Aug 5, 2003, 7:29 PM
Post #1 of 61
(2742 views)
Shortcut
Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
Can't Post
I see a lot of people say that you can pretty much count on changing crowds, losing non-jumping friends, etc.. . Has this been the case for the majority? What was your experience? Just curious.
Aug 5, 2003, 7:44 PM
Post #4 of 61
(2727 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
In reply to:
I see a lot of people say that you can pretty much count on changing crowds, losing non-jumping friends, etc.. . Has this been the case for the majority? What was your experience? Just curious. reply] In the beginning, when I would come home from the dz I would have 20 messages on the recorder. After a while I'd come home and there wouldn't be any. It wasn't intentional, I was just consumed with skydiving. The whuffos got tired of hearing about it. Skydiving is a way of life. Most of us have tried to bring freinds in to the sport, but most of the time we meet our freinds at the dz.
Aug 5, 2003, 8:19 PM
Post #6 of 61
(2706 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Vertifly] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
Wow! Not that I have a tremendous amount of friends, but i've got one gf that i've had for a long time. I bring her with me to the dz, but I think it's getting old for her. She went on a tandem, but I don't think she's gonna do aff, just not cut out for it I suppose. Afraid to die, didn't enjoy freefall, only canopy ride.
I suppose I can see how it'd get boring to just hang at the dz and not really be into the sport. This will be my 4th wknd in a row going up there. I don't think she plans to join this time. I'm trying to get a guy friend to go with, but I don't think it's happening.
I think i'm gonna be alone real soon:( I'm quickly becoming addicted, and don't want to do much else on the weekend. I was invited to go out on jet ski's, which i'm sure is fun... but I really wanna jump out of a plane! lol!
On the up side, the people I've met at the dz have been awesome. Denise (sunnydee123) stands out and is probably one of the coolest chicks i've ever met! I hope to make a lot of friends in the sport:)
I wonder if this goes for all extreme sports, or just skydiving.
Thanks for listening to me rant. Keep sharing your experiences, too:) Angela.
Aug 6, 2003, 1:53 AM
Post #7 of 61
(2653 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
The few trusted friends I have are used to not seeing a lot of me. Got scuba diving and climbing going as well, so most friends who cannot accept seeing me randomly and occassionally are basically gone already, with a few (female) exceptions.
Those are not very happy with the time I spend at DZs and with more male skydivers than female skydivers (and thus; harder competition for poor single guys), I think that in the future I could probably live in a monastery in celibacy and then just go skydiving.
Oh well. If that is one of sacrifices one has to make, so be it, heh.
Aug 6, 2003, 3:49 AM
Post #9 of 61
(2625 views)
Shortcut
Re: [mr2mk1g] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
In reply to:
boy meets girl, boy likes girl, girl tells boy to stop skydiving, boy tells girl to get lost.
Girl meets boy, girl likes boy, both girl and boy like to skydive, boy quits skydiving, talks girl into quitting skydiving, boy takes up golf and himbos AND bimbos, Girl tells boring cheating golfer boy to get lost, girl starts skydiving again.
I like this story better
Amazon
(This post was edited by Amazon on Aug 6, 2003, 5:27 AM)
Aug 6, 2003, 5:39 AM
Post #12 of 61
(2569 views)
Shortcut
Re: [mr2mk1g] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
In reply to:
boy meets girl, boy likes girl, girl tells boy to stop skydiving, boy tells girl to get lost.
Been there, done that, wearing the T-shirt!!! (except it's the Girl loves skydiving one, obviously!).
However, I do still have a very special group of non-jumping girlfriends... They've got used to organising our get-togethers on week nights; rolling into work with a hangover because "Steph's team-training this weekend"! Love them all loads :-)
Aug 6, 2003, 5:45 AM
Post #13 of 61
(2563 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
i hate to admit it, but i've slowly begun to realize it's happening to me too:( i still have the friends that dont jump, but they just dont share the same interests as me anymore (not just skydiving, but i dropped a few old habbits myself that they participate in daily) i recently noticed that there is more mutual respect between my skydiving buddies and myself. i love you guys
Aug 6, 2003, 6:13 AM
Post #14 of 61
(2551 views)
Shortcut
Re: [alanab] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
pretty much anywhere in the world any skydiver can talk to another skydiver and hit it off like they've known each other since they were toddlers. awesome!
