talk all about PTSD—from symptoms to solutions, and how to get yourself off the roller coaster before things spiral. 

So yeah... A charmed if not short career in skydiving is exactly what Mandy Curry had. Stumbling into amazing situations and lucking her way into rubbing elbows with skydiving royalty, she can't help but look back at her time in the sport with rose colored glasses! A mother of two on a vastly different trajectory, Mandy takes the time to sit and reminisce with me about trips to Eloy, landing on glaciers, guns and death threats in Mexico and dollar bills at the strip club cause she met me while I was sans pants in a thong looking for a "champagne room" customer, she's most certainly got a few stories to tell! Wait, this one might not have been the best idea! Please join me on this episode of Lunatic Fringe with one of my dearest friends (who knows way too fucking much about me), Mandy Curry.

From the top of his game with multiple US National and World championship titles under his belt, to wondering if walking would ever again be an option, the journey Nick Batsch has been on over the last three years is a tough one to imagine. Years of training and top level athletic reflexes turned a landing that could have just as easily taken his life into the challenge of a lifetime, pushing Nick to work not only toward the physical demands a rebab of his type takes, but the often un thought of mental hurtles he had to overcome, not simply to live a normal life and perhaps even skydive again, but to once again stand on the top of the podium at the US Nationals. Join in on this edition with the US National CP Champion Nick Batsch and hear in surprising detail all about his continuing journey with the Lunatic Fringe.

Multiple lives all rolling after and on top of the other.  Mitch Steere, software engineer, father of 2 teenage daughters.  Mitch Steere, sliding off a motorcycle at triple digits, dirty downwind on his first jump, downsize demon. Mitch Steere, building a full database on how to perform beautiful flock dives with as much safety and precision as possible. Having come through his truly "sketch" times with the help of a great mentor, Mitch and his crew are looking toward the future of XRW and canopy flocks with great anticipation! Check it out on this edition of Lunatic Fringe!

Matt Gerdes and Mike Steen of Squirrel Wingsuits may not have set out to reshape the face of BASE jumping and skydiving, but it seems they may have gone about doing exactly that. With a ton of paragliding experience under their belts, their single minded goal soon became BASE jumping and wingsuit BASE; and in pursuing their lofty and dangerous dream ended up designing their own line of cutting edge wingsuits and BASE specific equipment designed to enhance performance, increase safety and push the boundaries of human flight. 

Right out the gate she was breaking the rules in skydiving!  Drawn into the sport with family, jumping instantly took over her drive and motivation, and it's led her to multiple records, world travels and skills both in the sky and in the tunnel that most will aspire to but rarely achieve. Naomi Kotzee is a highly sought after instructor, coach and organizer, and because she's one of my closest friends in the sport, she's now no longer a podcast virgin. Take the time to listen in as she shares part of her story into the Lunatic Fringe!

Join us for the second episode in our Spiked series with Alta Psychotherapy as Chloe helps us start diving deeper into the mindset of the extreme sports athlete, from novice to world champion, and how at every level your mental health plays the most vital of roles.