Why do you love skydiving?

[MoValFlyer 0]

Hey guys! I'm doing a project for school, and if you guys could answer a few questions for me it would help me a lot.

1. How did you get into skydiving?
2. How long have you been doing it?
3. Why do you love/hate skydiving?

Feel free to add anything else! Thanks!

[Unstable 9]

I got into Skydiving when a buddy in my lab group organized a couple of friends to take the class. I think everybody else just did one jump, and i got kinda hooked! I've been doing it for about 7 months now. Not too long, but i know that i will be doing it for a long time to come!!

I love skydiving for lots and lots of reasons! I enjoy it because it is an individual sport, and i can work on it at my own pace (sometimes fast, sometime really slow ) The biggest reason is the feelling of control it gives me. This is probably why i like the canopy ride the best. Plus, i have yet to meet a skydiver that i don't like. The people are GREAT!

sds
Manhappening KS

=========Shaun ==========

[skygod7777 0]

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1. How did you get into skydiving?

i grew up around it, my mom and dad owned a dz.

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2. How long have you been doing it?

for 7 years.

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3. Why do you love/hate skydiving?

i love skydiving so much because of the people. no other sport do you have the "family" that you have in skydiving. you know that you always have someone to fall back on, and it doesn't matter who they are when there at the dz. you have so many different types of people, docters, firemen, office workers, bums (me ) and so on. and no other sport has the thrill or adrenaline that you get from skydiving (well, base jumping i guess).

later

[Casie 0]

(1) Birthday present
(2) for about a year and a half
(3) I can fly...I'm free as a bird/getting your 8 year check on your cypress...Yuk! Tooooo expensive!

~Porn Kitty
WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts!

[Tonto 1]

1. Its something I progressed to through watching birds to homing pidgeons through falconry to jumping off cliffs into water to hang gliding to skydiving.

2. 18 and a bit years. Nothing touches it. Nothing.

3. I love the constant. We always know nothing, we are always learning, and yet our skills still satisfy us. I love the people who stay even when the weather is bad 'just in case" I don't like the come and goes. The "I love this SO MUCH" and then they stop. Commitment is good. All commitment.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[Cajun 0]

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Hey guys! I'm doing a project for school, and if you guys could answer a few questions for me it would help me a lot.

1. How did you get into skydiving?
2. How long have you been doing it?
3. Why do you love/hate skydiving?

Feel free to add anything else! Thanks!

1. Roommate found a local DZ on the internet. I've always wanted to try it.

2. 4 years as of last mother's day.

3. I love that you can fly your body in anyway. Love that you are always the student, and always the teacher at the same time.

3b. I hate packing.

edit:spelling

[DaGimp 0]

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1. How did you get into skydiving?
2. How long have you been doing it?
3. Why do you love/hate skydiving?

1. Well i got into it after i got into the army and was doing military jump (no fun) then learned about a freefall progression course.

2. Been in the sport for three years now.

3. I love the sport cause you are continuing to push yourself and learning new things every time. Also that people in the sport are like none other. In no other sport can you show up to a new place a feel like you have been in that little family for your whole life.

"Professor of Pimpology"~~~Bolas

[nacmacfeegle 0]

1.Did a jump to raise money for charity
2.10 years this coming september
3. Nothing else even comes close.

--------------------

He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

[ladyskydiver 0]

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1. How did you get into skydiving?
2. How long have you been doing it?
3. Why do you love/hate skydiving?

1. I always wanted to do it. It was on my list of things to do. I planned on doing it once and marking it off my list of things to do. Did 1 jump - was hooked.
2. Well...depends. 3 1.2 years if you look at date of first jump 'till now. But, there were 2 periods where I had to take some time off from jumping. So, if you look at actual jump time, 1 1/2 years.

3. Love - The feeling of accomplishment when I complete a formation, the freedom, the constant challenge to get better, the many places where I can go and have instant friends, the warm and huggable group of skydivers, the fact that while I'm jumping that is the only thing I can think of so it's like a brain break.

Dislike - Packing (don't hate it but do dislike it)

Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.

[Brains 2]

I got into skydiving because it was something i thought i would like to try once. I new the second i landed that i wanted to do it again. I have been skydiving for three years now and have 400 jumps.

I continue skydiving for the freedom it gives me. There is not another sport, anywhere, that gives me the same freedoms that skydiving does. And like kelly said, there is such a family attitude about skydiving that you can't get anywhere else. Rednecks to hippies, conservitives to extreme liberals, we all come together to share the same sky.

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

[beemertec 0]

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1. How did you get into skydiving?
2. How long have you been doing it?
3. Why do you love/hate skydiving?

1. Last summer I got a group of friends together just so we could say we did it. I got hooked. No one else in the group still jumps.
2. 1 year in June.
3. Every jump is different. I am always learning something new. Most of all I can walk on to any dropzone and within minutes feel like I've been friends with them for years. Overall, we have the best people in this sport.

