What made you want to pursue skydiving?

[b_dog 0]

What lead you up to the moment when you decided, "I want to go skydiving"?

Did you watch a TV show or movie featuring a skydiving sequence and you thought, cool!

Did you have friends or family who were already in the sport who introduced you to it?

Did you simply one day say out of the blue, "Hey, I think I'll go jump out of an airplane, what the heck"?

Me, I think the first real spark of interest occurred when I was younger and saw the 007 film "Moonraker." The opening is a skydiving sequence and I remember being wowed by it, as that was the first time I had seen footage of the activity. After that I looked into the matter and was amazed to see that it's a real sport that people regularly participate in around the world. For the longest time I have wanted to become a part of it. Now the time has come when I can make steps to joining that community. Last weekend I went on my first jump out of an airplane (tandem) and it was the most amazing experience of my life. Now the next phase is to go through the education and AFF levels, get my own gear and join the big guys!

[MB38 0]

I was the kid who would make parachutes out of paper napkins and tie them to toys. Bob, the action figure of the day, would give Jeb Corliss a run for his money. He'd tackle 1 second delays from the second story banister of my house no problem... just a few tough low pulls. He'd go in and frap daily and walk away. I remember one day outside when I threw him and his chute up into the air and he stayed there for a good minute or two caught in an updraft over a picnic table.

Yeah. So I've wanted to jump since I knew what a parachute was. I'd make functional 7-cell chutes out of nylon and several hours of hard work. It was ridiculous.

It just took me 10 years to save up enough money to start doing it on my own.

I really don't know what I'm talking about.

[ladyskydiver 0]

Forgot what triggered me to put it on my list of things to do before I die, but it was on there. Decided one day to mark it off the list and well...it's still on the list.

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

[Macaw 0]

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What lead you up to the moment when you decided, "I want to go skydiving"?

My brother has been skydiving for several years and I've been out at the DZ many times amazed by the beauty, speed of the sport and attitude of the skydivers to what they do.
I signed up for an AFF course because I wanted to know if I have the mental ability to cope with the fear of height and speed. But being in the middle of AFF I realized that there's a lot more to skydiving than just coping with your mental blocks - it's fun, it's good opportunity to learn about yourself, it's people around you at the DZ, it's an incredibly blue sky around you and a distant horizont that becomes so close.

Getting back to your question, I can't tell what exactly made me want to pursue skydiving - it's everything up above and at the same time none of the above - it just happened.

________________________________________
Life is a series of wonderful opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.

[immanence 0]

For me it came from nowhere. There wasn't one thing that caught my attention. I knew about the sport before. I had even had one of my housemates in college do a sponsored jump but I thought nothing of it. Then a question appeared for me: "Why haven't I ever done that?" Then I found myself doing it .......

"where danger is appears also that which saves ..." Friedrich Holderlin, 'Patmos'

[Travman 6]

I was watching the TV show Herman's Head when I was about 6 or 7 and saw it on there and said I have to do that.
Did a tandem when I was 19 then decided I wanted to get my licence, so worked hard to get the payrises I needed to funded in and then started my AFF at 20.

[Eule 0]

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What lead you up to the moment when you decided, "I want to go skydiving"?

When I was in high school, one of my friends moved to a new house close to the local airport, which
often had jumpers in the evenings. We'd watch them come down from the back yard, or I'd pull over
and watch them come down when I was driving to his house. I thought it was cool and something
that would be fun to try someday.

I saw the Golden Knights a couple of times at airshows and thought it was cool and would be fun to
try someday.

On various trips (family vacations, then business trips) over the years, I'd see ads or brochures for
tandems and think it would be fun to try someday.

I saw some of the popular movies that have skydiving sequences, but that didn't seem to inspire me as
much as actually seeing jumpers in person or thinking about doing it myself.

For reasons unknown, I started thinking about it again earlier this spring. In May, I quit my day-time
job and subsequently got into a "what the hell" mindset. I started reading on the net and got a copy of
Poynter and Turoff's book. I found out about wingsuits and thought it would be really cool to fly one,
but figured out that I'd need a bunch of "regular" jumps before that, which would also be fun to do.

