How Did You Know When to Leave?

[mrubin 0]

For those of you who have left skydiving, either temporarily or for good, how did you know when it was time to stop?

I've been thinking more and more about leaving the sport but am having trouble making the decision. When I am at the dropzone and jumping I have a great time, but the excitement leading up to it isn't nearly as strong. The idea of a 2 hour drive each way to the dz seems like more and more of a turn off and spending a night in the bunkhouse is less and less appealing when I could be at home in my own bed with my girlfriend. It used to be that if I went more than a couple weeks without a jump I started to feel antsy, but now I find myself going longer and longer between trips to the dz.

On top of that, my girlfriend does not like that I jump. Even though I feel like I'm a safe and conservative skydiver, there is still a lot of risk and she worries. I would hate for anything to happen to me and I miss out on spending a lifetime with her, not to mention the pain that it would cause her.

When I started jumping and even up until the past year I never thought that I'd ever even consider leaving this sport. It's been such a big part of my life. I've made a lot of great friends and have grown a lot as a person because of it. I still love jumping and have a lot of fun doing it, but it has slipped way down the list of important things in my life. I'm pretty close to 500 jumps and part of me is thinking that I should give myself a few days of great jumps as a send off. Another part wants to compete in at least one Nationals and thinks that I should do one more season.

I don't know what I'll do or when I'll make my decision. I know that I have to decide what's best for me, but I'd like to hear your stories and reasons for leaving and even reasons you've stayed if you ever faced this decision.

"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

[BIGUN 1,230]

You've made up your mind.

Have a good life.

Check in on us every once in awhile.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[Nataly 38]

Leaving the sport isn't really a decision you have to make because you can come back to it pretty much whenever you want... Sure, the sport evolves and you lose currency, but the sky will always be there, my friend
Just stick your head in the sand and keep telling yourself you are simply taking a temporary break from the sport

"There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse."
- Chris Hadfield
« Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. »
- my boss

[AL-timeter 0]

I left the same time you did. Approximately 7 years and 400 jumps.
The drop zone I was jumping at the owner retired and closed shop and long drives to other drop zones wasn't worth it in the long term.
Missed it for a while but it did stop the summers from flying by.
I still haven't lost interest in skydiving though, keeping in the latest skydiving news and equipment.

Best of luck what ever you decide.

[airdvr 201]

Buy a boat...it's almost the same thing except you can share it with your whuffo SO. Just don't sell your rig. Those significant other things don't always pan out.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[keithbar 1]

airdvr

Just don't sell your rig. Those significant other things don't always pan out.

this. I was out of the sport for a number of years. now I'm back although I don't get to do it as often as I would like. My new plan is. I'll know when it's time to quit. when my goggles fill with blood and everything fades to black.

i have on occasion been accused of pulling low . My response. Naw I wasn't low I'm just such a big guy I look closer than I really am .

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

airdvr

Buy a boat...it's almost the same thing except you can share it with your whuffo SO. Just don't sell your rig. Those significant other things don't always pan out.

And if it does, you can always still have a "Your father's lightsaber" moment with your kid when they turn 18. You could be all like "This was your father's skydiving rig. He turned to the dark side of readily available VJ, a steady income and a minivan..."

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[wmw999 2,314]

Quote

Missed it for a while but it did stop the summers from flying by.
I still haven't lost interest in skydiving though, keeping in the latest skydiving news and equipment.

I was like this for 13 years, then I started again when life changed and it was reasonable.

It's your life -- fill it with what satisfies you, not just what feels good at the moment. That might not include skydiving right now.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[BigMikeH77 0]

FlyingRhenquest

... and a minivan..."

Jesus, where did all the animosity come from... It takes mad skillz to drive a minivan and maintain your Y chromosome.

[Phillbo 11]

airdvr

Buy a boat...it's almost the same thing except you can share it with your whuffo SO. Just don't sell your rig. Those significant other things don't always pan out.

I've been out for about 6 years but still have my rig and a desire to get the knees in the breeze soon.... and a boat :)

[monkycndo 0]

Keep your rig. Pull the AAD out and sell it.

When you want to get back in the sport, replace the AAD and jump.

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[airtwardo 7]

Gonna wait until I achieve room temperature....

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[AggieDave 6]

For me it was the choice of what was most important to me. Not for safety, since the job I held at the time was significantly more dangerous than skydiving, but for what level of commitment I was willing to have to a sport or to my family. I wanted my weekends full of adventure with my wife and children, not trading babysitting duties while packing for the next load.

