1 Week From Today!

[shortkid422 0]

Well, the title says it all. On Saturday, April 22, I plan to make my first skydive for my 18th birthday. I've been reading up on the forums and checking out the movies at skydivingmovies.com, which has only furthered my interest in the sport.

On a side note, I am 5' 1" and 110 lbs. Due to my short stature, is there anything that I should pay more attention to while skydiving?

Thanks,
Matt

[skymama 35]

Welcome to the forums!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[popsjumper 2]

Congrats, Matt! You're going to love it.

I can't believe Skymama is sending you to the Women's Forum...be afraid, be very, very afraid!

j/k Skymama.

The Women's Forum has some good info for you.

Student harnesses are adjustable. Don't worry, your instructor will make sure that your geared up properly.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[shortkid422 0]

He he. Actually, I usually have to go to the kid's section in some stores to get clothes, so I'm kind of used to it. I'll be sure to reply back to let everyone know how it went.

[Eule 0]

Quote

On a side note, I am 5' 1" and 110 lbs. Due to my short stature, is there anything that I should pay
more attention to while skydiving?

You get a longer canopy ride. If you and I (6'2") pulled at the same altitude, you'd have just over a foot
further to go before you land.

You may wish to ask for assistance when carrying the requisite cases of beer. You will find no shortage
of fellow jumpers willing to help you with this task.

:)

Seriously... Everybody else has covered it pretty well. When you signed up for your jump, the DZ
probably asked about your weight, and might have asked about your height. If you weren't going to
fit in the harness, they would have told you then.

Welcome!

Eule

PLF does not stand for Please Land on Face.

[DaLowestBird 0]

Matt, you're going to have the time of your life! BEER BEER BEER!!!! You'll probably end up wanting to complete AFF and get certified so you can start jumping all the time...thats what happened to me. If you do get certified though, don't stop jumping for four years like I did. I'd have like a million jumps by now if I hadn't stopped but I'm sitting with 42, lol. Be sure to let us know how it goes!!!

Convo between my friend and his ex...
Nick - "Chad talked me into skydiving."
Her - "I thought you didn't like extreme sports"
Nick - "Dating you WAS an extreme sport."

[paulie 0]

Good on ya Matt, it will definately change your life, for the better. Even if you decide not to jump again, the experience will stay with you for ever mate.
If you can jump out of that door, you can do anything.

Hope it's a killer ride for you.

blue skies.

Maivis.

[shortkid422 0]

Got back from going about 4 hours ago...

Wow! That was just unbelievably amazing. I need to find a way to support my new addiction ($$$). It was just an amazing experience. It was sweet to be able to go through a few light clouds, gave me a good perception of how fast we (Tandem Master and I) were really traveling. Since I weighed almost nothing, I had a really nice, long canopy ride.

What was weird though was the fact that I found the canopy ride scarier than the actual jump/freefall. I think this was attributed to the fact that I was hanging from my harness and not directly connected to the canopy. Hopefully when I do AFF I wont have the same fellings. It wasn't a severe one, I was just more tense under canopy (until we were under 1000ft).

In case anyone is wondering, I went to Skydive Midwest and jumped with Bear. There was another tandem who went with Andre. Best birthday ever!

[DaLowestBird 0]

Definitely glad you were able to get up there...and don't worry about being uneasy under canopy, that fades away in no time. Just tell yourself that you're very secure in your harness and you aren't going to fall out and you'll be in good shape and be able to enjoy the view.

Convo between my friend and his ex...
Nick - "Chad talked me into skydiving."
Her - "I thought you didn't like extreme sports"
Nick - "Dating you WAS an extreme sport."

[TheWizard 0]

pay most attention to the ground

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

Quote

What was weird though was the fact that I found the canopy ride scarier than the actual jump/freefall. I think this was attributed to the fact that I was hanging from my harness and not directly connected to the canopy. Hopefully when I do AFF I wont have the same fellings. It wasn't a severe one, I was just more tense under canopy (until we were under 1000ft).

I had the exact same feeling on my tandem, I've always been around planes, so altitude is no big deal for me. I had 2 moments when I was scared...The second my foot lost contact with the plane but it was still in my peripheral vision, obviously that faded instantly. Then when we were under 1000ft. Right around 200ft or so I got butterflies. I think it's the thought of knowing that if anything goes wrong at this point, there's nothing you can do. But, nonetheless, I'm going back for more, and more, and a little more. Can't wait to tell my grandkids about skydiving (I'm 22 btw).

P.S. - I'm 5'8" and 115 Lbs, so I'm in the same boat. Maybe I should check out the women's forums too...

Blue Skies!

"When once you have tasted flight..."