Lainey 0 #26 March 30, 2005 I have some safety rituals with skydiving: always do a vocal check of all my gear before walking to the plane. Always check all handles before exit and chest and leg straps etc. These are pretty standard, but to make you feel a little less odd i'll include some weird rituals I have that are unrelated to skydiving: When i eat a banana I eat it almost all the way down then when there is like 3 bites left i take it out of the skin, turn it upside down and eat the rest from the bottom. When i ride in a train i always ride on the bottom of the carriage. Whenever i'm home and the lottery numbers are coming up i'll always say the numbers 3, 8, 7, 15, 26, 31. but i never play lotto and those numbers never come up anyway. - one day i'd kick myself if they did. I can't sleep in a room by myself with an open door unless it opens out to a balcony. I used to have more but I'm a little less weird these days. And you shed not a single tear for the things that you didn't need 'Cause you knew you were finally free - Death Cab For Cutie Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tigra 0 #27 March 30, 2005 OCD and I've got to question your hygeine as well! Same shirt- always? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyyhi 0 #28 March 30, 2005 The hand slap finger point thingy is huge. . .I don't jump without it. HOWEVER, at Nationals doing 10-way speed, one of my teammates took a hold of my hand and squeezed it just before we exited. . .FREAKED ME OUT. . .I checked all of my handles several times before that jump. He did it every jump after that and it didn't bother me after the first, but that first time just really upset my whole psych. . .________________________________________ Take risks not to escape life… but to prevent life from escaping. ~ A bumper sticker at the DZ FGF #6 Darcy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bobsled92 0 #29 March 30, 2005 turn on CYPRES at arrival to DZ I always take a piss at 20 min call say an "Our Father" on take-off try to be last out for speed jumps. get really calm at 1,000 ft. on ride up do the secret hand shake thing 3 min prior exit. sign of the cross then on goes my A3 helmet._______________________________ If I could be a Super Hero, I chose to be: "GRANT-A-CLAUS". and work 365 days a Year. http://www.hangout.no/speednews/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pop 0 #30 March 31, 2005 I've said a prayer before every jump.7 ounce wonders, music and dogs that are not into beer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LearningTOfly 0 #31 March 31, 2005 Packing: I always unpack and repack my canopy shortly before the first jump of the day. I tie my third (or first) rings together before starting. I always stow my lines standing or kneeling to the right of the container/ lines. I've always jump my own pack jobs, exept for once... jump 20 or so. Jumping: I do a gear, check, get a safety check, then do about four pin checks of my own, and finally get one before leaving. I do a practice pull, chop, pull standing on the ground waiting for the plane. I watch my handles in my peripheral vision on the plane ride up when I'm not doing anyting else. I adjust my straps twice ont he ride up, and once more before leaving. I check handles, straps, and pc before leaving I do a flight control check after opening, even if it's there and square, and looking in working order. I do at least one spiral I restow my toggles and unkill the slider after landing Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sunshine 2 #32 March 31, 2005 I usually let out a little "woohoo" or "yeehaw" when the door opens. And i always scream during open and under canopy. It's ok though, it's a scream of happiness. ___________________________________________ meow I get a Mike hug! I get a Mike hug! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andrewwhyte 1 #33 March 31, 2005 I do my handle check five times in a row. Kinda like Jack Nicholson with the door lock in "As Good As It Gets." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pawl 0 #34 March 31, 2005 I always wear my rig, other than that... nothing"Africa is not for sissies" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
somethinelse 0 #35 March 31, 2005 ina sport as intensely exciting and risk laden as ours is, i think whatever keeps ya centered and calm for your jump is cool. i try to spend some time pre-jump stretching and meditating some... get checked before getting on the 182 plane by more experienced jumpers... pray walking to the plane- actaully i pray at each stage of the jump and like crazy at deployment... tend to walk in step with the jumpers to plane... make eye contact with each jumper and do 'the hand shake with each jumper before we prepare to exit' ...big smile and yahoo when under a good canopy. blues...lila. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,106 #36 March 31, 2005 QuoteI always wear my rig, other than that... nothing Every jump a naked jump! Very daring.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blueskies14k 0 #37 March 31, 2005 I have never jumped without my lucky shoes--They are duct taped now, but I can't fly without them. I once broke up with a girl for telling me "good-bye" as a was running to the plane. I have 2 chops--I kept the reserve handles only to put them in a shoe box---I will replace my current one if the event occurs again--I will never jump with a used handle. I don't want to push my luck and count on it to work twice haha!