Aug 6, 2003, 7:03 AM
Post #15 of 61
(2524 views)
Shortcut
Re: [skydivejersey] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
Ive still got all my mates but its becoming more of a struggle to keep them. They all still want to go out and get shit faced (drunk) on the weekends and i'm like "I cant stay out till 7am like you's, I want to go jumping tomorrow" I think its starting to piss them off. Along with the fact that I never shut up about skydiving!.
But so what? I'm sure as hell not giving up skydiving!
Aug 6, 2003, 7:37 AM
Post #19 of 61
(2500 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
My very best friend in the world is my wife. She doesnt jump and probably never will.
She is the only person I have ever been with that lets me be me. She deals with the whole skydiving thing in stride and its not a wedge between us. Only thing I have to do is keep coming home and not fall for one of the "Hot skydiving chicks" that she fears will throw themselves at me left and right. Ha!
I had a buddy I used to jump with but he quit jumping and doesnt want to hear about it anymore. Once I get back up there I'll hope to find someone about my own skill/experience level to share it with. As much as I love my wife, I cant rant about it to her and get any kind of real understanding :-)
Aug 6, 2003, 8:21 AM
Post #20 of 61
(2482 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
Actually, no. Then again, I don't spend a whole lot of time on the DZ. I'm even out of currency right now (money issues, relocation, blah blah).
I didn't lose nay of my old friends. Don't get me wrong, I love the skydiving, and I love those people at Elsinore (I miss you all). But I didn't quit golfing because of the sport. I didn't quit hanging out after work with them. Personally and professionally, it just makes sense to maintain those friendships. They are still so important to me.
Indeed, my relationships with many of them became stronger. They didn't understand my love of it. And to me, that is okay. I know that most of them never will, and I don't hold that against them.
Turns out, despite our difference, we just like each other. Isn't that enough?
Aug 6, 2003, 2:28 PM
Post #22 of 61
(2421 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
I didn't lose my old and cherished friends, just don't spend as much time with them. We seem to communicate more by phone now. I've actually convinced a number of them to visit the dz and some have done a tandem!
Aug 6, 2003, 3:31 PM
Post #23 of 61
(2397 views)
Shortcut
Re: [HRHSkyPrincess] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
I didnt lose any friends, but thanks to this, ive gained alot of new ones. If youre ever in st. louis look me up (no pun intended) im gonna be at the DZ!!! One of the first things that i noticed is the camraderie between all of us. We are our own entity. And thats something that not a whole lot of people understand. I'd better stop now, wife is bitching about me skydiving again !!
Aug 6, 2003, 4:03 PM
Post #24 of 61
(2387 views)
Shortcut
Re: [kai2k1] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
Never quite lost all my old friends, but I sure nearly bored a few of 'em to death. This time around I'm trying to strike more of a balance by not talking about it so much with my whuffo friends. There is still a world out there, with some interesting people who would never jump. I try to respect that, but if I'm just back from the DZ it's pretty hard and they have to put up with a 5 min. summary.
Aug 7, 2003, 11:07 AM
Post #28 of 61
(1009 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
My pre-skydiving friends have thinned out, but those who were GOOD friends will never stop being GOOD friends. We each have our passions in life, and it is exciting for us to share what we are doing with each other. I don't SEE them as often, but we still talk and get together and share everything just like always. They've just accepted that on weekends, I'm at the dz.
My life intertwines with my GOOD friends' lives, making beautiful patterns that don't require us to stop being who we are. It's a nice balance.
