Scary prospects

[Thijs 0]

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I have come to the sad realization that people are addicted to routine. Don't screw with the routine and everything will work out.

Most people, including me, want a bit (or a lot of) certitude in their life. For example, I like to be certain that I can financialy live until I get new money from work.

Even in skydiving we follow routines. We do our FJC, get our licences, get into a discipline, get coaching...
Modern day skydiving isn't really that special or that 'daring living on the edge thing' anymore.

Routine is good. If everyone follows the same pattern on landing, and you don't, then this can have dramatic consequences!

[mnskydiver688 0]

I am not telling anyone "You should do this." All I am saying is get the word out that you CAN do this. There are probably people out there that are the type who would get into skydiving, but have no idea about the opportunity.

Sky Canyon Wingsuiters

[popsjumper 2]

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...I don't think the price excludes people at all, I think it is the oposite...

Cost of training and gear is by far and away the biggest show-stopper.

All you guys saying "If you really wanted to, you could (do this, do that)..." seem to forget that most people do NOT "really want to" continue skydiving and the expenditures for training and gear are way beyond the large majority of people even considering the sacrifice...even those that "really want to".

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

[skybytch 273]

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All you guys saying "If you really wanted to, you could (do this, do that)..." seem to forget that most people do NOT "really want to" continue skydiving and the expenditures for training and gear are way beyond the large majority of people even considering the sacrifice...even those that "really want to".

Those who don't want to continue don't matter. The large majority of those who do want to continue CAN figure out a way to make it happen IF they feel that continuing is worth making the sacrifices they would have to make to do it. And before someone says it, yes, there are people out there who would like to continue but can't because they've already made choices in their lives that mean they can't make whatever financial and/or time sacrifice is needed to do it. But those people could very easily come back and learn to jump once they've raised the kids, paid down the mortgage, paid off the new car, finished school and gotten a real job...

We could make skydiving training and gear much less expensive to get into. How? Stop telling new jumpers that they "must" have a freefly safe container and they "must" have a zp main and they "must" have a reserve that was built within the past ten years and that they "will" want/need to downsize their main in 50 jumps and that they "must" have a cool looking skydiving-specific helmet instead of a beat up $20 used Protec, etc. Encourage more dzo's to offer a static line program. Stop telling people that if they don't do 5 jumps a weekend, every weekend, that they are unsafe and shouldn't be jumping.

I don't see the challenge in increasing the number of jumpers to be getting more people to do a first jump. The challenge is to retain those people who liked their first jump enough to figure out a way to come back for a second, third, etc. jump, and also to retain those people who get to the A license level or higher but quit because nobody will jump with them or even talk to them.

[mnskydiver688 0]

So they liked their first jump enough to find a way to keep jumping. What made them like that first jump so much? Was it just the freefall and canopy ride? Was it the environment they walked into when they got to the DZ? Was it the TM that made them feel welcome and feel as though they are part of the process? Was it the feeling that they could have a future in this sport? Getting people over that hill of a first jump is largely based on how it felt on the first climb to the top of that hill. Getting people to do a first jump is easy. Look at all the tandems. The key I feel is make the entire experience leading up to and during that first jump so good that they don't need to hear anything to get them to continue jumping. If someone who has continued to jump and earned their license and they still have problems working themselves into the sport and making jumps I wonder what it feels like during that very first jump?

Sky Canyon Wingsuiters

[marks2065 0]

i stopped going to the bars and buying things for the motorcycle and worked 2 jobs - anything is possible if you really want it

[PhreeZone 20]

I did college while doing my student progression. 40 hour work days and 19-20 credit hours with student loans out the wazoo. I left me no time for anything other then homework but that was a small price to pay for me to go jump. I know a few people that paid off their student progression by packing. If you want it enough you will find away.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[fallfast69 3]

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Yup I guess will get to the point where I don't care about the state of the sport I love and just care about whether or not "I" can continue to jump. Yup I guess I will get to the point where I will not reach out at all and just do my own thing. As long as I can keep jumping that is all that matters right?

No, it's not that at all, I couldn't care less how many people start or quit jumping. What's for sure is people jumped before I came on the scene and will continue long after I'm gone(and you, too). If there was only Cessnas' and static line training and +200sqft canopies left, it wouldn't bother me a bit. I'm still gonna be jumpin', at my same naturally slow pace. My reply to bytch wasn't intended as a dig

Jon

[fallfast69 3]

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I am not telling anyone "You should do this." All I am saying is get the word out that you CAN do this. There are probably people out there that are the type who would get into skydiving, but have no idea about the opportunity.

Not everyone "can" or should do this. As you know, it's a deeply personal decision to skydive, like religion.

Jon

[kelpdiver 2]

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I think they should bring back the static line program. Lodi has one and it only ends up being around 700 bucks for your A licence as oposed to 2000 bucks with yhe ISP.

It's cheap, but not that cheap. $500 gets you the 10 static jumps. The remaining 15 would be $35 (15 lift + 20 rental+pack), figure another 100 or two for the coaching jumps and fees, bringing you to at least 1100. Still a steal if you can take the weekdays off to do the training jumps.

