cruzit

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Everything posted by cruzit

  1. cruzit
    Yep...got to have that disposable income to play. I started in my early 30s...I may never have more than 8 years in the sport as I quit having birthdays
  2. cruzit
    Yep...I experienced several ugly spins when I was a student. Unfortunately, I was a static line student and had no input from my instructors as to how to fix my problem. What did your instructor think the problem seemed to be?? He/she would be the person in the best position to see what was causing the problem. Now having said that...spins are caused by usually one of two things...your body was asymetrical or you continued turn input (both have been discussed here already). If you are not getting video of your jumps, you may want to consider it for your second level 6 (I'm assuming you will be repeating the dive). If you have video on your second level 6 and you have the same problem, both you and your instructor will have something to look at in order to get a more precise idea of what is happening. Hang in there...and relax. You got the most important thing in the skydive right didn't you...you pulled and saved your life
  3. cruzit
    I tend to agree it is difficult to give specific advise about this kind of problem without having jumped with you. However, I would tend to agree with your instructor, you will probably need weights eventually, if not now. Your size is the factor in this. Heck, I'm 5'8", 175 lbs. out the door and had to add so much weight on the Texas women's record attempt I thought I was jumping a 120 Stilleto instead of a 135
  4. cruzit
    "Livin on the Edge" Aerosmith
  5. cruzit
    Hasn't rained in 3 months and the weekend I plan to go to Wichita to jump Mullin's KingAir in rains like a cow peeing on a flat rock. My luck. Oh well, I'm working today anyway. Maybe next week at Dallas.
  6. cruzit
    I feel your pain. I was a smoking rocket arch my first 100 jumps or so. It's all about relaxing. The drill dive explained above where you go out and practice flying relative no contact with another jumper is a great way to get started. This drill dive will get you thinking about what you're actually doing with your arch. Most of all....relax. This is fun!! Good luck, you'll get it.
  7. cruzit
    Maple syrup...it simply oozes out of the floor for days after.
  8. cruzit
    If you as a skydiver are so concerned about the, plane, load, gear...etc., that you would not get on the plane with your SO or spouse...you need to a) find a new drop zone , or b) take up a new hobby. My husband and I have been jumping together for 13 years. The only time I have had misgivings about jumping together was at a DZ (now defunct) whose airplanes had a habit of stalling. We both eventually chose to find another DZ. I realize it is difficult to find sitters all the time...but my feeling is that the DZ is no place for children. To much stuff to get injured on and with. Not to mention most people go to the DZ to play. Not to watch other peoples kids (but that is a whole nother subject) I would be more concerned about the fact the mother handed over her child to you to watch than the fact that she and her husband were jumping together.
  9. cruzit