Blue Skies
Steve
Ok, so it's pink, but I'm secure in my manhood, and I still look cool coming in under it!

[kiltboy 0]

1 I love heights and I'd always wanted to jump from a plane

2 I've been jumping for 4 years now

3 I love the feeling of leaving all my cares behind as I exit the aircraft. Then in freefall I can fly around as I care and when I'm under canopy I'm still a few thousand feet up so I can still fly around in the sky. Sitting in the sky under canopy as the sky changes at sunset is something you can't explain.

3b it would be nice if it wasn't as expensive.

David

[dkpbxman 0]

1. Always wanted to. Finally decided to try something for me, and not worry about what others thought.

2. 10 years

3. I love the sense of freedom and total control it gives me.

[TheBile 0]

1.)After spending my entire youth promising I'd do it I just got up off my butt and said that I have to do it now, before I turn 30. I made my first jump 6 months prior to my 30th birthday.

2.) Not long. Half way through AFF.

3.) Because it's unlike any experience you will ever have in your entire life. It can't be compared with anything else because it is so unique.
The people involved in the sport are some of the best around. No matter what country you go to or what level of experience skydivers have, 99% of them are good examples of the positive nature of the human race.
I have also found that you get a certain respect from whuffos when you tell them what you spend your freetime doing. They may think your crazy but I have noticed a certain amount of new found admiration from friends and colleagues who knew me long before I made my first jump.

Gerb

I stir feelings in others they themselves don't understand. KA'CHOW !

[Jib 0]

1. How did you get into skydiving?

I always wanted to try it once and needed a break from work but didn't have time for a vacation. I talked to a friend who has 2000+ and the next day I was hooked.

2. How long have you been doing it?

almost a year

3. Why do you love/hate skydiving?

There's really nothing like it. It's challenging, humbling and heart-pumping. But, I feel oddly relaxed in a stress-relieved kind of way when I'm done. There is also a surprising diversity of great people who are united by it.
Hate: Rollercoasters just aren't the same.

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the depth of his depravity sickens me.
-- Jerry Falwell, People v. Larry Flynt

[Push 0]

1. It was always on my cool-stuff-to-try list but I needed an excuse to go do it. A friend of mine turned 18 and wanted to go, so I went. After my landing I started laughing and couldn't stop for 15 minutes.

2. Since August 11th, 2002.

3. First and foremost is because it's as close to flying a human can get. Then, in no particular order:
The sense of accomplishment you get after every successful maneuver.
Every jump dwarfs my own existence, and yet it greatly enlarges it.
The people. My dropzone is, hands down, the friendliest environment I've ever been in, and that's after I learned about the local drama.
The feeling of total and absolute personal responsibility.
Probably other things I forgot, and a few that aren't explainable.

-- Toggle Whippin' Yahoo
Skydiving is easy. All you have to do is relax while plummetting at 120 mph from 10,000' with nothing but some nylon and webbing to save you.

[dterrick 0]

Hi Ryan!

My story is unlikely ... - a cute blonde skychick landed 'out' at one of our sports car racing weekends and the rest is history.

Sounds far fetched I know but it's true. I've been a racing driver since the very late 80's and our track uses part of the Left (decommissioned) runway of the Gimli airbase. The dorpzone uses the right runway and the spot is often over our track. So, to cut that part of the story short, I WHUFFO'd for over 10 years even though I was THAT close to a DZ.

So Vicky 'drops in' to the swamp off turn 1 while I'm runnin the gate and we chat a bit. Hmmm, three weeks later I'm in the classroom sessions for my FJC. The rest is history.

I've been jumping since September 1st 2001 and now have 135 plummets in a 6 month seasonal DZ.

There's nothing I 'hate' about skydiving except that the addiction is even stronger than sports car racing. This of course also means I was TOTALLY off base when I thought I had found a better "deal" on my adrenaline fix - becasue instead of racing once a month I was jumping every weekend (didn;t miss even one).

The loves are numerous:

1 - The people. Even on our tiny DZ we share an indescribable bond that you are now just realizing. It gets better.

2 - Pretending I'm a bird. from my FJC opnward I was hooked on canopy flight. I thought a Manta 288 loaded at 0.7:1 was great fun - it only gets better. Freefall was somethng I had yet to experience (s/l method) but I thik my most rewarding jump yet was my first 'real' jump - a hop n pop with no strings attached (well, jumpmaster holding p/c)

3- Scaring whuffos. Well, not really 'scaring' them but perpetuating the perception that I'm a bit of a whacko adrenaline junkie. After all, people thought sports car racing was'out there' but after I crossed the fence (literally, in my case) the deal was sealed for most of my freinds.

