Aug 22, 2012, 1:21 PM
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Re: [skydiverbry] Why don't people skydive?
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Fear Shyness Lack of awareness that 'normal' people can go learn to skydive (my reason before I was a jumper) Lack of money Physical reasons (as is my case at present) Lack of mental ability to do it (ie people who would be getting the bowling speech and know they just would not be good at it) Lack of interest (as in, I have no interest in persuing golf, others just have no interest in persuing skydiving) Lack of local dropzones
Aug 22, 2012, 1:32 PM
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Re: [skydiverbry] Why don't people skydive?
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Risk. We tend to understate it, and it really isn't all that high, but it is there.
My mom (age 74) loves to come out to the DZ. She loves the people, the atmosphere, the whole experience (except for some of the language). She would love to be able to do a jump. But she has a heart condition, is on lots of medications and jumping would pose more of a risk than she is willing to take.
I was dating a woman last year. A fairly recent widow (a little over a year since her husband died) with a teenaged daughter. She enjoyed coming out to the DZ and hanging out. She went to SDC Summerfest with me and had an absolute ball. The people, the place, the whole thing. But she wasn't willing to risk leaving her daughter an orphan. She understood that the risk was small, and that there was no guarantee that not jumping would keep her alive. But she wasn't willing to take the additional risk of jumping. I understood her decision and didn't question or argue it.
Aug 22, 2012, 2:17 PM
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Re: [skydiverbry] Why don't people skydive?
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I figured with all these threads that question why people skydive, I want to know....Why don't people skydive?
Bry
risk to reward.
To many people they do not find thrill seeking behavior rewarding. They view it as personal gratification and nothing more.
Skydivers are not so special in dealing with fear. All humans have it, and deal with it, and overcome it in numerous various ways.
Many people I know that do not skydive view it as personal gratification only. They have more tangible goals, as they view it. Education, the career that follows, their family interests, children, financial responsibilities.
Aug 22, 2012, 2:37 PM
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Re: [skydiverbry] Why don't people skydive?
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Why people don't skydive! By the one the only the amazing...Shah
1) It's expensive! Per minute of high hookers and blow are cheaper! In fact if you have the hookers bring you the blow...it's still cheaper!
2) It's dangerous! I mean hookers and blow are dangerous but this shit is really dangerous! When was the last time you saw a hooker get her panties in a twist and slam your sorry coke filled head into the ground? Well other than that one time when you found out that said hooker was really a dude and you didn't want to pay her!
3) Speaking of dudes! It's a freaking sausage fest! Who wants to willingly spend this kind of money to be in a place where a peg legged, one eyed, hook handed, one titted tandem passanger is the hot one! Mean while you got like 15 guys holding hands in a big circle rocking colors that would make a blind gay man cry....It's like a total gay pride event in the sky all that's missing is the drag queen!
4) 90% of the time you can't jump! You drive like 4 hours to get to a drop zone only to find out because there is one cloud in the sky you can't skydive! Listen I paid good money for something that costs more than hookers and blow and I'm holding other mens hands here I'm not afraid of a little cloud punching! Hell there is a rainbow in there and we are men holding hands!
5) You can't show off for the ladies! Yeah the reason why any man does anything ever in the history of time was to increase his testicular mass and to show off to the ladies! Cave man "Look I made fire" Cave girl "Oh you are so handsome let's have sex!"
Greek dude "Look I discovered math!" Greek girl "Oh you are so handsome let's have sex!"
Roman dude "Look I invented architecture!" Roman chick "Grab a pack of Trojans and let's do this!" ==>fast forward<==
Hot rod dude "Look I can drag race faster than that guy!" Hot rod chick "Oh let's make out in the back seat!"
Squid dude "I like did a sick thing on the bike and it was lie wow!" Squid chick "Ah you are so brave let's fuck NOW I'll keep my leather boots on!"
Skydiver dude "So I like held hands with these 3 other guys for like a minute while my friend took pictures." Random girl at bar "You hold hands with other guys!"
Aug 22, 2012, 2:54 PM
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Re: [wolfriverjoe] Why don't people skydive?
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Risk. We tend to understate it, and it really isn't all that high, but it is there.
My mom (age 74) loves to come out to the DZ. She loves the people, the atmosphere, the whole experience (except for some of the language). She would love to be able to do a jump. But she has a heart condition, is on lots of medications and jumping would pose more of a risk than she is willing to take.
I was dating a woman last year. A fairly recent widow (a little over a year since her husband died) with a teenaged daughter. She enjoyed coming out to the DZ and hanging out. She went to SDC Summerfest with me and had an absolute ball. The people, the place, the whole thing. But she wasn't willing to risk leaving her daughter an orphan. She understood that the risk was small, and that there was no guarantee that not jumping would keep her alive. But she wasn't willing to take the additional risk of jumping. I understood her decision and didn't question or argue it.
Aug 22, 2012, 3:01 PM
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Re: [crotalus01] Why don't people skydive?
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Maybe for some... but I've met a few people now who've tried it, quite liked it, but gone 'yeah that was pretty good' and moved on with their lives.
Not discounting fear as a reason for a lot of people (to skydive AND to not skydive), but there are others for whom our sport just isn't as amazing as it is for us!
Aug 22, 2012, 7:02 PM
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Re: [airdvr] Why don't people skydive?
