How should we look out for new jumpers? (from the AFF thread)

[DougH 270]

From Diablopilot in the current AFF thread:

Quote

Skydiving has. Being pretty sure that student were going to be looked after by the skydiving community, and that they would heed the advice the community had to offer is no longer a real expectation

I am a very low time jumper myself but I thought this was a pretty important comment.

If you have been around for a while could you please share your opinions on how students and new jumpers were looked over in the past, and how we are failing to meet that standard today.

I have my own idea of how I look over students and it goes beyond giving just giving gear checks and making sure they know the proper exit separation...

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[jsaxton 0]

I'm a firm believer that the best way to look after new jumpers is to jump with them

[rave4funn 0]

Make sure they are getting guidance from the right people. I have heard some newer jumpers getting bad advice from other jumpers. I don't think it was intentional by any means. When you've got ten jumps, the person with sixty or so jumps seems like they know a lot. Basically, I think there are some people out there that are not yet qualified to give out advice and newer jumpers need to be advised on who they should seek advice from.

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http://www.myspace.com/rave4funn

[RB_Hammer 0]

I don't know about you, but by the time I got my A, I had pretty much figured out who to listen to and who to ask at the DZ.

"I'm not lost. I don't know where I'm going, but there's no sense in being late."
Mathew Quigley

[virgin-burner 1]

i like to ask both my aff instructors..

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[popsjumper 2]

My knee-jerk opinion:

"Back in the Day"
Parachuting was generally recognized as a dangerous activity and students were more apt to listen to advice of the experienced jumpers.

The "Club" atmosphere was much more prevalent back then.

The attitude was US, as a group, against the world, so to speak.

In comparison,
Today it seems that the perception of danger has decreased along with, and probably due to, an increase in safety innovations and less thought is given to "what if" situations.

The club mentality has gone away for the most part to be replaced by a "business" mentality.

The general attitude has devolved down to the "Me" generation need for instant gratification.


How are we failing?
1. By not speaking up when you encounter words/actions you KNOW are detrimental to the sport.
2. By allowing the instant gratification cancer to grow and proliferate.
3. By succumbing to the "business" attitude and not promoting the "club" mentality.
4. By allowing stupid people to do stupid things and get away with it.
5. By allowing stupid advice to go unchecked and uncorrected.

How can we, as individuals, fix it?
1. BE the good example.
2. Speak up against stupidity.
3. Take a youngster under your wing and teach them not only air skills but also instill in them a safety-concious mentality.
4. Grab the youngster into your group of like mindsets and keep him there before the bozos get a hold of him.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[desertsky 0]

Something I've noticed is that at most non-club DZ's (and that is all of them out west where I live and usually jump) - only staff work with students and novices. fun jumpers almost never talk to them or notice them. Coaches are now rated instructors and part of "staff".

When I started in the sport at a small DZ - every jumper there was a "coach" or mentor to me at some point while I was learning. Yes, I had specific rated jumpmasters (instructors), but everyone else would give me pointers, ideas, suggestions.

I had a problem with just not being able to relax in the air (common to new jumpers), and my instructors weren't coming up with anything new to help - one of the jumpers I had hardly ever spoken to took me aside and taught me some visualization and breathing techniques, then manifested a two-way with me and helped me practice that in the plane. It helped tremendously.

that jumper who helped was not "staff" and was not a rated instructor - although he had been years before.

If all drop zones could have that "volunteer" club mentality - where everyone watches out for everyone else - that would solve a lot of the problems for students.

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lookin' for that old time, friendly, club-like dz