Retired from AFF ..anyone else?

[Sky15 0]

I still have my rating and I guess I'll never say never, but I decided in the past 2 months to retire from taking students due to pain issues with my wrists. Basically I have severe tendonitis that surgery didn't totally fix, steriod shots no longer help, and strong antiinflammatories keep to managable pain. I'm a small framed woman and have to dig my small hands down into the big student leg straps to get a grip, and just doing that prior to climbout recently had me wincing in pain. So I figured it was time to retire.

My entire career has been about taking students, I wanted to teach from day one. I started in 1991, got my static line rating in 1992, and got my AFF rating in 1994, been teaching ever since, though not as much with having 2 babies along the way.

But my wrists can't take doing AFF for even one day, just a few jumps is painful, especially if they kick/flail or don't give an exit count. When I fun jump I avoid floating or launching if I can, and present wrist grips when possible instead of taking them if there might be much tension.

God I miss it so much already, I don't know how I'll ever adjust to only doing occasional fun jumps. I can't afford to compete or do anything else either. I loved AFF so much I was one that needed it to help pay for my fun jumps but would have done it for free if I was rich.

I hope to have more surgery in the future but obviously can't count on it doing enough. The tendonitis happened from lifting two kids too much, but 12 years of AFF probably hasn't helped either.

If anyone else has had to retire from teaching, I'd like to hear about it. How did you adjust, how long did it take you?

[shermanator 4]

Have you considered this as an option... I know you can't take the leg/shoulder grips, but what about still doing coaching jumps, teaching the FJC. Just becasue you cannot do the AFF,does not mean that you cannot still be a teacher. There are many young jumpers out there, me included, who greatly appreciate when an experienced diver jumps with us, and gives pointers that help improve.

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CSA #720

[Sky15 0]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah I was given the option to keep teaching the FJCs, but I know I would end up doing some jumps. I am still physically able, it's just painful and difficult.

Also considered coaching but would have to do floating and that's something I do try to avoid.

But thanks for the thoughts!

Edited to add: I will still do a 2 way with a low timer anytime, that hasn't changed of course. But it's not the same as AFF.

[HydroGuy 0]

Try Bikrams yoga for those wrists...

Get in - Get off - Get away....repeat as neccessary

[JohnMitchell 16]

That's tough, having to give up something you love that much because your body rebels. I keep wondering when tandems will be too much for my aging bod.

Good luck.

John

[AFFI 0]

I understand so completely!


It is difficult to relate unless you are standing in these shoes eh?

Life will get better, we just have to adjust and take what we are blessed with.

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

How about just relegating yourself to cat D and E AFF jumps (no grips, or in the case of a D1 just a light gripper hold?) I too get wrist pain after a ton of AFF, but it's never on the legstrap side. My left wrist starts to really bug me when I am outside (reserve side) from an Otter or the PAC. It's the cross reach that gets to me.

Hope you find a solution! Personally, I would just do like I said and stick with the higher, single-JM, no-grip-exit AFF levels.

Chuck