[kelpdiver 2]

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Yup I guess will get to the point where I don't care about the state of the sport I love and just care about whether or not "I" can continue to jump. Yup I guess I will get to the point where I will not reach out at all and just do my own thing. As long as I can keep jumping that is all that matters right?

It's hard enough to get people to do things that are good for their health!

Skydiving will always exist in some form, though those people in the more rural areas could get squeezed out. People in Florida and California will always have options.

But there are a lot more, for lack of a better work, extreme sports that are readily available to the risk accepting customer than existed just 20 years ago. Given the cost and time commitments of these potentially fatal activities, it's cost to a zero sum game. (figure for 100 people, there can be 200 participants in all the sports combined)

You will never be able to tell people how to spend their recreational time. So don't sweat it.

[mnskydiver688 0]

Well I have stirred the pot, as if it needed it anymore. I still have strong convictions about keeping the numbers strong in the sport. Maybe as one person said, I will eventually not care like I do now. Until that point, I guess I don't mind sounding like an overenthusiastic worrywart.

Sky Canyon Wingsuiters

[HillerMyLife 0]

You are running into the same problem religious people run into when they try and "convert" someone to their religion. Its a matter of personal choice!!! Either they will or they won't. The only thing you(or anyone) can do is let it be known that you skydive.

You shouldn't have to try hard to achieve this effect as word generally travels fast. I told my immediate family and gf and before I knew it all kinds of people knew I was jumping. At that point it is up to them to ask questions and you to answer them as best as you can. But if you think that there are some special words or phrases or actions you can take to create more skydivers you are wrong plain and simple.

Sorry.

Someday Never Comes

[grimmie 186]

I get asked a lot " How much does it cost to make your first jump?"

I answer honestly...

"If you really, really enjoy it, about $180,000, three marriages and all of the friends you currently know!"

Just keep enjoying your own jumps and let the general population figure it out themselves...

[skypuppy 1]

You have non-jumping friends?

Oh, I just checked your profile. Give it another year or two.

Even my family doesn't bother me about doing things on weekends anymore. To them I think I'm a distant memory.

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[notrealsteve 0]

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You have non-jumping friends?

Oh, I just checked your profile. Give it another year or two.

Even my family doesn't bother me about doing things on weekends anymore. To them I think I'm a distant memory.

I really Don't think it should ever get to that extreme i mean skydivin is great but the way you guys talk bout you guys all seem one dimensional, and i think if skydivin is really to get more popular people need to pursue it as a hobby not a life style.

[bozo 0]

[PhreeZone 20]

There are lots of people that think (thought) of skydiving as a hobby. It was something that they would do a few days a year when nothing else was going on in their lives. Most of them seem to quit when they are unable to advance their skills much past where they were at post student status since they would only do 5-10 jumps a year. The others seem more likely to injure themselves since they barely retain the knowledge on emergency procedures and how to land a canopy correctly.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[notrealsteve 0]

Well you guys seem to misunderstand what i mean by hobby, I mean you can be very devoted to a hobby and still not let it control your life,I play guitar anywhere from 7-20 hours a week, i consider it a hobby but i'm not livin the musician lifestyle, just like i plan to be in the sport of skydiving. I was just commenting on how people seem to be cutting all ties with friends and family to skydive, i just think that it's not healthy or appealing to a prospected skydiver (unless he's a loner of course, in that case the dropzone is a great place to meet people:))

[bozo 0]

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There are lots of people that think (thought) of skydiving as a hobby. It was something that they would do a few days a year when nothing else was going on in their lives. Most of them seem to quit when they are unable to advance their skills much past where they were at post student status since they would only do 5-10 jumps a year. The others seem more likely to injure themselves since they barely retain the knowledge on emergency procedures and how to land a canopy correctly.

Thanks Phree, you made my point for me quite well.
In 26 going on 27 years I have seen literally hundreds of the hobbists come and go.

bozo
Pain is fleeting. Glory lasts forever. Chicks dig scars.

[notrealsteve 0]

(I'v been playin guitar for 9 years and don't plan on stopping)

[bozo 0]

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(I'v been playin guitar for 9 years and don't plan on stopping)

If you dont practice and play badly.....will it kill you ?

bozo
Pain is fleeting. Glory lasts forever. Chicks dig scars.

[notrealsteve 0]

No but, i'm saying you can be a safe skydiver if you only perform 1-5 jumps a week, i mean do you only wanna limit the sport of skydiving to people who can perform 10+ jumps a week? like you can be a safe skier or snowboard if you only hit the slopes once a week

[bozo 0]

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No but, i'm saying you can be a safe skydiver if you only perform 1-5 jumps a week, i mean do you only wanna limit the sport of skydiving to people who can perform 10+ jumps a week? like you can be a safe skier or snowboard if you only hit the slopes once a week

Lets put it in a musical context. Do you want be at a Hendrx level...or a Clapton level guitar player ?
They got to that level because it became their lifestyle.
Sure you can be safe jumping 1-5 times a week if thats the level you want to stay at.

bozo
Pain is fleeting. Glory lasts forever. Chicks dig scars.

[notrealsteve 0]

Well exactly, thats my point some people don't want to be a "pro" i mean 1 to 5 jumps a week can lead to some decent progression factor in some wind tunnel time, hey you can progress to a pretty comfortable level, no?