A bit over 3,000 jumps, 11 years and I sold my gear. To be fair it would have taken a goodly number of jumps to get current enough to jump the tiny (for me) crossbraced canopy safely again.

New adventure awaited and I have found it. I'm sure more new adventures wait for us over the horizon and the choice was and still is 100% worth it. Opportunities I never dreamed possible have opened up in my path and my latest adventures have been incredible, I'm not sure those journeys would of happened if not for a change of venue for creative emotional outlets from skydiving to other mediums.

Will I come back to skydiving? Maybe. I'm not sure I'll return to high level competitive swooping again, but it would be fun to step off into the air and yoink on a front riser again.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[airtwardo 7]

Competition swooper, motor cop, author, photographer...why don't you grow up and get a job you hate like everybody else!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[AggieDave 6]

airtwardo

Competition swooper, motor cop, author, photographer...why don't you grow up and get a job you hate like everybody else!

Well, my wife did squash a discussion about learning how to mountaineer and doing Everest, so that failed.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[RoadRash 0]

keithbar

***Just don't sell your rig. Those significant other things don't always pan out.

this. I was out of the sport for a number of years. now I'm back although I don't get to do it as often as I would like. My new plan is. I'll know when it's time to quit. when my goggles fill with blood and everything fades to black.


Ditto! Don't for the love of all that's holy sell your rig. I made the same mistake. Now I'm divorced, skydiving again, and buying a new rig. I obviously missed jumping, and got out before I was truly done. I'm not quitting again. This is for me and only me. It makes me happy.

~R+R...I'm current again, but having to rent gear until my FF friendly rig is finished.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Fly the friendly skies...^_^...})ii({...^_~...

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

BigMikeH77

***... and a minivan..."

Jesus, where did all the animosity come from... It takes mad skillz to drive a minivan and maintain your Y chromosome.

I don't think it counts if you have the minivan before you come into the sport. In that case I think you just have the kid start packing for you and become a tunnel instructor at 16. If you really want this story to be cool though, you should start swooping the pond with a Nav 300.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[AggieDave 6]

FlyingRhenquest

******... and a minivan..."

Jesus, where did all the animosity come from... It takes mad skillz to drive a minivan and maintain your Y chromosome.

I don't think it counts if you have the minivan before you come into the sport. In that case I think you just have the kid start packing for you and become a tunnel instructor at 16. If you really want this story to be cool though, you should start swooping the pond with a Nav 300.

It's not a minivan, it's a family adventure Van. We adventured to Big Bend NP for 5 days with our toddlers last month. It was awesome! Here is a photo of our tent in camp the first night.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Rick 67]

airtwardo

Competition swooper, motor cop, author, photographer...why don't you grow up and get a job you hate like everybody else!

umm pot kettle?

You can't be drunk all day if you don't start early!

[BillyVance 34]

AggieDave

*********... and a minivan..."

Jesus, where did all the animosity come from... It takes mad skillz to drive a minivan and maintain your Y chromosome.

I don't think it counts if you have the minivan before you come into the sport. In that case I think you just have the kid start packing for you and become a tunnel instructor at 16. If you really want this story to be cool though, you should start swooping the pond with a Nav 300.

It's not a minivan, it's a family adventure Van. We adventured to Big Bend NP for 5 days with our toddlers last month. It was awesome! Here is a photo of our tent in camp the first night.

That's an awesome pic!

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[AggieDave 6]

Rick

***Competition swooper, motor cop, author, photographer...why don't you grow up and get a job you hate like everybody else!

umm pot kettle?

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[JohnMitchell 16]

airtwardo

Gonna wait until I achieve room temperature....

Thanks for expressing my plan, too, so eloquently.

[wmw999 2,314]

Quote

It's not a minivan, it's a family adventure Van.

Is it painted man-genta?

That said, great pic -- it really captures the nights. We were there this spring for a week.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[ILUVCHUTERS 1]

wmw999

***

It's your life -- fill it with what satisfies you, not just what feels good at the moment. That might not include skydiving right now.

Wendy P.

Very nicely said.

I've only been around for seven years, but it's a pretty common theme (to me, anyway) that when people start they're all like OMG skydiving is the shit and I'm gonna do it every day every day for the rest of my life and then they just find other stuff to do and burn out.

Life is about balance, whatever that means to you

[CSpenceFLY 1]

It's all about balance. Go do something else for a while, come back and see how it feels. There's nothing that says once you start you gotta keep doing it and there is nothing wrong with moving on.

It's supposed to be fun.