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Risk. We tend to understate it, and it really isn't all that high, but it is there.
My mom (age 74) loves to come out to the DZ. She loves the people, the atmosphere, the whole experience (except for some of the language). She would love to be able to do a jump. But she has a heart condition, is on lots of medications and jumping would pose more of a risk than she is willing to take.
I was dating a woman last year. A fairly recent widow (a little over a year since her husband died) with a teenaged daughter. She enjoyed coming out to the DZ and hanging out. She went to SDC Summerfest with me and had an absolute ball. The people, the place, the whole thing. But she wasn't willing to risk leaving her daughter an orphan. She understood that the risk was small, and that there was no guarantee that not jumping would keep her alive. But she wasn't willing to take the additional risk of jumping. I understood her decision and didn't question or argue it.
But she's out of the picture now?
Yep. It didn't work, but none of the reasons had anything to do with jumping. It wasn't me doing it, her not doing it, any of the DZ shenanigans, the time spent at the DZ, the money spent at the DZ or anything else like that.
Mom's still in the picture, and came out last Saturday. She had a wonderful time sitting on the picinc table watching all the goings on.
Aug 22, 2012, 8:00 PM
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Re: [airtwardo] Why don't people skydive?
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nice
quade (D 22635)
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Aug 22, 2012, 10:05 PM
Post #22 of 67
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Re: [skydiverbry] Why don't people skydive?
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I figured with all these threads that question why people skydive, I want to know....Why don't people skydive?
I will not say fear. I will say instinct.
It is a 100% completely unnatural act. Virtually everything about it is specifically hardwired into your DNA to avoid. It literally takes an unnatural amount of thought to overcome the instinct and step outside the door.
Even then, even after consideration, training, mental preparation, some people still revert to their natural instincts, give up mid-flight and curl into a fetal position. Were it not for tandem masters or AFF instructors they would be nothing more than what their natural instincts told them they would be all along; a stain on the ground.
(This post was edited by quade on Aug 22, 2012, 10:12 PM)
Aug 22, 2012, 10:09 PM
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Re: [skydiverbry] Why don't people skydive?
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Hi bry, Because they are afraid of what is on the other side of the door, because they are afraid of...letting go. If you've been around the sport for awhile you read,"A Moment of Immortality" I won't say who wrote it, those that have read it will know, those that havn't, ....will. 'Says it all.
Aug 23, 2012, 1:28 AM
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Re: [piisfish] Why don't people skydive?
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Why people don't skydive! By the one the only the amazing...Shah
1) It's expensive! Per minute of high hookers and blow are cheaper! In fact if you have the hookers bring you the blow...it's still cheaper!
2) It's dangerous! I mean hookers and blow are dangerous but this shit is really dangerous! When was the last time you saw a hooker get her panties in a twist and slam your sorry coke filled head into the ground? Well other than that one time when you found out that said hooker was really a dude and you didn't want to pay her!
3) Speaking of dudes! It's a freaking sausage fest! Who wants to willingly spend this kind of money to be in a place where a peg legged, one eyed, hook handed, one titted tandem passanger is the hot one! Mean while you got like 15 guys holding hands in a big circle rocking colors that would make a blind gay man cry....It's like a total gay pride event in the sky all that's missing is the drag queen!
4) 90% of the time you can't jump! You drive like 4 hours to get to a drop zone only to find out because there is one cloud in the sky you can't skydive! Listen I paid good money for something that costs more than hookers and blow and I'm holding other mens hands here I'm not afraid of a little cloud punching! Hell there is a rainbow in there and we are men holding hands!
5) You can't show off for the ladies! Yeah the reason why any man does anything ever in the history of time was to increase his testicular mass and to show off to the ladies! Cave man "Look I made fire" Cave girl "Oh you are so handsome let's have sex!"
Greek dude "Look I discovered math!" Greek girl "Oh you are so handsome let's have sex!"
Roman dude "Look I invented architecture!" Roman chick "Grab a pack of Trojans and let's do this!" ==>fast forward<==
Hot rod dude "Look I can drag race faster than that guy!" Hot rod chick "Oh let's make out in the back seat!"
Squid dude "I like did a sick thing on the bike and it was lie wow!" Squid chick "Ah you are so brave let's fuck NOW I'll keep my leather boots on!"
Skydiver dude "So I like held hands with these 3 other guys for like a minute while my friend took pictures." Random girl at bar "You hold hands with other guys!"
6) They are just not radical enough!
This is excellent, all very true.
---
Skydiving is strange because the experience non-skydivers think it is, and the experience it is to new jumpers and so on, is COMPLETELY different to what it actually turns out to be once you've done a few jumps.
I never did a tandem but it must be a very different experience, perhaps far more challenging actually. I don't look down on tandems. They think I'm pro when I put MY OWN RIG on my back, but for me and the other solos it's about as scary as getting into the bath - while they're facing a much greater challenge than us.
Most non-skydivers assume that it always remains a terrifying experience, hence the whole "adrenaline junkie" stereotype, which for most of us is way off the mark, of course. As someone mentioned here recently, once you're a little bit experienced skydiving is basically a relaxing and enjoyable (and quite gay, see above ) way to play around with friends.
If people knew what skydiving becomes after the first few jumps, I wonder if more people would try it, or fewer? I'm not sure.
simply because.JPG
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