After learning about it, I figured there wasn't any reason not to jump. I deicded I'd try to get some
people to talk me out of it, in case my logic was faulty. I asked about it on a mailing list I'm on and
didn't find any jumpers; I asked about it in another forum and got iinteresting arguments about safety,
which is what I wanted, and found one jumper. I told a couple of my good friends about it during a
Memorial Day campout, and they didn't talk me out of it either. After procrastinating a bit, I made
an appointment, took the class, and did my AFF 1 on 11 June. It's taking me just a few more than
7 jumps to get through it, but I'm gonna get through it.

Eule

[pkasdorf 0]

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What lead you up to the moment when you decided, "I want to go skydiving"?

It was something that had always been in the back of my mind: "It must be very nice", a recurrent thought from time to time.

At 48 I decided "what am I waiting for? I'm stupid. Let's give it a try!"

And here I am...

HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

[slotperfect 7]

I had dropped out of college, was working two jobs and walking everywhere (no car). SFC Ed Dunham, our local Army recruiter, called me and offered me a visit to his office. He showed me several recruiting films, including one about the US Army Airborne School in Ft. Benning, GA. I was in love at first sight. I enlisted shortly afterwards and I'm still jumping 21 years later.

Arrive Safely

John

[Andy_Copland 0]

I think i just saw it on the TV as a kid on various programs, it was something i'd always wanted to do but didnt have the funds or motivation.

I had a major accident that nearly cost me my life and it put things into perspective, i gathered up my criminal injuries compensation money and starting researching how to become a skydiver.

p.s I realise the potential for that to be VERY ironic *touch wood *

1338

People aint made of nothin' but water and shit.

Until morale improves, the beatings will continue.

[Salsa_John 0]

I wanted to do something for me. I wanted to live my life. I wanted to conquer my fear of heights.

I also think it is something I always wanted to do. As a child I would jump off roofs with cut open garbage bags with strings tied to the ends. knowing what I know now, it was not a very smart thing to do.

did two tandems and never looked back.

"You did what?!?!"

MUFF #3722, TDSM #72, Orfun #26, Nachos Rodriguez

[Ragnarok 0]

Surviving Iraq and getting divorced from an unfaithful wife led up to me going skydiving. I just wish I would have started earlier in life.

_________________________________________
Twin Otter N203-Echo,29 July 2006
Cessna P206 N2537X, 19 April 2008
Blue Skies Forever

[purplegirl 0]

been a rescue scuba diver for 13 years and always had skydiving in the back of my mind ever since. then, found out a friend has been jumping for two years now so i said, hmmmm maybe it's time? then a month ago, i was out of the country and watching tv with my 10-yr old brother. nothing good was on except a re-run of Amazing Race. the episode: they had to get to this place in the dessert in Dubai and they could either take an SUV to do some sand duning or take a tandem jump.

i looked at my brother and said: "we have to do that!!!!"

Dubai DZ: you see nothing but blue ocean and pink sand from 14,000 feet. now what else is cooler than that???

so, came back to the US two weeks ago and signed myself up for my very first jump: AFF Level 1.

[Jeth 0]

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Forgot what triggered me to put it on my list of things to do before I die, but it was on there. Decided one day to mark it off the list and well...it's still on the list.

Ditto here. Just one of those things I wanted to do in my life... as a one-time thing. Oh well.

"At 13,000 feet nothing else matters."
PFRX!!!!!
Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109
My Jump Site

[Hambone 0]

I always thought that it would be really fun but didn't have the balls to follow through. Then i met the girl that i am currently dating and she was into it, and talked me into doing a Tandem. I have been hooked ever since. There really is nothing better after a long week of cold calling than to go to the DZ and do some jump. It is super relaxing. I love the Clarity that you get from it. How the air feels so clean its like you are on a different planet! One of my friends describes it as jumping into a picture. You look out the window and see this beautiful scene, and then you get to go play in it. There is nothing like it!!!!

