Level Two Fears

[themitchyone 0]

After my first tandem five weeks ago, I completed level one last Monday and will do two on Saturday. I felt pretty good about level one, and I'm excited about two, yet, I'm feeling simultaneously scared, dreaming a lot about it, etc. I'm feeling like, okay, jumping once or twice is one thing, but to keep it going is like tempting fate. Regardless, the desire to go is stronger! Has this mixed up fear been a similar experience for others? I'm sure it will subside with more jumps, but I'd like to know I'm not alone.

"If the Bible has taught us nothing else, and it hasn't, it's that girls should stick to girl's sports such as hot oil wrestling and foxy boxing." - Homer Simpson

[Jayruss 0]

There are different fears for each jump, they will go away. You will make it through, have a GREAT time

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"Beware how you take away hope from another human being."
-Oliver Wendell Holmes

[Fast 0]

You mean it opened once!!!! Hw could that EVER happen again!!!


I'm a new jumper and I can tell ya I had the same thought for awhile, it starts to go away after time. One thing that I found helped was making sure I really drilled the emergency stuff into my head so that if, and when, something does go wrong I will know how to deal with it and get myself safely on the ground. Knowing what to do in the different situations really helps to give confidence that you will be ok, and that you are not 'tempting fate.'


So no, your not alone, from everything that I have heard talking to the experienced jumpers at my DZ, most people go through the same stuff when they are just learning.

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[freeflir29 0]

I think I would occasionally get the "Why the hell am I doing this?" running through my head up until 150-200 jumps. Now that I'm pushing 400 the thought of "Why" doesn't even enter my mind.

[Andie787 0]

Of course you're not alone! I'm still new, but I found that by my 3rd and 4th jumps I was thinking more than just being on "automatic pilot" like I was on my first couple after such intensive training.

It's just your common sense kicking in! Best to start ignoring it now!

Andie

[lawrocket 3]

I've been there, done that. And I will still be there and do that. I was told by an instructor that the time when he has no fear, he will quit the sport.

Keep pushing through it. I almost threw up before my Level 5. My stomach churns before a trip to the DZ. That's the way it will be, and it's a healthy thing.

Fight though it and enjoy your times!

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[txblondie 0]

Don't worry about it, it's perfectly normal. I'm on level 6, and I'm nervous, even though I've already "accidently" done a back flip and barrel roll and come out fine from both. I know I can control myself in the air, but that doesn't stop me from dreaming about the things that could go wrong.
The only way to get over it, I find, is to just DO IT. This will be my 11th jump, and I get butterflies every time the jumpmaster tells me to move into the door...really, it's normal.

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Blondes do have more fun!

[freeflir29 0]

Oh....the reason that you get these thoughts....and continue to have them is that you are becoming more and more aware of what's happening on the skydive. Your brain is percieving new things and then it has to be able to deal with that new information. Like I said.....it took me at least 150 jumps before I stopped skydiving on "automatic pilot" and actually started thinking and being in control of the entire free fall. Deployment time seemed to take the longest. I can still remember thinking clearly right up until I decided to dump. Then....going back to training and waving off and dumping on "auto."

[Chew 0]

I felt exactly the same on jump 2! I was way to focused on what I was doing on Level 1 to get too scared, but on level 2 you have a little more time to contemplate what you are about to do! And thats when the fear sets in.

My AFF Instructor said it is very common and that a lot of people are more worried about their second jump!

And as for tempting fate, just ask your instructor who will probably have about 4000 jumps under their belt if they are tempting fate yet

And at the end of the day, if it wasn't so scary it wouldn't be so much of a buzz!!

Good luck with Level 2 and have FUN FUN FUN!!!

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[storm1977 0]

If it make you feel any better, I just did jump #30, and I was more scared than the tandums that were on my load.

When ever I am in the plane there is a little voice in my head that says... "What the Fuck are you doing?"

The voice has gotten a bit quieter, but it is still there. My nerves aren't centered on dying now... They tend to be more centered on screwing up the dive.

Chris

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Sometimes it is more important to protect LIFE than Liberty

[funks 1]

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I was told by an instructor that the time when he has no fear, he will quit the sport.!

So true, never become complacent. Once the fear is completely gone then something is wrong. We are doing something that is very unnatural, hurling ourselves out of airplanes every weekend is not natural. It is normal for your brain to try and slam on the brakes. The fear will subside, but will most likely never go away. If the fear goes away, so then most likely will the adrenaline rush...have fun and be safe!

[pleifer 0]

Dwelling on the fears makes them worse!

After my 2nd aff jump i too thought of all that could go wrong, but i found that resolving the fears with a solution helps.

Like oh no my main has a mal!!!
1/ line twist- kick out of it watch alti. and look reach look pull reach pull if its not fixable

if your not comfortable with something practice

50 jumps latter i can't wait to get out of the plane

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The Angel of Duh has spoke

[Brains 2]

When i did my first tandem, i came down and went to manifest and wrote a check for all of my aff training. I knew i was hooked. Going through my aff jumps i was extremely nervous, to the point of making myself sick driving to the dz just thinking about what was next. I actually quit for 6 months or so. I then thought well, i've already paid for this i might as well finish it. Went back and started back in ground school and went through all my aff levels without any re-peats. Been jumping ever since (3 years now) Like Lawrocket said, when the fear is gone, i will stop. Good luck to you and hopefully you will stick with it.

Never look down on someone, unless they are going down on you.

[McDuck 0]

Oh, I totally dreamed/woke myself up at night with skydiving as the main theme while in student status. And anytime I talk about it (even now) my hands and feet go cold. Not entirely from fear, at least not anymore, but from anticipation. I still get nervous, but the way I combat that is to ask questions, joke with people on the way up and learnlearnlearn as much as I can so I can be a safe skydiver.

As I mentioned in another post, my instructors and coaches all said/say the same thing: the moment you have no fear or nervous feeling in your gut is the time you should take up bowling because you are a danger to yourself and other skydivers.

Heck, I can still keep myself up at night going over a dive flow...

Kevin - Sonic Beef #5 - OrFun #28
"I never take myself too seriously, 'cuz everybody know fat birds don't fly." - FLC
Online communities: proof that people never mature much past high school.

[Zoter 0]

I know how you feel....personally I was terrified until my instructor told me at Level 4 I think....unstable exit...unstable this...unstable that....( I went white!) but once you can prove to yourself you can recover.....EXCELLENT! its the BEST feeling.
I recently got my Cat8 and was on a 'free jump'....double backloop through a cloud and spontaneously just did the loudest YAHOOooooo!....and thats something I never did during AFF...I was concentrating too damn much !
Keep going .......it just keeps getting better and better!

[themitchyone 0]

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It's just your common sense kicking in! Best to start ignoring it now!

LOL. Thanks for all of the good advice guys. At least I know I'm normal, well, relatively speaking as far as skydiving is concerned. It makes a lot of sense: If I wasn't scared I would be endangering myself and those around me. The fear factor keeps me on my toes and not to mention kicks in the afterbuzz.

"If the Bible has taught us nothing else, and it hasn't, it's that girls should stick to girl's sports such as hot oil wrestling and foxy boxing." - Homer Simpson

[ozthebum 0]

I know exactly what you mean. I'm still getting rid of my whuffo-ness, and while on the ride to altitude I think, "What the fcuk am I doing? I've already proved I can jump out, why test my luck?" But once I get out of the plane I remember the freedom, and excitement, and everthing else....then the WTFO feeling goes away.

[kai2k1 0]

Dont feel bad, I made my first tandem on JUL 5th. did 2 more tandems after that, and made my first AFF jump 2 weeks ago, Am i scared?? YES but probably for the wrong reasons. I dont want to fail a jump. I started this with a time table to get it done and if i happen to fail a level it just pushes me that far back. Not to mention that in order for me to afford this, I work about 60 hours in a normal week and 70-75 hours every other week, but i will have the satisfaction of knowing that i earned it. Its nice to see someone else with the same fears. I also dream about skydiving every free minute of the day. I f you ever want to " compare notes" im in the forums or just shoot me a message


P.S im scared shitless everytime i get in the otter

Blue Skies

KAI

There's no truer sense of flying than sky diving," Scott Cowan

[RippedCord 0]

What I can only describe as "sheer terror" was replaced by healthy fear on maybe AFF3 or 4. It does get easier as you go along.

[themitchyone 0]

In spite of any fears and a possible post-ponement (due to other reasons) that has been resolved, I am doing level 2 today. I am terribly excited, anxious, and scared. Perfectly reasonable!

"If the Bible has taught us nothing else, and it hasn't, it's that girls should stick to girl's sports such as hot oil wrestling and foxy boxing." - Homer Simpson

[SkyAnt 0]

Jump number 5 was the hardest for me.
And when I came back into the sport my 4th.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

[nikon 0]

I just did my second level jump last week after being delayed for 5 weeks due to weather. I was just about to leave the dropzone for the weekend and they came running after me and said "gear up". I had no time to even think about getting nervous.....until the plane ride up ..of course! It was the best jump yet and I was pumped! The minute the door opened the butterflies went out the door and the game face was on! You will do great and most likely you will be a lot more aware of everything that happens during your jump. At least that is how it was for me! Post back when you are done your jump!

[peachsouthern 0]

I just finished my Level 2 the other day and getting ready for 3 and 4 on Monday. You would be crazy not to have that fear. Great advice I got from my instructor was its not how fast you get threw the levels, but how confident you are after each one. My first attempt at level 2 was decent, but I wanted to repeat it cause I was confident to have them let go during level 3. The second time was a blast and I can't wait to get up for the next level. Take you time and Good Luck through the rest. PM me anytime, we are about at the same level

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." - Albert Einstein

[VanillaSkyGirl 6]

We are ALL scared when learning to skydive. I remember being an AFF student, gripping the steering wheel tightly for dear life as I forced myself to drive to the DZ in a nauseous, sweaty-palmed daze in the dead of winter, feeling like I was driving to my death with a gnawing in my tummy, wanting to throw up and to laugh out loud at the same time...my eyes huge and a crazed smile plastered to my face. Uhhh...people that say that they are not frightened are lying.

I was absolutely terrified when I began to skydive. My first jump was an AFF1, and I have never experienced such pure "sheer terror" in my whole life. My original DZ closed down when I had about 12 jumps, so I was still a student when I began to try new DZs. I was mortified.

Also, I will not go into detail here, but I had 2 cutaways by the time that I had 16 jumps. I was not scared for some strange reason after the first one (DZ packed tension knots). After the second one, however, I began to question my own abilites, and I reevaluated my decision to be in such a dangerous sport. I stopped skydiving for a month because I was not sure if I was the one creating problems or if my second cutaway was justified. (It was!) All that I can say now is that sometimes stuff happens, and we have to be proactive in order to save our lives.

I am not scared when skydiving anymore, and I do not get frightened even when I don't jump for a month. I experience varying degrees of nervousness many times about executing the actual skydive correctly, but the sheer terror that I felt as a student is gone. It comes and goes throughout the first twenty-something jumps as you are trying so many new things. For some people, it's more or less, but 30 jumps seems to be the magic number when most people stop feeling fear. Even if you still have fear every time that you jump, it will be a healthy fear.
Edtied: I want to reemphasize that I was the "queen of fear" when beginning to skydive. If I could get to point when I feel only a healthy nervousness about jumping, then anyone else can do this, too!

[themitchyone 0]

Thanks for the support everyone. I did my level 2 today, and it was a great skydive! I had some fears in the preceding days, but during the flight up and jumping out I was fine (I didn't feel as much of that odd panic about being at 11,000ft and just starting to put on the goggles, helmet, etc). I also had set some personal goals for myself, one of which was to not again land off target on my butt!... and I was successful, landing on target, on my feet! I loved the forward movement that was added on to the freefall and can't wait to learn more maneuvers.

"If the Bible has taught us nothing else, and it hasn't, it's that girls should stick to girl's sports such as hot oil wrestling and foxy boxing." - Homer Simpson