Aug 7, 2003, 3:26 PM
Post #33 of 61
(976 views)
Shortcut
Re: [VanillaSkyGirl] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
Maybe at the Xmas boogie, at Eloy. Mike McGowan took the pic. I think it was at the Xmas boogie a while back. See you at Elsinore over the Labor day weekend.
Aug 7, 2003, 4:12 PM
Post #35 of 61
(971 views)
Shortcut
Re: [bodypilot90] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
In reply to:
well what you lose in friends, you make up in great long time friends. However your friend you might be able to keep if she hooked up with a skydiver.
btw how many jumps till you get your "A" a few of us have something neat planned
Cool! Well, i'll be up in Deland this weekend instead of Sebastian. I don't know if they can help me out with that proficiency card or ? I've got 10 jumps so far, so I suppose i'm 10 jumps, a couple manuevers, and a packing class away:D Awesome, I'm so excited.. ooOO, I have skydiving friends!! :D !!~!
Aug 7, 2003, 4:22 PM
Post #36 of 61
(968 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
ya i would say so...its my birthday this weekend and even though i have a broken ankle and can't jump i would still rather celebrate on a different nite with my friends at home and then drive 3 hours to the dz on my b-day!!....even when grounded its still the best place to be
Aug 7, 2003, 5:56 PM
Post #38 of 61
(960 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
How can you not loose them if you have less and less common interests? They invite you to go fishing and you refuse because you plan to go to DZ. They throw a party Saturday night and you don’t plan to show up because there will be night jumps this Saturday (very fresh example). Perhaps with time I will learn how to maintain the balance in life but now it is just not working.
Aug 7, 2003, 10:30 PM
Post #40 of 61
(929 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
In reply to:
Gerv, why can't you get your Ph.D? I don't understand? .
I don't understand either... i joined the sport 4months ago, in that time I have done nearly (will be by end of this WE) 100 jumps, having done my AFF and consols in a week, I comleted SkydiveU shortly after, haven't stopped jumping, I have visited three different countries in that time, purely to jump! I eat, sleep and breath skydiving. Any Whuffo friends I have left, will tell you how much money I have spent on the sport or how little they see me. So anytime or effort I have left has NOT been spent on the "dynamic coarsening of a superplastic alloy" study or whatever is was I registered for 15 months ago, ...pheeeeeeew!...
Aug 7, 2003, 10:41 PM
Post #42 of 61
(928 views)
Shortcut
Re: [gerv] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
When the sky was still brand new for me one of the more experienced and respected jumpers at my DZ told me something that didn't make much since at the time... "just don't forget, we spend most of our time on the ground." I didn't get it at first, but now I think I know what he was talking about.
Aug 8, 2003, 1:27 AM
Post #43 of 61
(917 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
Being at uni now I have found I have 2 groups of friends. But I do spend alot of my time with the skydivers (obviously) but I live with 3 wuffos that I get on with well. But Skydiving socials always take preference over wuffo outings.
As to old wuffo friends, as Im at uni I dont see them till holidays anyway, and now its got to the stage where some of them are working away from home or they have girlfriends that live some distance away, so they're the ones that arnt around!
Aug 8, 2003, 6:54 AM
Post #44 of 61
(907 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
I haven't lost any friends, but I try to split my free time with skydiving and riding Harleys. My Harley buddies complain I'm always at the DZ and my skydiving buddies complain I'm always on a ride.
Aug 8, 2003, 8:05 AM
Post #45 of 61
(899 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
my non-jumping friends got really sick of hearing about my skydives, in a very short time. That said, they still were my friends, but over time we started hanging out less and less (it's hard to hang out with people who aren't at the DZ). It makes me a little sad, because sometimes it's nice to get away from jumpers -- it reminds mw how cool you all are!
Aug 8, 2003, 9:35 AM
Post #46 of 61
(890 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
My oldest and best friends want to come watch and join the dz parties. Some are talking about trying a tandem. Beer conqures all.
I burned them all out on martial arts for years, so they are glad I have a new obsession and that they don't have to sit through any more Judo tournaments.