Yeah...You need to grow up. -Skymama

[MrBrant 0]

i've always been jealous of hawks/eagles, etc.


No longer...

[brett1382 0]

The day before my HS graduation my g/f and I can up with this insane idea !!! so we cut school and went to do it !
I HATED IT !!! but about 5 months later I needed to know why. so I took a solo course and swore off it after my first IAD.
TRY TRY AGAIN !!!

many jumps later I LUV IT !!!

"I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies, for the hardest victory is over self."
-- Aristotle (384-322 BC), Greek philosopher

[jimmytavino 16]

I went to an informational meeting where they ran an old 16 mm movie projector
and played Masters of the Sky ...(Carl Boenish)...(it was waaay before DVD.. hell Waaaaay before VHS )
then once I had a chance to "walk around in a zippered jumpsuit, with a few "para-patches " on it.." I figured... this is preety cool... so I stuck around and I LIKE GIRLS... so I really tuned into the fact that skydiving offers the chance to share a sport with Women...... and THAT has made all the difference....... how does that saying Go???
oh yes!!! Chicks Rock !!

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[jsaxton 0]

I have a funny story,

I was SERIOUS into barefoot waterskiing, I ski on the Sacramento delta out of Discovery Bay. This just happens to be just a couple of miles from the Byron dropzone.

One fine Saturday I couldn't find anyone to ski with (it takes at least two people, one to drive and one to ski, three to be legal) So I packed a picnic lunch and headed out to the boat hoping to meet up with a ski buddy on the water.

On the way there I saw a sign on the side of the road that said "Try Skydiving!" with the phone number of the DZ. I pulled out my cell phone on a whim and gave them a call, they said 'come on out, you can do a tendem and be in the air in half an hour'

So I went to the DZ and did a tandem (scared the shit out of me).

I went home and thought about it, called the DZ back and scheduled ground school for later that week.

Within a year I had done 300 jumps.

[riggerrob 643]

I have always been fascinated by flying.
Back in the 1960s, we used to watch the "Ripcord" series on TV.
Along the way I built a hang-glider, soared, crewed hot-air balloons, earned a private pilot license, tried to fix helicopters faster than the Air Force could break them, etc. but the only sky sport that I stuck with was skydiving. In the end I stuck with skydiving because of the people. Sure skydivers can be loud, arrogant, egotistical, etc. but they all look out for each other better than any other sky sport.

[AlexCrowley 0]

I'm the idiot with the bedsheet on the roof.

Years pass.

I decide it's time to do it for real.

TV's got them images, TV's got them all, nothing's shocking.

[pincheck 0]

Always wanted to try it, gave up smoking then came across staticline course as a treat for not smoking. I did a staticline jump (which my wife thought would be a one off)
The thing that stuck in my mind was instructor Jim Hood talking about cheap lights and jumps. That was me, did Aff in spain to get qaulified and have never looked back having the time off my life still looking for cheap flights to get to the states though

Billy-Sonic Haggis Flickr-Fun

[Elisha 1]

It's fun.

And I've always wanted to fly 'n stuff.

[StephZ 0]

I don't know how or when the fasination began, but I knew that as soon as it was legal, I wanted to jump ...
So, on my 18th birthday I went out and did my AFF 1 \ 3 monthes, and an A license latter, I've never looked back I think I've forgotten what life was like before I could fly

I am not afraid . . . I was born to do this
-Joan of Arc-
But what do I know, I'm only 19

[Scoop 0]

I have to admit seeing some crazy action scenes in films got me interested when I was a nipper. When I was about 17/18 I went to my local DZ and used to watch the jumpers. Watching them jump was amazing. When I was 19 I saved about a months wages and did my AFF lv 1 and loved it!
The only thing is after the DVD and photos I couldnt afford the next level :(
But guess what... One year on I'm back. After a solid year of looking at the sky and sighing I realise I cant go without it, I've booked my AFF again (the whole course) and I hope to be qualified by end of the year!
*prays to god of skies for weather*