I'm thinking of leaving the sport...........

[goose491 0]

People get to feeling that way.

Do one more before you leave. If not, at least go spend the day at the DZ... see if someone won't twist your arm onto a load. The more time you spend away, the easier it will be to justify not going.

I would say: "If you don't feel like it, don't do it." as many have already, very wisely, posted... but then again... you DID post this. You ARE contemplating... and it DOES sound to me like you are looking for a bit of a push in one direction or another.

We jump seasonally here in Ontario and I'll let you in on a secret. I have to drag my ass out of bed and force myself to go to the DZ for the first time each year. I really don't even know why?! It's just such an ordeal, I'm not sure I want to. But I go and as soon as I'm there it's all over! Another whicked season begins... it's some sort of head game I seem to play with myself.

But yeah, if you don't feel it, don't do it. The stakes aren't worth it.

Nick

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[AggieDave 6]

Well man, you're going to have to make this decision for yourself, independent of what anyone else here says. Personally skydiving is too important to me, I don't want to stop, but I can't stop right now since I need skydiving to pay the bills.

If you need to take a break and get your feet under you, then by all means take a break. Honestly it would be much better for you to take a couple of years off and come back then it would be to do barely enough jumps to keep current. Being barely current can very easily kill you, I'd rather see people not jump then do a jump every couple of months.

Remember, if you take a break from skydiving and all of a sudden you get the urge to go jump and you've got a little bit of money to go jump with, you can always go get recurrent and get a couple of jumps and enjoy yourself for a bit. You don't have to stay away until everything is perfect.

Before you make your decision I'd hope that you'd try to go make a skydive, but if you can't then you can't and knowing you you've already put a LOT of thought into this so you'll make the right choice. (the right choice for your needs).

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

[TheAnvil 0]

Dude, you've got to do what is right for YOU. If you don't miss skydiving but enjoy it when you do it, then cut back on the frequency. Do a jump or two a month for a bit - KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF THOSE FRONT RISERS AND PRACTICE FLAT TURNS HIGH UP WHEN YOU ARE UNDER CANOPY!!!!!!!! - to stay current and see your skydiving friends. That way if the urge hits you, it's there for you and you won't have to do a refresher course. I wouldn't totally throw it by the wayside because you've already put some time and $$ into it.

My US$0.02.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[wmw999 2,123]

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I wouldn't totally throw it by the wayside because you've already put some time and $$ into it.

Even if he does put it aside, it's not money wasted. He has the experiences he gained by skydiving, and it's quite real. He's not some one-jump wonder who defied death; he's a skydiver. He may end up being a former skydiver, and he may end up being a former skydiver who goes back to it.

Experiences are not wasted if you learned from them, and if they enriched your life.

Even if all you learned is never to watch some movies again

Wendy W.

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)

[TheAnvil 0]

You are very correct, Wendy.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[Amazon 7]

Gawd you make too much sence for it being this early in the morning.

Viking dahrlin.. just do what is right for you. The sport will always be here. I left it and came back 22 years later and the gear had gotten far better.. and I certainly could afford good gear this time . You hae learned how to fly your body.. that will come back fairly quickly when you decide to jump again.
Do what you need to do with your life..its yours after all.
But at least work on those high purity numbers will ya.

[cocheese 0]

Thought i was done BASE jump after tasting what it's like. Then.... while driving through Atlanta the other night , something happened.. I want to jump off a building now someday. Never had the desire for "B". Now i do. So i guess i'm not done with base yet.

Is there something you always wanted to do in the sport ? Can't do it if ya quit.

[lawrocket 3]

I haven't jumped in almost two years. For all intents and purposes I have quit the sport. But I miss it. I miss everything about it.

But I will be back. Someday. Probably not soon, for I need to have money first. With business and family, skydiving's relevance has dropped in my life. The relevance of the actual act of skydiving has.

It'll be there. It always will. I suspect simply that other things have occurred in your recent life that are simply of greater import than they ever were.

Ain't nothing wrong with that, and I'm heartened that you accept it.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[Stacy 0]

Ya know, I wasn't going to reply to this, but I will.

I'm in the same boat, Arthur. It's been a good chunk of time since I jumped last. Maybe not considered a lot of time for some people, but as someone who used to do 15+ jumps a weekend, EVERY weekend regardless of temperature, in my eyes I'm not as current as I used to be. Not jumping for that period of time, sadly, hasn't bothered me. For 4-5 years Skydiving was me. IT was who I was, what I did every weekend and weekday (if i was err sick ).

