Andy Stumpf — Ex-Navy Seal y coach de BASE Jumping…qué pichudo
Andy Stumpf: Navy Seal, atleta Kill Cliff. El hombre hace Surfing, CrossFit, y también Base Jumping con un flying suit. Que hay detrás de la mente de este daredevil!? Qué lo motiva a arriesgar su vida en cada salto!? En esta edición de Barbells and Rants, nos damos a la tarea de entender un poco más al hombre detrás de todas estas proezas. Conocer también su trabajo con la Navy Seal Foundation, y demás locuras que se alojan dentro de la mente de este atleta extremo. Ojalá les guste!
[Andrés]: Who is Andy Stumpf?
[Andy Stumpf]: I am a simple person. I believe in family, and fighting for what you believe in. I spend my time teaching skydiving, wingsuiting, BASE jumping, and playing with my three amazing children.
Why jump off buildings and cliffs!? What is the motivation?
The desire to start BASE jumping came after I began skydiving in 1999. I was interested in it even back then, but I was active duty military, and 9/11 changed the trajectory of my life for quite some time. After being medically retired from the military in 2013 I had the chance to pursue BASE jumping again, and I jumped at it, no pun intended. My initial motivation stemmed from loving everything jump related, BASE jumping just seemed like a natural extension of skydiving to me. After actually doing it, I found that I enjoyed every aspect of it, not just the jump itself. I love being outside, and most of the areas where we can jump in our wingsuits require a substantial hike in the back country. You are almost always with a close friend, or friends, enjoying not only their company but the environment as well. The closer you get to actually stepping off, the sharper your focus and clarity of thought. For me, I love how clear my head gets right before I jump. I’m not worried about what I had for lunch, or whether I remembered to move money into my checking account. All you can think of is the next few moments in your life, and I love that feeling and focus. Then you get to step off, and the real fun begins.
How did you get involved with Kill Cliff?
I met the founder and President of Kill Cliff in late 2014. We all had the shared background of being in the same military units, so that connection was a natural. They liked the type of jumping that I was doing, and our introduction occurred at a time where they were looking to branch out into the “air” space. Basically it was perfect timing, with a little bit of luck thrown in for good measure.
Do you practice CrossFit? Follow the Paleo diet and all?
I have been using CrossFit since 2005, when it was first introduced to me. Over the years I have definitely modulated the intensity, depending on what I was doing in that phase of my life, but the methodology has been the same. I have tried all the diets, Paleo, Zone, Ketogenic, etc. I have always found that I get good results from each of them, but it is obviously tied to how strictly I can adhere. My schedule is pretty nuts at times, which makes the strict adherence a problem, especially with a lot of travel. Now I try to focus on finding high quality foods, but I am not going to starve myself if I only have sub par options for a few days.
What is the Navy Seal Foundation? How are you lending a helping hand to them?
The Navy SEAL Foundation is an organization that is dedicated to honoring and preserving the legacy of those who have given their life in the service of their country. They serve an amazing role, and the breadth and depth of their support programs are amazing. They are generally involved from the initial notification to the surviving family, and their commitment to those families is enduring. They help with everything from financial planning and assistance to grieving and support programs for the families. It would take me an hour to list out everything they do, if people are interested they should check out their website www.navysealfoundation.org it explains everything they do in a detail I am not capable of.
I am trying to help them by funding a specific program, the Survivor Support/Benefit program for the 2016 fiscal year. It has been extremely frustrating for me to not have a direct involvement with the overseas conflicts, so I decided to try and support those that still are directly involved. At the very least I want to try and help provide peace of mind that if anything were to happen, the families will always be taken care of.
Have you ever gotten in trouble because of your jumps!?
I don’t particularly enjoy the “illegal” aspect of BASE jumping. The gear is expensive and takes time to have custom made, and I am not a fan of having it confiscated. There are a few places in the US where jumping is either legal, or “tolerated” and I would much rather travel there and not have to worry about the police. Europe is also amazing, they welcome you with open arms in most locations.
