MikeJD 0 #1 September 20, 2011 Like (presumably) most people here, it's hard for me to contemplate the day when I'll take off my rig for the last time. But I guess - unless I get dead first - there will eventually come a point where I say 'no more'. So, for those here who are still actively jumping - what do you suppose will make you stop? And for those of you who don't jump any more, and don't plan to again - was it through a conscious decision, and if so what prompted it? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #2 September 20, 2011 HealthMy reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 8 #3 September 20, 2011 I'll likely stop before the time when my body won't take it anymore. Sadly I'm well on my way to that."I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,534 #4 September 20, 2011 When the number of other fun things that I'm doing don't leave me enough time to skydive safely and have fun. Or if my body quits, but as long as I take care of it, I'm hoping that doesn't happen. There's lots to life besides skydiving. And even if I quit, I could always start again. I did it once, I can do it again. Wendy P.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squirrel 0 #5 September 20, 2011 QuoteHealth +1 ________________________________ Where is Darwin when you need him? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Douggarr 6 #6 September 20, 2011 Stop when you brain or your body tells you to. I stopped in 1983 for 25 years, and then I came back. I don't regret either decision. I'm now 62 and feel terrific physically. And I made several jumps a couple of weeks ago with Lew Sanborn, D-1, who is 80 and still jumping actively.SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryBaumchen 1,436 #7 September 20, 2011 Hi Mike, Everyone will make their last jump one day or night. As to why is as variable almost as there are number of jumpers. I thought I would just keep on jumping until 'what;' I did not know 'what.' Then, in '91, I got divorced & became a single parent of two teenagers. I tried to keep jumping but I knew that my first responsibility in life was to them. So I called it quits. I wish that it had not happened but it did. Now that they are grown and on their own I simply no longer have the desire. If it were 20 yrs ago, I would start up again. Is that a sufficient enough of an answer? JerryBaumchen PS) I have no regrets about the decision that I made & would do it again without question. I have my share of regrets about what I've done in life but not that decision. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ECVZZ 0 #8 September 21, 2011 Quotefor those of you who don't jump any more, and don't plan to again - was it through a conscious decision, and if so what prompted it? I can't see the future to know if I'll ever be able to jump again, so it's not that I don't plan to. As for why I stopped; first it was the last two shoulder surgeries, then a C-spine injury that prompted my Ortho to throw a fit and tell me that I'm about one good pothole away from becoming an C5-6 Quad (his words) and "if I were you, I would be looking to schedule this surgery today, but since you can't, be very careful not to take any falls or have any accidents." If my shoulder is going to heal to the point where I can jump again, just from experience, it'll be at least a year. The neck; well, I still don't know when I'll be able to afford the surgery (mucho hardware needed), or if I'll ever be able to jump even if or when that heals. In short, everything except me is up in the air right now. If it wasn't for injuries, I'd still be jumping. G. Jones "I've never been quarantined. But the more I look around, the more I think it might not be a bad idea." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeJD 0 #9 September 21, 2011 @Wendy: Yep, there is lots more to life besides skydiving, and I can go quite a few months at a time without jumping and not miss it too much. But the knowledge that I could never jump again would weigh pretty heavily. @Doug: I'm in my mid forties now, and would like to think I still have a good couple of decades' jumping ahead of me at least. Whether I'll be skydiving into my eighties is more questionable - but I love the idea that some people do! @Jerry: Good for you for getting your priorities straight. I suspect if you did start again you might rekindle the fire - in which case maybe it's better not to. :) @ECVZZ: That's a real shame. Obviously in your case you've no choice but to sit tight for now. I hope you at least get fit enough to have the option of going back, even if you decide not to. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cocheese 0 #10 September 21, 2011 When I was 12 I thought barefoot waterskiing was the greatest thing. I thought I would be "footin" til 40 at least. I quit when I was 18. Just never grabbed a ski rope again. Can I still walk on water? I don't want to find out. Catch a toe and I'd be in a coma.(plus they don't make a boat fast enoungh for my fat ass) The point is: Sometimes the risk isn't worth the reward anymore. And skyjumpin is safer than barefootin. But swooping is more dangerous than barefootin. But barefootin while swoopin is probably worth the risk. I could swoop in, cut away, and continue to barefoot to the beach Ok maybe I'll wear shoes, but the other point is: you never know when you're done barefootin. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeJD 0 #11 September 21, 2011 So what you're saying is... What are you saying? Never mind. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #12 September 21, 2011 Quote So what you're saying is... What are you saying? Never mind. It's the 20th anniversary of Nevermind. It's kind of a big deal up here in Seattle this month. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 34 #13 September 21, 2011 Quote Health Ditto. If my bones start getting brittle to the point that a simple stumble on landing or butt slide risks shattering an ankle or tib/fib, or hell a pelvis, I'm out. Yeah when we were younger, we could take a pounding, get up, shake it off, and go do it again... If I was single and no kids, I'd stick with it as long as I could. Priorities, man.... I'm still in it though. Haven't jumped in a year, but my rig was repacked last month. Soon as I get over this dingblasted cold I've been fighting for 2 weeks, I'll get out somewhere and make some jumps. "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #14 September 21, 2011 Quote When I was 12 I thought barefoot waterskiing was the greatest thing. I The point is: Sometimes the risk isn't worth the reward anymore. And skyjumpin is safer than barefootin. I pretty much grew up on a waterski, but I never tried barefooting. I didn't know it was that dangerous. Skydiving doesn't have to be too dangerous. There is a middle path that us old farts can stay on that's pretty well defined. There's always the chance, though, of "getting knocked off the path" by a canopy collision at 200'. Some of the accidents I've seen have not been a big surprise. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeJD 0 #15 September 21, 2011 Quote It's the 20th anniversary of Nevermind. It's kind of a big deal up here in Seattle this month. It has not been 20 years has it? My God. That doesn't seem possible... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #16 September 21, 2011 I remember buying that CD with a toddler and a one year old in the shopping cart. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
angrypeppers 1 #17 September 21, 2011 Neck surgery two years ago grounded me. But it wasn't so much the surgery really. I was a very conservative jumper, very happy flying around on my tuna boat sized Pilot. But I knew that there was still a chance I could be injured severely, and didn't like the thought of being paralyzed for the next 40 years, and more importantly, didn't want to put my wife in the position of having to care for me for the rest of my life. I was never able to reconcile the risk vs. reward sufficiently. I'd love to take another look at jumping again in a couple of years. I feel fortunate that I was able to jump when I could, and meet the people I did along the way. No regrets about quitting, but I miss it every day.Burn the land and boil the sea, You can't take the sky from me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bio-Missile 0 #18 September 22, 2011 Quote I remember buying that CD with a toddler and a one year old in the shopping cart. Was there a sale, Buy this Nirvana CD and get 2 kids free? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ECVZZ 0 #19 September 22, 2011 Thanks Mike, that's very decent of you. That's my hope also; to at least have the choice some day. The tough part though is at my age the odds are not in my favor. G. Jones "I've never been quarantined. But the more I look around, the more I think it might not be a bad idea." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeJD 0 #20 September 22, 2011 QuoteNeck surgery two years ago grounded me. But it wasn't so much the surgery really. That's an impressive bit of hardware! :) You obviously had a more cautious attitude than most - but frankly I think a lot of jumpers never really consider the risk at all. Oh, and I'll happily 'upgrade' to my own tuna boat-sized canopy one day, if it keeps me jumping without repeatedly pounding my aging body into the ground! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pds 0 #21 October 1, 2011 seeing people i loved go in didn't stop me. the too many 'oh shit, did i really just get away with that?!' moments didn't stop me. i made most of my jumps in the desert barefoot wearing just a pair of jump pants and never broke a bone or needed stitches. the people that could see that i just didn't give a fuck and tried to ground me (physically and mentally) didn't stop me. (thanks for that by the way. much love) having a kid helped me make the decision to hang it up while i was still ahead. i miss it and the people involved but i had a good run, got away with a lot of shit and got out alive. maybe i will start back up when i hit 55. who knows.namaste, motherfucker. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ripple 0 #22 October 2, 2011 Quote When I was 12 I thought barefoot waterskiing was the greatest thing. I thought I would be "footin" til 40 at least. I quit when I was 18. Just never grabbed a ski rope again. Can I still walk on water? I don't want to find out. Catch a toe and I'd be in a coma.(plus they don't make a boat fast enoungh for my fat ass) The point is: Sometimes the risk isn't worth the reward anymore. And skyjumpin is safer than barefootin. But swooping is more dangerous than barefootin. But barefootin while swoopin is probably worth the risk. I could swoop in, cut away, and continue to barefoot to the beach Ok maybe I'll wear shoes, but the other point is: you never know when you're done barefootin. Love this post Next Mood Swing: 6 minutes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydiver30960 0 #23 October 2, 2011 I guess I've been "on hiatus" more or less since I got to Arizona. There have just been too many other things going on. I've only been out to Eloy twice since I got here, which blows my mind because, well, it's ELOY! Hopefully, once the weather cools a bit, my work schedule will allow me to get back into it. I used to think I would melt if I didn't jump every weekend. Looks like that isn't true, after all. Elvisio "back in the air soon I hope" Rodriguez Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #24 October 2, 2011 I gave up giving up... couldn't see the point. I get more reward from paragliding (and WAY more canopy time) but like to stay current on my skydive rig too. (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fanya 3 #25 October 2, 2011 I'm 30 currently so things may change but at this point the only reason I would quit jumping is when I cant physically put on a rig and board a plane or the day I can't reach my pilotchute Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
