Closing pin Jewelry tradition/faux pas

[huka551 0]

After I made my level 1 jump (knowing I had to stop for the season) a skydiving friend gave me a closing pin, to wear on my necklace. When I showed up at another dz to restart AFF, people asked me if I was a student, why was I wearing a closing pin? As if I had no business wearing one as a student. I replied, because I fell in love with the sport. I also wanted to be part of the 'club' of air junkees, because that was how I felt. Looking at the sky on cloudy days spotting jumpable holes, looking up on sunny days thinking "Damn I could be jumping right now"! Equating every possible wheather condition to jumpable or not? Does anyone have opinions on people that haven't graduated wearing closing pins? What are the traditions associated with it?

Muff Brother 3723

[GTAVercetti 0]

My friends started wearing closing pin necklaces before graduating AFF. I see no problem with it.

Why yes, my license number is a palindrome. Thank you for noticing.

[peterk 0]

Thats funny. I've only made one jump ever without mine- the first.

Ever since then, it has never been off its Spectra necklace...

Sure did make you feel wanted by those friendly skydivers, huh?

---------------
Peter
BASE - The Ultimate Victimless Crime

[diverdriver 6]

  Quote

After I made my level 1 jump (knowing I had to stop for the season) a skydiving friend gave me a closing pin, to wear on my necklace. When I showed up at another dz to restart AFF, people asked me if I was a student, why was I wearing a closing pin? As if I had no business wearing one as a student. I replied, because I fell in love with the sport. I also wanted to be part of the 'club' of air junkees, because that was how I felt. Looking at the sky on cloudy days spotting jumpable holes, looking up on sunny days thinking "Damn I could be jumping right now"! Equating every possible wheather condition to jumpable or not? Does anyone have opinions on people that haven't graduated wearing closing pins? What are the traditions associated with it?

"I see you've met some 'skydivers'."


Anyone giving you grief for that is pretty petty.

[2cmyzx 0]

My own opinion is, it is jewelry. Anyone could have or wear one, although not very many will or do because they don't know what they are. Your profile says you have survived 20 jumps so "Rock on Sister!" It also shows other people who know what a closing pin is that you have jumped, or are at least associated with the sport and also is a great conversation starter!

[davelepka 4]

Quick tip: If an instructor, or highly experienced jumper has concerns about your safey, listen to what they have to say, and consider it very carefully.


If any other jumper has anything to say to you about anything else, there's a good chance that they're either wrong, or just talking to hear themselves talk. It's true.

[IanHarrop 42]

In my experience the tradition associated with closing pin necklaces is that they are appropriate for anyone that has made a freefall jump.

If you've pull your own pin, you get to wear the necklace.

Edited to add: It's just a necklace, people should lighten up!

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

[jlmiracle 7]

Its a piece of jewelry. You can wear it whenever you want.

We sell Freefly Freak T-shirts to Tandems, because they want them. We aren't going to tell them "no they can't buy one" because they don't freefly.
Some people are just wierd...

Judy

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[AggieDave 6]

Screw those folks you talked to.

Its jewelry, nothing more, just jewelry. If you did only one jump, but it changed your life and you wanted to wear a pin, go for it.

Then again, that's a bit like a poser wearing a shitload of Harley gear, but with that analogy, you've got a bike and have been on some rides so welcome to the club!

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[huka551 0]

Incidently when I got it, they called it a "Preyor Pin", and people who asked me about it said that its called a closing pin, and if I refered to it as a preyor pin someone might not know what I was talking about. Either way I knew its function, and took it as a symbol of a love for the sport

Muff Brother 3723

[AggieDave 6]

Preyor pin is a necklace with a pin made by Preyer pins. The pin is a pin, but he puts beads in different orders on a string to make the necklace his own to sell.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[funks 1]

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Thats funny. I've only made one jump ever without mine- the first.

Yep, I wear mine on EVERY SINGLE jump. One of those ritualistic things i guess.

[freakygirl 0]

i'm hoping that i'll get one (w/ luck, as a gift) whenever i graduate aff even though i'd wear one right now. who cares what a few people said to you about it though? tell them to back off b/c just the sport itself has changed your life. so what if you're still a student. you don't have to have over 1000 jumps to start showing your support of something so significant in your life, regardless of how long it has been important to you. the fact remains that it is that important. leave it be and good answer when you replied to their arrogance/superiority complex.