I have been in trouble my fair share of times when skydiving, but each time was directly tied to me being a dumb ass and doing something stupid.
What is the craziest jump you have ever made? Do you have crazy plans in the future?
I have made a few high altitude mountainous jumps here in the US, and a few overseas as well when I was in the military. Those would definitely rank high on the “crazy” scale. I don’t have any plans for anything “crazy” in the future, but I also don’t look at anything that I do as falling into that category. I am working on a trip back to Europe in the early fall, hopefully visiting a few of the BASE jumping friendly countries and locations.
What would an experienced Navy Seal like you, would change about the way Hollywood portrays military men/women? Movies are stupidly inaccurate and with glorified scenes that barely resemble the truth. Would you work as an advisor for them? Make them get it right?
Hollywood is a tough one. Yes, they get some things wrong, and many others right. I have a few friends that have worked as advisors, and all have told me the same thing……They tell the directors how it would actually happen, and then they work together to find a happy medium so it will appeal to a larger audience. The reality is that most if not all of what we do is not sexy or glamorous. When you are trying to make a movie, those are the things you need to sell tickets, so there has to be a compromise. It is the same as when they show skydiving or BASE jumping in a movie. People who do those activities can spot the inaccuracies right away, but they leave them in the movie so it appeals to the people who would not normally know any better.
The world is a mess now. What would you do, if you had the power to do so. To change what is happening in Syria for example?
Man, that is a tough question. My honest answer would be “politically incorrect”, so I will take a pass on this one.
Does your family/wife share your extreme way of living?
My wife probably looks at me and what I do and shakes her head at the end of the day. She is a very active and outdoor woman, but jumping out of and off of things seems to have zero interest for her. My kids enjoy watching me, but only my 7 year old daughter has expressed a real interest in jumping. She wants me to take her RIGHT NOW, so I think I may have a daredevil on my hands in about ten years.
What is your favorite military movie?
Saving Private Ryan is top of the list for sure
The Band of Brothers series was also pretty damn amazing
And of course, Tropic Thunder!
Do you have a political affiliation?
Not really. I see the political parties as incredibly similar versions of each other that happen to disagree on 1% of topics. I have a hard time trusting a damn thing that comes out of any politicians mouth.
Is there a superstar within the crazy crew of mavericks you hang out with!? Who is the best in your business?
There are some icons for sure. The guy who taught me how to BASE jump, Miles Daisher, is a legend in the sport for sure. He has more jumps than anyone on earth, and no apparent desire to slow down. In the wingsuit world, my personal opinion is that Scotty Bob is in a league of his own. The stuff I see him do is absolutely mind blowing, serious next level stuff.
Is there a jump you would NOT do?
I am generally up for just about anything. Weather and wind would certainly get me to walk away. Other than that, as long as there is enough altitude, I would probably give it a go.
What would be your dream trip/jump?
Dream trip would definitely be to Europe. A few weeks in the Lauterbrunnen valley, followed by some time in France.
Dream jump would have to be flying over downtown Washington DC and then landing in the White House lawn, without permission.
Please give us in one word, the first thing that comes to mind when you read these words/phrases:
-Navy Seals — misunderstood
-Favorite Gun — 300 Winmag
-Fear — overcome
-Kill Cliff — delicious
-Politics — lying
-Boring? — baseball
- War — complicated
-One food — steak
-Fave beer/drink? — Tito’s
-Retirement? — nope
-Veterans — sacrifice
-Latin America — beaches
-Goal — victory
-Favorite team sport — Chargers
Pensamientos finales
El fitness no es solo CrossFit, bodybuilding, o algún otro deporte. Es usar nuestras habilidades para lograr lo que queremos. Andy lo demuestra usando sus habilidades físicas para proteger a su país y para proteger a una comunidad de gente que necesita ayuda.
¿Qué es fitness para ustedes?
Pura Vida!
Andres Sutherland
Regional Manager/Distributor for Kill Cliff.
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