| Our Lead Staff |
Jason Bell
BASE Jumping Co-Organizer
Exit Point Coordinator |
Jason made his first BASE jump at Bridge Day 1993 and has 500+ BASE jumps. He's traveled the world, often bringing his video or still cameras along to capture the action. Jason was part of the May 2003 record 19-way BASE jump from a 486' bridge in Idaho and has appeared on numerous videos and television programs. He helped organize Bridge Day 2002 and his company, Vertical Visions, began organizing Bridge Day in 2003. Despite working more than 700 hours a year on Bridge Day during evenings and weekends, Jason maintains a full-time day job as a mechanical engineer. In his spare time, he enjoys skydiving, paragliding, electric vehicles, computers, and working on his smart home located in Bridgeport, West Virginia. |
Jennifer Bell
BASE Jumping Co-Organizer |
Jennifer has attended every Bridge Day since 1994 and assisted Bill Bird in the LZ for many years. In recent years, she has become a familiar face to jumpers at Bridge Day. In the months prior to Bridge Day, Jennifer contributes many hours to the organization and preparation for the big day. Jennifer has one skydive and enjoys taking care of daughter Mallory and son Ashton, traveling, and getting a good nights sleep. She also has her "BASE Groundcrew" number, having groundcrewed for everything from New York City building jumps to leaps from Switzerland's Eiger. |
Bill Bird
BASE Jumping Co-Organizer
Landing Zone Coordinator |
Bill has attended Bridge Day since the early 1980's and has been the landing zone staff leader for many years. Bill is a longtime skydiver (instructor since 1979 and pro rated) and BASE jumper from the Canton, Ohio area. He made his first base jump in 1982 from the New River Gorge Bridge and has done many more since. In his spare time, he runs his own business and also owns a Class 3 friendly shooting range. Bill met Jason and Jennifer years ago when Jason was in college, and he helped their skydiving club "get off of the ground". "All of the folks I've worked with over the years have been very nice, and I wouldn't trade these times for anything", says Bill. "It makes me feel good to see people that I have worked with go from young adults to worldclass jumpers. Thanks to all the staffers that have helped over the years!" |
Darren Jefreson Johnson
Exit Point Staff Leader |
Darren Jefreson Johnson, known to his friends as "Sporto", started his passion for parachuting in 1989 when he made his first jump with the US Army. He accumulated approximately 80 military jumps including one combat jump in the invasion of Panama with the 2nd Ranger Battalion. While on active duty in 1991, he made his first sport parachute jump at Snohomish Parachute Center and has since accumulated over 3500 skydives. Sporto is a member of Team Mayhem of Skydive Tecumseh in Michigan, where he focuses on freeflying and high performance canopy flight. In 1998, Sporto made his first BASE jump at Bridge Day and has been on staff since 2002. To date he has more than 80 BASE jumps. And yes, that is the correct spelling of his middle name (Jefreson)...
(Sporto would rather "skydive" at the USPA Nationals this year. Lame!) |
Mark Krasinski
Exit Point Staff Leader |
Mark first attended Bridge day in 1990 and has been BASE jumping around the world ever since (BASE #680). He has been skydiving for 23 years and has over 2,400 skydives. Mark holds a senior riggers ticket, is a private pilot, and has been working the Bridge Day exit point for the last few years. He works for a military parachute company designing, fabricating, and jump testing parachute systems. He travels internationally to demonstrate and train military groups in rigging, maintaining, and use of parachute systems, both personal and cargo. |
Bruce Kramer
Exit Point Staff Leader |
Bruce has been working at the Bridge Day exit point for many years and is one of the most friendly jumpers you'll ever meet. He's been BASE jumping since the early 1990's and holds BASE #509. Although Bruce blew a toggle on the last 450' cliff jump of the 1998 IPBC competitions, subsequently dropping his team from first place to third, Jason still considers Bruce one of his best friends in the world. Bruce is a solid jumper, a great leader, and now a wonderful father to his son Lucas (future BASE jumper, of course). |
Tony DiCola
BASE Video Festival, Audio, Video |
Donk is a veteran skydiver and BASE jumper. He has made thousands of skydives and hundreds of BASE-jumps since his first BASE jump at Bridge Day 2000. His most memorable BASE jumps include the Eiger in Switzerland, 2003 record 19-way at the Perrine Bridge in Idaho, the Cave of the Swallows in Mexico, 11-way Birdman flock at Kjerag Norway, the Kuala Lumpur Tower Malaysia and many other "undisclosed" jumps domestically and around the world. Donk is a former USAF ROMAD and is where he got his first taste of adrenaline-induced adventure. Currently, Tony is an senior engineer for one of America's largest telecommunications companies but really lives for the adventure and travel BASE offers as well as building new friendships with some of the most colorful personalities in the world. Since BASE has very limited formal training and progression, he views welcoming and mentoring new BASE jumpers to the sport as the most rewarding aspect. Donk has been credited with several written publications and video productions; most notably the 2003 BANFF Mountain Film Festival finalist "Cinclus Vision" which earned him honorable mention and has been aired in hundreds of theaters and closed circuit televisions across the globe. |
JJ Schuster
BASE Video Festival, Audio, Video |
JJ made his first skydive in 1994 and has 950 to date (mostly freeflying and swooping). He made his first BASE jump at Bridge Day 2002 with Donk as his mentor. He's been to every Bridge Day since - often working with Donk as a BASE VideoFest staff member (a.k.a Donk's helper monkey). JJ (BASE #864) has also jumped in Moab, Twin Falls, KL, and at numerous other undisclosed locations. His parents tease him often with "if all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?" humor. JJ works in the corporate world as an IT tech/system support for a large packaging company. So far, he's sired three kids (two boys and a girl) and is married to Anna, who also also skydives. He enjoys time with family & friends, motorcycles, home maintenance, hunting, and shooting. |
Nate Varns
Shuttles, Packing Areas, Etc. |
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Barb Casey, Jason Bell, and Bill Bird (Photo by Lonnie Kirk) |