Aug 9, 2003, 2:05 AM
Post #47 of 61
(870 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Katzeye] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
The DZ I go to has a great atmosphere, as I think it would be with any DZ. I have sense of belonging to a community. A great community at that too. I was city born/bred, I never knew moving a few miles out of the city would be so neat.
Aug 9, 2003, 2:14 AM
Post #48 of 61
(868 views)
Shortcut
Re: [gerv] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
In reply to:
In reply to:
The good thing is you don't need a Phd to go skydiving
I do need money tho, and a lifestyle where I can go jumping when the weather is good. Any ideas? because I haven't! G (PRV)
That's an easy one. Marry a rich woman.
Or go back in time, make sure you get a sister, bully her and stuff when she's a kid so she'll grow character and become a doc and then when you're an adult she'll sorta lend you money when you're broke.
That's the idea. The flip side is that she'd want those money back some day.
Aug 9, 2003, 3:56 AM
Post #49 of 61
(859 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
I've been jumping for a year now. I still have all my friends. My dropzone is two hours away, I only really get a chance to go there once or twice a month. I suppose if you ask me in a few more years time, the situation will change. But that's life, I would be rather disapointed with myself if I didnt make any new friends over the next 60+ years that I'll (hopefully) be alive.
Oct 1, 2012, 8:16 AM
Post #50 of 61
(570 views)
Shortcut
Re: [mr2mk1g] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
i have a t-shirt with the boy meets girl, etc. cartoon. there was also a girl meets boy version. anybody know where i can find these t-shirts these days? several of my friends would like to buy them. thanx
Oct 1, 2012, 9:32 AM
Post #52 of 61
(750 views)
Shortcut
Re: [airtwardo] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
Gained more friends than I have lost.... but I will probably be driving this 2000 Suburban until the wheels fall off! This has been an expensive 15 months! I still got month at the end of the money!
Oct 5, 2012, 1:42 AM
Post #55 of 61
(611 views)
Shortcut
Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
I've gained more friends than I've lost. I've been living on a DZ for the past year, so naturally my friends haven't seen much of me. I've kept my good friends. I talk to them several times a week on the phone, and sometimes when I have time and they have time, we meet up, and it's just like old times.
I've probably lost a few though. Might've lost them anyway, just because we've lost touch with each other, not really because of skydiving.
Oct 6, 2012, 6:57 PM
Post #56 of 61
(462 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
I personally did lose touch with some none skydiving friends, but a made a TON of friends at the dz. My non jumping friends that I lost I guess weren't that great of friends if they couldn't handle my hobby! I still have a ton of great non jumping friends, I just balance out my weekends now!
Oct 6, 2012, 9:03 PM
Post #57 of 61
(440 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
I did begin to drift away from my non-jumping friends at first, but after a little while I ended up getting annoyed with most skydivers. Not all of them of course, but most.
Oct 7, 2012, 11:37 AM
Post #58 of 61
(413 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
Lost most of them cause I moved my family to a new town so I could be closer to my dz. It blew them away That my wife and I quit our jobs pulled our 3 kids outta school and moved over 100 kms away! But We are all making new friends in the skydiving community and we are happier then ever! Much happier then if I gave up skydiving for socializing. It would seem only skydivers 'get' skydivers. The ol' takes one to know one has its place here i think.
Oct 8, 2012, 6:49 PM
Post #59 of 61
(354 views)
Shortcut
Re: [SkydiveNFlorida] Did you lose a lot of your old friends after you started jumping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
Alright, hands up if you didn't have friends to begin with . . .
*waves hand*
Everybody I hung out with scattered after college. I spent the first year of the real world with very little social interaction with anybody. Started skydiving because I wanted to jump out of planes, I had NO idea the social aspect was such a big part. Now I actually have people to do things with and hang out with on the weekends.
mmgsunset.jpg
Passionate and hilarious antics ensue. 
There have to be a few of those... 