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yoshi 0 #38 March 31, 2005 as the plane is powering up for take off I kiss my fingertips and tap the plane. gotta give the plane some love (every load) I try to tell every person on the plane to have a good jump either with a high five or whatever. every time I get under canopy (excluding when I am doing a tandem) I say "Im a ninja!" but I think it when I am on tandems... -yoshi_________________________________________ this space for rent. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pawl 0 #39 April 1, 2005 OK let me re-phrase that ! "...other than that, no rituals" "Africa is not for sissies" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peacefuljeffrey 0 #40 April 1, 2005 I don't have a lot of crazy rituals, I think, but I do have one that I began doing around my early jumps and continue to do. Now, I'm not religious or anything, but I sometimes offer mystical mental respect to ethereal forces involved in the things I am doing. Once I have a good canopy above me, I blow a kiss to each bare foot, then to the sky above me, then to my canopy which saved my life. For me, the "blowing kiss" gesture is mentally linked with loving and/or respecting something. I do it all the time, to my car, the airplane I fly, my cat, my rig... Weird? Yeah, sure. But so what? -Jeffrey-Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #41 April 1, 2005 Check of threes when I gear up. Handle/alti checks before I get on the plane. Handle checks when I go to the door.Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peacefuljeffrey 0 #42 April 1, 2005 QuoteI have never jumped without my lucky shoes--They are duct taped now, but I can't fly without them. I once broke up with a girl for telling me "good-bye" as a was running to the plane. WoW! I could never do that, not knowing where my next piece was gonna come from! "Waste not, want not," you know? ***I have 2 chops--I kept the reserve handles only to put them in a shoe box---I will replace my current one if the event occurs again--I will never jump with a used handle. I don't want to push my luck and count on it to work twice haha!!!! Um, I don't mean to throw you off kilter, but... what about the notion that the new one is "unproven"? -Jeffrey-Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peacefuljeffrey 0 #43 April 1, 2005 Quoteas the plane is powering up for take off I kiss my fingertips and tap the plane. gotta give the plane some love (every load) Yeah, I do that often too, but not every load. QuoteI try to tell every person on the plane to have a good jump either with a high five or whatever. At the few DZs I've been to, this seems almost compulsory! It makes us feel like family, and we are. Quoteevery time I get under canopy (excluding when I am doing a tandem) I say "Im a ninja!" but I think it when I am on tandems... Dude, you know how people type "LOL" but they just mean, "I think that's funny," not "I actually laughed out loud"? I did the latter. LOL!!!!! I am just imagining someone doing that, and it...boy, lemme tell you... it is funny! -Jeffrey-Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peacefuljeffrey 0 #44 April 1, 2005 QuoteI usually let out a little "woohoo" or "yeehaw" when the door opens. And i always scream during open and under canopy. It's ok though, it's a scream of happiness. That reminds me of two other rituals I have. When we are wheels-up, I make the "fly" sign language sign, and I gesture like an airplane taking off. And when I land, I usually can't help but let out a "woohooo" as I'm collapsing my parachute. Particularly hearty "woohooo!" as I landed my first night jump the other week and stood it up. -Jeffrey-Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tonto 1 #45 April 1, 2005 QuoteI always wear my rig, other than that... nothing Ditto. "The hand slap finger point thingy" is such bullshit. If you have your rituals, that's fine, but please don't impose them on me. Unless you're a close friend, I find this very disturbing with many, many people having that fucked up, freaked out "lets drink the Kool Aid together" look in their eyes. The "Yehaa" and "Yahoo" crowd are the same. Check your gear, shut up and think about your dive. That's what I'm doing. tIt's the year of the Pig. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
karenmeal 0 #46 April 1, 2005 About 1500 feet before exiting I do a handle check, pin check (Main only), chest strap check, visual inspection of my 3-rings and check to make sure my leg straps are even on every jump. I must do this complete check atleast once after I have put on my helmet and goggles before I can exit the plane feeling comfortable. If the check isn't enough to make me feel grounded then I take some deep relaxing breaths too. You can see me on videos touching my handles and yanking on my chest strap one last time before exit quite often.. It really bugs me when I don't have the proper time to do my little ritual and take some deep breaths and relax before jumprun. I hate it when the clouds are lower than expected or something and the pilot doesn't give us proper warning that jumprun is coming up. Anyways, those are only a few of my compulsions.. Don't worry.. there are plenty other obsessive compulsive skydivers out there! -Karen "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peacefuljeffrey 0 #47 April 1, 2005 QuoteAnyways, those are only a few of my compulsions.. Don't worry.. there are plenty other obsessive compulsive skydivers out there! -Karen Yeah, but how many of them are adorable in a sparkly green hat like you are? I'm wondering about the-Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
