How many students do not continue to jump?

[Antidote 0]

It's really a do or don't situation.

Excuses such as "no time" or "no money" are rather invalid to me. Time isn't something you have - it's something you take.

Money is somewhat more difficult, but by saving a bit here, not eating that pizza or what have you, one can usually find enough money for a couple of jumps, even if one is a student. If one has a job, "not having money" is a true excuse - it's then a matter of priority, unless one is overburdened with loans.

I jump as much as I can, given the weather in this country and I go abroad in the summer. It means I haven't got money or time for much else (don't even own a car, or have a driver's license for that matter), but I'm happy with that.

Do or don't is the best way I think.

[Morcyk 0]

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I don't know how much it 'costs' to recruit a prospective skydiver (peer pressure, film/tv clip, tamden jump for charity, local press advert etc), but it must be cheaper to keep someone in the sport by making a little bit of effort than to continuously recruit new participants.

I would venture to say that most people that got into this sport might have seen a short spurt in a film or something, decided they had to try it, and then went out to find a place to go. I know I wasn't recruited. I just saw paratroopers once and knew right then I wanted to do this. Would you really want somebody that isn't serious about the sport (at least enough to be safety conscious) up there with you?

[tdog 0]

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I would venture to say that most people that got into this sport might have seen a short spurt in a film or something,

Yep... I can list two Imax films that turned me from thinking, "that is something the military does" to "gee, that looks like the most awesome thing in the world."

[mustard 0]

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Money is somewhat more difficult, but by saving a bit here, not eating that pizza or what have you, one can usually find enough money for a couple of jumps, even if one is a student. If one has a job, "not having money" is a true excuse - it's then a matter of priority, unless one is overburdened with loans.

Yes, it's like tdog says, as well as Antidote (above), it's all a matter of priorities. When I made my third tandem and decided I needed to go AFF, I went to the bank and asked for a loan for "educational purposes." They wanted to know for what, I said to become a skydiver. They said sure, if you just sign here for insurance -- and I went on to get more than 300 jumps my very first year!

Now I spend money on skydiving that I make skydiving. As an AFF instructor, I can write off my expenses if they are equal to or greater than what I make skydiving. And I get to count my fun jumps, too!

***
DJan

[obelixtim 150]

Its easy to give up skydiving for all the reasons and more that you see on this thread.....the key is "desire".......

Its also easy to blame experienced skydivers for ignoring junior/intermedite jumpers, and often its true, but remember every experienced skydiver was once a turkey, and has been there, done that.......we know what its like......got the "T" shirt...

We've all had to break thru the brick wall of indifference, money, weather, gear, aeroplanes, and a zillion other obstacles to jumping, to clock up the jumps and experience we have over time......no one ever said it was easy....

Nothings changed, in fact, skydiving is easier today than ever before....there's just more people involved....and so thats what most senior skydivers are busy doing.....making it happen....nothing personal.....

You've got to battle on and be persistent.....but you will get there......if you have the desire.....like everybody else who's been around....its hard work....

No free lunches here brother!!!...

Now just get out that door!!!....

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[gravityizsexy 0]

well said...
... well said.

"'Someday is not a day in my week'"

[digitalamnesia 0]

i havnt jumped again because im saving my hard earned pennies. come febuary i should be sorted(and im makin quite big sacrifices to go back), but sometimes i get thinking 'is it really worth it, the risk of losing ur life over a jump' and then quite quikly, i think yes definetly, and if all the safety is put first u should be ok.

i also wounder wot i will do in the sky once i quilyfy, just go up and jump out and then land. i wanna have fun, none of my m8s will go skydive, infact the thought of me doing it scares them. and at the drop zone im too quiet to go up to people and start talkin to them and most others dont just talk to people they dont know, so i was sat around all the time on my own. and my high light of the night (because i stayed the night to jump the next day) was seeing my instructer, how sad is that :) so i can c other people not goin back for that reason, but not me ill be back, again and again, and hopefully meet people over time

-------------------------------------------------------

if you wanna see the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain

[calledisrael 0]

this thread is very interesting to me.

so, here i am, as young and as new as they get. i have done my requisite three tandems in the past two weeks, and every time i pull up, i wonder why i am bothering to drive so far and spend so much money to do this. and then we "ride the hill" as one of my TI's called it... and i remember. i hope to do ground school this week so i can start my aff sequence. i have dreams about jumping ever since the first time..

so what would you tell a young student? what do you wish that someone told you before you started?

i see lots of things that have made people quit. i want to be in long term, and i know it is the desire that counts. i was the one who was too scared to jump, and it was partly because my super great tandem instructor wanted me to love it and made that effort for me that i had such a good experience. i want being a student to be that good.

life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.
(helen keller)

[Travman 6]

I have to drive over nearly 2 hours to my dropzone, but I have nearly finished my AFF. Its a sport that you have to love to do, which is what makes it so great - everyone you jump with wants to be there.

I spend the whole week just waiting for the weekend and looking at the sky.

[midnightrider 0]

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I have to drive over nearly 2 hours to my dropzone, but I have nearly finished my AFF. Its a sport that you have to love to do, which is what makes it so great - everyone you jump with wants to be there.

I spend the whole week just waiting for the weekend and looking at the sky.

couldnt have said it better myself...i think you just know in your heart that its something you gotta be a part of. I cant think of one thing id rather do than skydive...absolutlely nothing else in this life will ever compare to it. I do agree that it is a major lifestyle change but some of you guys gotta get your priorities straight If you're really passionate about it theres absolutely nothing thats gonna keep you from getting on that plane--any excuses is just the whuffo inside you wanting to come back out..so what im saying is just put that little bastard back into his place and jump---you know you'll be glad you did

[sundance 1]

I agree with that. I can't think of anything that I want to do more or enjoy more than skydiving. It is truly a passion. I made my first static line jump in 1974 in Idaho Falls. It was December. I was a freshman in college and while bored one day I found some books in the library about skydiving. Within the next few days I checked out every book in the library that had the word skydiving in it. I got one of my roomates enthused about it and we decided we simply had to go jump from an airplane, so we found a dropzone, went and trained for half the day and both made our first static line jumps in ass freezing weather and landed in the snow. We walked on clouds the rest of the school year. It wasn't until 2002, 28 years later that woke up one morning, felt the urge to jump, looked up Skydive Utah on the web, went out there that day and I made my second jump as a tandem student. Wow, have things ever changed in 28 years. I made my second tandem 1 hour later and I knew my life had forever changed, I was hooked big time. Then I found out I had to wait all winter to get into AFF, the cold season was upon us.

In the 28 years between my first and second jump I explored the world oceans scuba diving, raced open wheel race cars, traveled the world, skiied, wake boarded, snow boarded, rode insanely on motorcycles, got married, had kids and pursued careers. It was a long time but I always knew I wanted to skydive again, just not how long it would take to get back in the sky. Anyway, I got through my AFF training in the spring of 2003 in about a month and have been jumping every clear weekend since. Nothing compares, it has become my life and my main purpose it seems. I feel horrible withdrawal at the end of every week, until I get out the door again and head over the hill. My 19 year old son just finished his AFF course and we made our first jump together last weekend. I guess I gave him the curse when I took him out for his first tandem when he turned 18. He got hooked instantly too. What an awesome thing to jump with your kid. We are looking forward to a ton of exciting skydiving together now. It seems that whenever I do something besides skydiving on a weekend, no matter how exciting it may be, I am always thinking I would rather be at the dropzone. Sick, I know. It takes a lot of sacrifices and a great desire, but it is all worth it. The friends and community I have found at the dropzone surpasses anything I previously experienced. Bonfires and bbq's, beer and stories and all the veteran and novices that I am always learning from is an unparallelled trip. No doubt, skydiving is the king shit of everything I have ever been involved in. Skydiving changes everything, I mean everything about life.

It's incredible how there seems to be no significant age barriar at the dropzone. I mean, at 48 I am great friends with everyone there from 18 to 65 years old. We all have one great thing in common. Quite remarkable!

Thanks and kudos to everyone who has helped me and continues to assist and encourage my blue sky endeavors, the DZO, the AFF Instructors, coaches and all my comrades in freefall. What a family, what a life!

One of the surest signs that intelligent life exists in outer space is that none of it has tried to contact us.

[obelixtim 150]

Amen..............(you forgot it).....

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[josheezammit 0]

the other day Isaw one of my new jumpin buddies get his a card and his member sgip number was like above 196000, his a number was around 47000, so if you take this statistic alone you have about 25% of people who have joined the USPA have ever gotten their a liscense, if that helps any.....

Ahh, what a wonderful world.

[NWFlyer 2]

When I took my FJC back in August, there were 15 in the class but only a couple of folks who intended to continue - most others were there because they just wanted to give it a try. Of the folks in that class, I'm continuing, another has his "A" and about 60 jumps already, and a third was well along in the progression but I haven't seen him in a while (I remembering hearing something about an injury, so that might have him laying off for a while).

It's interesting hearing the comments about cliqueishness and it being hard to break in at the DZ. I think it goes both ways. Even though my DZ is small and friendly, it can sometimes feel intimdating. I'm always really glad when someone other than an instructor or fellow student talks to me, and I appreciate their effort to bring me into the fold. I'm also trying to make an effort to get involved in life at the DZ. If I'm around waiting for clouds to clear, I listen in on conversations, introduce myself to people, ask questions, taking part in the random smartassing that appears to be an integral part of the culture at the DZ (not that I've EVER had trouble fitting in with the smartasses!).

I keep going back because I love it. It's taking me a lot of time to get through my training b/c of scheduling, instructor availability, and especially weather (this is what I get for trying to do it in fall/winter in Washington!) but I'm doing it. Time at the DZ and around other skydivers really helps to keep me in touch with the many reasons I'm drawn to the sport. When I can't be out jumping I enjoy coming here and (mostly) lurking and I'm trying to post more. I think things that keep us connected really help even if we can't be out at the DZ every day for whatever reason. I just got back from a 3-week vacation in NZ and I was so jazzed about halfway through the trip to meet a bartender who was a fellow skydiver... our 20-minute conversation sharing war stories kept me going till I could get back here and skydive the day after I got home.

But I really want to do it,so I keep looking for things to keep me connected. Others might be content to just let that connection fade, and they might forget why they're so drawn to it. Not me.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[Floats18 0]

For me, its the money issue. As a college student I want to continue but I don't have the green. I plan to pick it up again if I can make some money this winter break. If all goes to plan I want to Finish the AFF at SKYDIVE AZ this sping break. WOOO HOOO SKYDIVERS GONE WILD SPRING BREAK '05!!!!

--- and give them wings so they may fly free forever

DiverDriver in Training

[Floats18 0]

I just can't look at the sky the same way anymore

--- and give them wings so they may fly free forever

DiverDriver in Training