Th neat correlary to this perception is that I have hurt myself (time lost) downhill skiing, mountain biking, working on my car, and lots of other 'non-radical' activities, but everybody forgets those incidents and asks me about skydiving injuries and what happens if my parachute fails and and and... People just don't know about our sport and it's fun to educate them - some have even threatened to join me when they too go crazy

Dave

Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

[wmw999 2,452]

1. I remember having wanted to for quite awhile when I was 15. So I guess I always wanted to. When I was in college, I couldn't afford the first class I saw, but I kept looking after I'd saved up money.

2. 28 years this summer. But I took an extended time off after my first 1000 or so jumps to get some other life lived

3. It's the realest thing I can do. I like the people, the sense of trust, the sense of sharing, and, of course, the adrenaline rush

Wendy W.

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)

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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How did you get into skydiving?

Like most, it was on the list of things to do in life. Myself and a bunch of friends I play volleyball with showed up at the DZ to do our tandem jumps. I was the only one out of sixteen to become a skydiver though. But aviation is in my blood. I'm a licensed private pilot and my father is a retire air force jet fighter pilot as well as a retired airline pilot (he's also a total whuffo).

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How long have you been doing it?

I'm a youngster. My skybirthday is July 14th, 2002 and to date I've made 231 jumps.

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Why do you love/hate skydiving?

Not only do I love the adrenaline rush of skydiving, but more importantly I love the constant new experiences I encounter in the sport. I also like the comradery I get from my fellow skydiving family, whether they be people I jump and party with, or you guys here on DZ.COM.

I do not like the financial drain it's been and I'm disappointed that my airplane flying skills have suffered. But I get more from flying my body and my canopy than I get from flying an airplane (which I do love to do).

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[jtval 0]

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Hey guys! I'm doing a project for school, and if you guys could answer a few questions for me it would help me a lot.

1. How did you get into skydiving?
2. How long have you been doing it?
3. Why do you love/hate skydiving?

Feel free to add anything else! Thanks!

1-- I boarded the wrng plane on a cross counrty trip once! they made me jump! HAHAH! J/K
I wanted to jump since I was 9 (story on my website if you care)


2- ive been doing it for at least 1 mile
actually, its been 3 years YESTERDAY

3- I love skydiving b/c it helps me not pay my bills on time! its always been a goal of mine to be as broke as possible...just to prove I can still smile!

My photos

My Videos

[cgross 1]

1. I knew I always wanted to do it, but lacked the $$$. My Girlfriend bought me a tandem for my 25th b-day, and here i am.

2. It has been just under a year now.

3. I love the one second you let go of the plane and you are free... No way to describe it other than wwwaaaaaaahhoooooooo..... I hate the fact that all of my money and time goes into it.

[LouDiamond 1]

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1. How did you get into skydiving?
2. How long have you been doing it?
3. Why do you love/hate skydiving?

Feel free to add anything else! Thanks!

1. Being that it was part of my contract when I enlisted in the Military, parachuting started the day I raised my right hand.

2. So far I've been doing it for 14 years and counting.

3. I think there are a lot of personal reasons for anyones involvment in skydiving. I find it a great way to have incredible fun through mastering the movement of my body in the air. The fantastic people one meets at boogies, on line, or at your home DZ makes the sport all the more interesting and worth while. It is amazing that many barriers and obstacles can be overcome simply by the fact that one jumps, a instant understanding is already emplaced when you met someone new and you find out that the other jumps. Like anything else, there are bad experiences out there, be it the occasional unfriendly person, DZ, the loss of a friend or loved one or injury. But the utter joy of actually LIVING is always close at hand and thats what makes it so much fun, the fact that you not only know but you feel alive after every jump.

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[chopchop 0]

the chicks!

chopchop
gotta go... Plaything needs a spanking..

Lotsa Pictures

[divingduck 0]

1. How did you get into skydiving?
I have always wanted to do it, and I met a guy who I started hanging out with and he already had 30 + jumps, and he got me into it. It was love for both the sport and him that jump...

2. How long have you been doing it?
Just got into it a month ago
3. Why do you love/hate skydiving?
I love the freedom and the view, I hate the fact that I know I am a naturally flighty person, what if I fuck something up or forget to, you know, pull something and die??? It can be summed up in the double edges sword, blue skies, black death

If I loved you anymore I would have a stroke

[Vallerina 2]

1. I joined the Purdue Sport Parachute Club (oh hell...here's a link to their site:http://expert.ics.purdue.edu/~skydive/) just to do one jump (static line.) I couldn't resist doing a second jump, since it was only $35. You know how the rest goes.

2. Three years

3. I started to love skydiving since it was the one thing where I really felt like I was flying. I felt like I was actually experiencing the flying dreams I had all the time. It felt incredible. I really fell in love with skydiving after I started getting to know the incredible people in this sport. I can't elaborate on that too much...it would get much too long going on and on about how great some skydivers are. I also can't properly describe how awesome it is to fly around with such cool people.

I hate the costs of it.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning