VanillaSkyGirl

Congratulations, James!!! I'm so happy for you!

I love those old photos and the stories that go with them. Thanks for sharing them with us, Sparky!

Happy birthday to you, Mark!

It's too bad, that you had a difficult and upsetting time with your instructor's teaching methods. (We've all been there in some way or another.) While I'm not making excuses for him, there may have been a good reason for the roughness. People can come across as being very rough with one another, especially when we're on the plane, and someone's life may be in danger. Maybe your instructor or someone behind you was shoving your pilot chute back into place or checking your pin, etc. You would be unaware of some of this as a newbie student. He may have quickly handled things without alarming you. The last thing you need to do is be concerned about your gear at the door. My advice is to relax and take everything that may initially appear rude or rough with a grain of salt. Try to learn, try to ask many questions and try not to take everything personally. Remember that it's not just about you...the instructor's life, as well as everyone's on the plane, are also in danger. The bottom line is that the instructors are there to HELP you. What he did may have been done for that reason. One more scenario is that maybe he was trying to get you to focus, or maybe he was trying to get your attention. Planes are loud, and he may have been trying to use non-verbal communication. This is used ALL of the time, during skydiving. It may have crossed the line in your mind, but he may have been trying to make a point about safety or focus or something similar. In any case, he wanted something from you that was not happening. Obviously, he thought that what he did may have helped you more than hurt you, even if you disagree. It can't hurt to question your instructor directly about what happened in a non-confrontational manner. Maybe you can ask him to explain what he was trying to do, and why he became physical. You could give your point-of-view as to why you felt that it crossed the line. Nothing can be gained from not knowing why something like this happened, if it upset you. As someone else mentioned, this is most likely a case of miscommunication. All of us skydivers have had people do rude and rough things to us at some point, even as students, but we are in a life and death situation, when we jump out of that plane. If a skydiver cannot grown thick skin and learn to grow from past experiences or mistakes, then THAT in itself will be one of that person's biggest weaknesses. Don't let that happen to you. We need all the women skydivers that we can get. Welcome to the sky, and good luck, future skysister!

Sparky, I thought of you, when I read this thread. I haven't been on here much, or I would have definitely posted your name. Yup, you qualify as part of the old and bold, and that's a compliment! Love the photo!

Hello Jake, I'm not sure how up-to-date these are, but it's worth giving them a shot. The following is a huge list of Breast Cancer information & financial assistance programs: http://bb67.wikispaces.com/ Here's a list of resources for financial assistance: https://cissecure.nci.nih.gov/factsheet/FactSheetSearch8_3.aspx Cancerlife line 1-800-255-5505 Help paying for living expenses: http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/paying/living_expenses.jsp ...and as Lisa suggested, contact the City of Hope: http://www.cityofhope.org/Pages/default.aspx New Patient Services: 800-826-HOPE (4673) I hope some of them work out for you and your mother, Jake. *HUG*

For some reason I think you will do well on the POPS circuit. JerryBaumchen That's funny! I'm usually too busy trying to dodge the 20-something to 30-something jumpers. They're always the first to ask me out. It doesn't matter much. I see skydivers as friends, not potential dates. I posted because I thought that it was funny that the "older" people see 40 as so young, while the "younger" ones see 40 as so "old". It's all about perspective. Personally speaking, I'm very excited about entering my 40s...a new phase in my life. I definitely feel like life just keeps getting better and better. (It helps that I look pretty much the same as I did 15 years ago. Thanks, Mom & Dad!) Anyway, life would be much happier for everyone if we didn't worry so much about getting "older". It's all good!

Aw, now that's cute. I'll be 40 in less than 6 months. Thanks for appreciating us "young" vivacious girls, John! In all honesty, I feel that I'm a much better, happier, more beautiful (inside and out) woman now, than I was when I was in my 20s. I feel the same about the "older" men, whom I date. It's all good.

You are awesome, James! Thanks for your service, and congratulations on your retirement! I look forward to sharing the skies with you.

I'm so happy for you! Congratulations, Nataly!

Please don't venture into the offensive. Some of us are naturally that height and weight. I don't do anything special to be that weight, and I cannot help being this height. I've never had any complaints about either, although every now and then I wonder what it would be like to be a tall person.

It doesn't matter what everyone else does. If you love to fly on your belly, then do it! I learned how to freefly in the tunnel, but I really love and prefer to spend my jump money on exceptional belly flying because I enjoy it so much. I just returned yesterday from flying at the 2 point 200-way event in Eloy, Arizona with some of the best RW belly flyers in the world, and let me tell you that "belly flying" is alive and well! In all honesty, as someone else had mentioned, many of the RW or belly flyers, whom I know on the west side (Perris or Eloy), are quite goal oriented. They are often either on teams or record bigway attempts. Therefore, it sometimes seems that free flyers are more often the jumpers who do "fun jumps". Of course, there are also goal-oriented freeflyers on VRW teams and bigway attempts, as well. They have a similar mindset as the belly goal-oriented flyers; only their flying discipline/orientation is different.

My thoughts are with you, Bill! Sending strength, hugs and best wishes your way!

It sounds like you had a great weekend! I hope that you raised a nice amount of funds for Diabetes research. Well done & congratulations on the "A"!

Hi Kipp! I'm most likely working most of the boogie days, and I'm not much of a boogie jumper. I usually prefer to jump at other events, but I'll be at the boogie on Saturday, so let's do it! I'd love to fly with you. I'm looking forward to it, already!

This thread ain't about your sex life. Rosa ( oh please oh please oh please) Ok.

Oh yeah, it sure will be, my friend!!!

Hahaha! No way, Doc...I was calling Remi a "Perv"! Fyi, I've known Remi for a while now, and I've been calling him a "Perv" for several years. It's kind-of my "term of affection" (ha!) for Rem.

This thread is so funny!

You are so sweet, Cindy. I love that people are thinking of our safety, too. Although we weren't planning/trying to be unsafe with our choices, I can see how it could have looked that way. In any case, I'm sure that there will be quite a few gear checks from various sources before loading. I didn't think that Remi was going to be at Chicks Rock, but maybe I'm wrong. Still, that is pretty funny about naming Rem (in addition to Doc) as the official DPH inspector. As if he needed any more reasons for this type of behavior. This is the ultimate "Perv Pass"!

Aw Rem, i didn't know you cared.

Omg, I was busy working, but what an AMAZING picture. You look smokin, girl! We'll have to meet some other time.

So adorable! Come to Chicks Rock, Cheach!

Yeah, I have similar corsets. Ok, thanks for the reply, Olympia! You'd better make it to Chicks Rock, girl...