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TKATC

Completed 2 tandems, ground school, but WHY am I doing this???

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I have done 2 tandems and my ground school and will probably get my 3rd tandem out of the way tomorrow. Obviously I am extremely new to this sport and am pretty confident I will complete at least 10 jumps but probably more like 25 or so to get my A license. Here is my dilemma...Each time I board the plane I think to myself "What the hell are you doing?". I am scared to death of the "exit" but usually enjoy the freefall once stable. I am not very fond of PRAYING my chute will open properly after I "pull". I enjoy the canopy ride and landing has been pleasant although I really didn't do any work yet. I go home each night and constantly think about jumping and get psyched up and can hardly wait to go again but once there I find that enthusiasm FADING fast. Is my fear taking over? Will I overcome this loss of enthusiasm once I am more comfortable? Just wondering if I have the systems of being "hooked" on this sport and if anybody else felt the desire to do it but got scared upon arrival at the DZ. Can't really figure it out...why do I want to do something that scares me so much?

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Well here is my noob opinion. My first 25-30 jumos I suffered from "door" anxiety, saying my prayers and asking myself WTF are you doing. Well that has passed and I love flinging myself out the door!! There is so much to learn and falling through the air makes me feel so alive. With that said, this sport is a choice, I would reccomend you get you "A" and jump with some groups before you make a fnal decision, jumping with friends is a blast.

Good Luck,


Fire Safety Tip: Don't fry bacon while naked

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As it was said before... Yep, that about sums it up.

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I am not very fond of PRAYING my chute will open properly after I "pull".



I think this part will go away some once you know the gear better... You can bend statistics any way you want, but total gear malfunctions are not even close to the leading cause of injury (or worse) in this sport.

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I am scared to death of the "exit" but usually enjoy the freefall once stable.



And once you know how to get stable, you will enjoy intentional unstability too. My last jump today I curled up into a ball and tumbled randomly while laughing my butt off.

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Yup. That about sums it up. Welcome to the club.

I guess this is the exact response I was looking for. Thanks guys. My instructor also said that the exit will become one of my favorite parts of the experience. I started to think about that and I believe he is right but of course...NOT YET. :)

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I go home each night and constantly think about jumping and get psyched up and can hardly wait to go again but once there I find that enthusiasm FADING fast.



As you become more comfortable with your equipment and skills the fear fades, and as you get more involved in freefall skills your enthusiasm will continue to rise. Learning how to skydive is one hell of an adventure but being a skydiver....well, no one has more fun that us.

Hope you jumps go good.
Joe.



"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."

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Here is my dilemma...Each time I board the plane I think to myself "What the hell are you doing?". I am scared to death of the "exit" but usually enjoy the freefall once stable.



I just want to offer you reassurance, because I think what you are feeling is probably very common. I went through exactly that.

I'm a pilot, and I've been flying with my dad since I was about 11 -- I'm 33 now. I am no stranger to airplanes and flight, but even still, when I began AFP training in 2003, for the first bunch of jumps, I was thinking to myself during the climb, "What the hell am I doing? I don't have to do this! I'm nervous, and I alone have to power to avoid doing the thing that is making me have these anxiety feelings!" But I didn't stop. I didn't have any loads where I decided to ride the plane down. I made sure to remind myself that anxiety in the beginning is sure to be a normal occurrence, and that the more I did it, the more I would get used to it.

Now I love everything about it. I used to be afraid of the door, moderately, and now it's my preference to ride up right near the door. :)
Give yourself time. It IS something that you gradually get accustomed to and then you actually enjoy it! :)
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I am not very fond of PRAYING my chute will open properly after I "pull". I enjoy the canopy ride and landing has been pleasant although I really didn't do any work yet. I go home each night and constantly think about jumping and get psyched up and can hardly wait to go again but once there I find that enthusiasm FADING fast. Is my fear taking over? Will I overcome this loss of enthusiasm once I am more comfortable? Just wondering if I have the systems of being "hooked" on this sport and if anybody else felt the desire to do it but got scared upon arrival at the DZ. Can't really figure it out...why do I want to do something that scares me so much?



All of this sounds JUST like me when I was training. You are right on track, it seems like, to love skydiving as much as I do (which is plenty!) and I don't think there is any reason to doubt yourself as to "do you have what it takes in you to end up loving the sport". I think there is no reason to worry about it based on what you told us. Skydiving is not a natural activity. It's actually very counterintuitive. It makes perfect sense that there is an adjustment curve.

You start out WANTING to love skydiving because you can obviously see how thrilling it is, how exciting and extreme; eventually you push on past that phase where you "want" to love it in spite of having a tough time swallowing it. Then you reach the point where you actually DO love it, and feel natural at it. Have patience. Stick with it. Be safe. Have fun. :)
Blue skies,
-Jeffrey
-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

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Went through the exact same thing. After a while, it got much better. Before I started I figured I'd do about 100 jumps a year. After I had my first coplu of jumps, I lowered that to about 40, because that was what I thought I could do so to speak, overcoming fear and all.

In the year after I got my certificate, I did 450 jumps and although this is personal experience I think it does indicate that the fear thing will not only get better - you'll start to truly enjoy jumping - all aspects of it (even packing n some machotistic way:S)
Doing lots of jumps in a short time is a good way to deal with it, because it's a hurdle that must be overcome.

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...And once you know how to get stable, you will enjoy intentional unstability too. My last jump today I curled up into a ball and tumbled randomly while laughing my butt off.



VERY true. I did this on my last jump aswell. Ended up flying stable on my back, its a totally different looking up at the sky while falling. Then arched and was on my stomach for deployment.

Some of the most fun skydives are the ones where you just throw yourself out of the plane without a care.


------
-Nick

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:)First, let me say thanks for all the replies telling me how "normal" it was to be so scared. As if the exit didn't scare me enough I did my AFP 1 and 2 yesterday. Very different feeling without someone on your back. The first exit I was petrified. The second I was much better. Once I am out the door I usually perform my required tasks without much proding from my instructor so I am proud of the fact that I just don't freak out or freeze. I still don't like the exit but it IS becoming easier to swallow and I think I actually WILL enjoy that part as I do more jumps. Can't wait to just jump out and do whatever I want in the freefall. Did I mention that I LOVE the freefall?
I need some blue skys!!!

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mmm... door fear... I think most people get it... and deal with it in many different ways... I know I tighten my chest-strap, leg-straps (and make the leg straps even...) around 11k-12k ft on nearly every jump... in addition to checking that my handles are in the right place... everything is situated, etc...

there isn't anything abnormal about fear... its a good thing it keeps us alive...
Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

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How this brings back memories.:)
I was also petrified of the door, didn't even like sitting next to it at first. The first time I had to help spot I thought I would through up.:(

As time goes on you will come to enjoy it more and more. I now love exits and also like sitting next to an open door on the ride up.B|

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