[squink 0]

I only have 11 jumps, but I'm going to wear it starting day 1 this season (I'm waiting to receive mine in the mail right now). I don't see any problem with it. I hate people who say things like that, they're definitely not worth your time.

...the door was open

SKYDIVERGIRLS.COM

[councilman24 37]

Wearing a spectra necklace that probably won't break before it cuts your head off may not be the smartest thing. Pretty much like wearing a power tool as a necklace. If you want to wear your pin, I'd suggest puttting it on something with a little (no, a lot!) less tensile strenth. I have seen necklaces out and get caught by a riser, line, etc.

Some friendly advice.
BTW any "tradition" about closing pins would have to be less than about 12 to 15 years old, since they didn't exist before then. Not long enough for a tradition for us old farts.

Also BTW, anybody else think that a pin hanging around a neck looks a little like a man who needs viagra?

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[Orange1 0]

  Quote

Wearing a spectra necklace that probably won't break before it cuts your head off may not be the smartest thing. Pretty much like wearing a power tool as a necklace. If you want to wear your pin, I'd suggest puttting it on something with a little (no, a lot!) less tensile strenth. I have seen necklaces out and get caught by a riser, line, etc.

thanks for that - i was getting a bit confused. on my DZ students are not allowed to wear any jewellery at all when they jump...

Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.

[huka551 0]

We all have to wear jumpsuits (even tandems wear them), so my necklace sits safetly in my shirt, under my zipped up jumpsuit

Muff Brother 3723

[billvon 3,070]

>so my necklace sits safetly in my shirt, under my zipped up jumpsuit

A friend of mine once applied that sort of thinking to rings and gloves. He had nine fingers now. (Of course, one less finger is considerably better than one less head.)

[huka551 0]

EEEEWWWWW! Do I want to know how that happened? I've seen too many skydivers missing fingers, what should I not do?

Muff Brother 3723

[kelel01 1]

You shouldn't wear jewelry.

I normally don't even wear stud earrings, because I want my earlobes to remain in one piece.

[councilman24 37]

They can and do come out from under jumpsuits and shirts. It really is NOT a good idea to wear anything. Especially anything that isn't breakaway shouldn't be worn. And especially the spectra above. If it's a good knot it may be one less head!

If you HAVE to wear it, I suggest lots of duct tape.

On light weight necklaces I told students not wear something they didn't want to lose. On rings I had them take them off unless they were wedding etc. that they never removed. Then if a really big rock, tape may be in order.


But really, you can go 1000's of jumps with necklaces bouncing around your neck during the jump but it may snag and once is too much. Expecially if it's stronger than your neck.

And as mentioned above, lobes get ripped too.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[Fast 0]

There is a thread around here somewhere that tells the tale of someone who took a face plant.

This person would have been ok. They were wearing a closing pin. It got lodged in their neck and required a trip to the hospital.


I wear one, but I don't even put it on if I'm headed for the DZ. Everyone there knows I am a skydiver.

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[dragon2 2]

LOL I bought a GoFast shirt when I had only a small amount of jumps, the one with the flames and the headdown flyer. " You can't even freefly yet!!!! "

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[skygirlpc 0]

I'm glad that you brought this up! I was just talking with my Mom about this. My Mom is very supportive of my jumping. She and my ten-year old sister both really want closing pin necklaces. I guess when they were ate the dz hanging out recently another "skydiver" rudely told my little sister that she is not allowed to wear one unless she jumps out of a plane. I was so upset! They just want to show their support of our sport.

I do not have a problem with newbies or family and friends that are close to the sport wearing them. I actually think it should be flattering to us that they want to look like us! Some people just need something to whine about!

Danielle

"Life is either a great adventure or nothing." - Helen Keller

[FrogNog 1]

I think this whole "who should / shouldn't be allowed to wear closing pin jewelry" thing could be solved by just etching some things into the pins. There would be "WHUFFO" pins, "STUDENT" pins, and a number of graduate-level pins - for examples "HUMBLE A", "MEATBOMB", and "SKYGOD".

Personally, I stayed away from pins because they were too popular / cool / trendy for my tastes. (My jump buddies can correlate this to my jumpsuit and helmet styles.)

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.