    FEAR

    cruzit replied to tmontana's topic in Safety and Training

    I lived in fear for my first 80 jumps or so. I could never get over the little voice in my head which kept up that senseless self-defeating talk...you know, "I don't have to do this." or "I hope something bad doesn't happen." Perservere. Some of us take more time than others adjusting. Maybe we have that all important "thrill seeker" gene...but it's recessive. For me, it took an actual emergency (it was a doozy) to get me over my really horrible anxiety. Hopefully, that won't be the case with you. I do know that the more you do something, the more familiar and comfortable you get with the procedure. So as has been said, practice your emergency procedures faithfully. Then get out there and make as many jumps as you can. Good luck to you.
  10. cruzit
    Out of curiosity, are you warmer than normal all the time...or just in the evenings? I have trouble regulating my body temperature at night when I am tired. My normal temp runs around 99...but when I'm tired, it jumps up around 100. Its weird. In the middle of summer I'll be bundled up at night because my husband and son are warm so they turn down the AC...I stand around with my teeth chattering.
  11. cruzit
    Many students, particularly students jumping static line or IAD progression still jump rip cords on their mains. Where are you seeing "old timers" jumping ripcords??? I would imagine the logic behind younger jumpers loving RSLs is that it is one less thing you have to think about in an emergency, and in theory, it will deploy your reserve with little hesitation upon a successful cutaway. A number of old timers (who is this anyway??) do not like RSLs for a couple of reasons. Some oldtimers have concerns about the RSL snagging or not releasing cleanly for some reason. Others worry that under some circumstance, you may not want your reserve out immediately (canopy transfer or a spinning mal comes to mind here). Personally, I have a concern with any jumper (new or otherwise) relying too much on safety equipment (RSL, AAD, Dyyter, etc..,) to do their job in an emergency. That kind of dependency builds complacency. But that's another thread entirely.
  12. cruzit
    I play the lottery whenever I breeze through Texas. The $5 or $10 I drop I consider purely entertainment...like you, I daydream about my winnings on the drive back home. If you can't afford to lose the money...don't play. When I travel to Vegas, I have a set amount I take with me earmarked just for gambling (not much I assure you because I hate to lose more than I like to win). Pure entertainment. Anyway...someone has to win and the way I figure it my odds are as good as anyone elses.
  13. cruzit
    Welcome to the forum. Skydive Dallas is a great place to skydive and the instuctors are top notch. If you are the type of person that handles stress well, an AFF jump may be for you. However, if you are like most of us (me included), tandem progression is a wonderful way to begin. Tandem progression allows you to learn with a great deal less stress than an initial AFF. Sensory overload is common on your first skydive. Eventually, you will remember most of your skydive, it just may take you a little while to assimilate everything. Good luck and keep us posted on when you plan to skydive. I sometimes show up at SDD as it is the closest turbine DZ to my house.
  14. cruzit
    Check out these DZs listed in Louisiana for a start. First jump course and subsequent jump prices will vary from DZ to DZ. You'll probably want to call and feel some of them out. Good luck.
  15. cruzit
    While I was aware that federal law allows for involuntary testing of federal inmates who have convicted of certain violent federal crimes (bank robbery, murder, rape, etc.), I was unaware of any local laws which would allow for involuntary DNA testing. Very interesting...I would assume this will be tested in court.
  16. cruzit
    After my daughter was diagnosed with cancer, I realized how much of the time I took for granted the people in my life would always be there and that my life would pretty much stay the same. I should have known better, as I lost my mother several years ago to a tragic car accident. Now, not a day goes by that I don't call each of my children and let them know how much I love them. When they ask me what I want for my B-day/Christmas/Mother's Day, I tell them to come visit me. Every moment is precious. Stuff is just that, stuff, it's replacable, people aren't.
  17. cruzit
    Tee hee. Met a few of those in my time. All I know is door time is the great equalizer...every student's eyes are round when that door opens for the first time.
  18. cruzit
    Isn't that the truth. I run into students all the time who made one jump with me, umpteen years ago, who are so excited when they see me. It's flattering to make such a large impression on another person. Unfortunately, my memory doesn't allow me to remember every student...but hey...in my defense, I am getting old
  19. cruzit
    Absolutely. My initial motivation was to help pay for my hobby. Right again. Once I started instructing, I found I loved teaching and was fairly good at it. I absolutely loved jumping with new jumpers. There is nothing I get a bigger charge out of than the excitement of a first time jumper when he or she has just successfully completed the first skydive. Or the look in a student's eyes when they finally get it, especially during a skydive. I really, really eat that up. What's really cool, is now some of my students are instructing and competing. I like knowing I may have had some small part in their success. And of course, best of all...I get to jump for free.
  20. cruzit
    Jen pretty much covered what I would have said. The only thing I might suggest, if you are not doing so already, is to have a video made of your next AFF level 4. Video can be a wonderful tool. Some of us are visual learners and it is easier for us to understand the point an instructor is trying get at if we can actually see the problem. Please be patient with yourself. Many students fail several levels before it clicks. Remember unlike other skilled sports, you will only accumulate 1 minute or so of freefall or learning time on each skydive. Can you imagine trying to learn to ride a bike after 6 minutes??? I have faith
  21. cruzit
    Canned stuff...YUCK! They got me with the canned stuff on my 1,000th. It was a very, very warm summer evening and the stuff started souring immediately. Best I could do was hose myself off in icey water. I had a really, really fragrant 100 mile drive home from the DZ.
  22. cruzit
    IMO the reason DZ waivers have been so effective is that it is very difficult to prove deliberate negligence. That and the fact that most savy DZOs have no assets so it isn't worth an attorney's time to sue. Unfortunately, in our sue happy society, everyone wants to be able to "blame" someone else rather than owning their own actions. I have no problem with someone suing if another person's deliberate act of negligence caused their injury or death. But in most cases, especially in skydiving, the jumper's own error is the cause of the injury or death. And even if the accident which occurred was something questionable (or in otherwords, not necessarily pilot error but something else, i.e., failure of the equipment) you choose to participate in a sport where the consequences of an accident can be catastrophic. There should be some level of accepted risk which would preclude suing if something does go wrong.
  23. cruzit
    My husband has a 2001 Tacoma Pre-Runner (just like the one you described). Good looking and great clearance. He has had it up some of the worst 4W drive roads in Colorado and was able to negotiate them just because of the tremendous clearance. We've taken it from Oklahoma to the Grand Canyon, Wyoming, Colorado, and it rides really well on long trips. Lots and lots of room for gear in the extended cab section. The only thing he says he regrets is not going ahead and getting the 4W instead of the 2W drive. We've had no problems with it and we both love how it looks. I agree with you on the V-6...we have the V-4 and it doesn't have the go-go of a standard V-6. Post a picture when you get it.
  24. cruzit
    Never a "Toggles," but I did have a friend whose dog was named "Pud." He made several tandem skydives with his owner.
  25. cruzit
    Depends on how long its been since I jumped more than anything else. My heart sometimes will get to really beating if I'm on a high pressure dive and I don't want to screw up. And if I've made a lot of jumps in a day, the less likely I am to get my heart rate up. Now most AFF instructor dives cause my heart to beat...cuz they're just like a box of chocolates