I just sold my main. I'm not giving everythign up yet, I don't want to do anything rash. But I have made the decision for myself that even coming back now, my main is not appropriate for me.

I've found other interests to pursue, have a career that I love now, and really am happier than I've been in a long time. I'm making a decision for ME.

the only thing we can be sure of is change. I know the sky will be there when I want to jump again, it will be there for you too. I still have a great amount of respect for and interest in the sport. You'll still find me poking around on skyleague and catching up on 4way stats.

Making a decision that is right for you is more important than anything else.

• Quote

[FrenchyDiver 0]

Nothing wrong with leaving. Do whatever you are comfortable with. If you feel it's time to take a break, then do it. The sky will always be here for whenever you are ready to come back.

I started jumping in 1989. I couldn't stay current enough, so in 1993 I put my righ in the closet. That short break lasted 10 years, I came back in 2003. Did I miss skydiving? Sometimes I did, most of the time I did not. I spent those 10 years in settling down, dedicating my time to the woman I loved (and still do) and raising our child. Im my case I did what was right for me and it worked out very well.
Nowadays, I enjoy jumping way much more than back then.

Whether you decide to continue or take a break, follow your heart without regrets.
All the best in whatever you decide.

JM

Hispas Brothers President
HISPA #2,

[hungarianchick 0]

I'm in pretty much the same boat.
I haven't jumped in two years simply because my financial responsibility lies elsewhere. I need to go back to school, need a new car and my SO and I are looking into buying a house next year.
But skydiving is always at the back of my mind and I think it always will. Someday I know I will be back.

"I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food."

[ACMESkydiver 0]

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Damn... Agreeing will Ron, Tonto, and Seth in the same thread here.

Thoughts of leaving pop up for all of us I think. This sport is so unforgiving of even the smallest error that there is a good possibility of getting hurt or killed on every jump. Don't jump unless its something that you absolutly want to do.

Crap, add PhreeZone to that list and you'd have a good start to "People I never imagined I would be in agreement with on a single subject."

Yeah. Do it because you love it. If you don't love it, don't do it, simple as that!
One more jump may be what 'reminds you' of how much you love it. It did for me. -'Absence makes the heart grow fonder' is sometimes true for people, but seems to be rarely true for skyjumping, it seems to me?? I guess after so much time off, you forget what it feels like to leave an airplane in flight.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[katiebear21 0]

Arthur, a lot of people enjoy the people aspect of the sport. I know before I started jumping I was definitely lacking because most of my military friends were married and boring...

Maybe you needed that and not really the skydiving. From what I remember, you have just as much fun taking pictures and hanging out as you did skydiving.

I don't think you'll ever give up the friends you made so far so if the skydiving really isn't your thing, then sell the rig and buy a new camera!

Katie
Get your PMS glass necklace here

[quatorze 1]

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If you feel like stopping, then stop.

This sport is way too expensive and dangerous to do if it's not what you really, really want.

It's only skydiving.

t

dude, that's awesome, I am in the same boat, been since the last of Oct, and was going to continue up until Wffc, but time, money and new marriage, have gotten in the way, no for all you naysayers it is not her, she understood and apporoved of the hobby and still does, she doesn't even know I feel this way right now, but I have a the same though, skydiving will always be there no rush

I'm not afriad of dying, I'm afraid of never really living- Erin Engle

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

Quote

Ya know, I wasn't going to reply to this, but I will.

I'm in the same boat, Arthur. It's been a good chunk of time since I jumped last. Maybe not considered a lot of time for some people, but as someone who used to do 15+ jumps a weekend, EVERY weekend regardless of temperature, in my eyes I'm not as current as I used to be. Not jumping for that period of time, sadly, hasn't bothered me. For 4-5 years Skydiving was me. IT was who I was, what I did every weekend and weekday (if i was err sick ).

I just sold my main. I'm not giving everythign up yet, I don't want to do anything rash. But I have made the decision for myself that even coming back now, my main is not appropriate for me.

I've found other interests to pursue, have a career that I love now, and really am happier than I've been in a long time. I'm making a decision for ME.

the only thing we can be sure of is change. I know the sky will be there when I want to jump again, it will be there for you too. I still have a great amount of respect for and interest in the sport. You'll still find me poking around on skyleague and catching up on 4way stats.

Making a decision that is right for you is more important than anything else.

I am at the same place. Used to jump a lot when I had money...it was all I ever wanted. For a while I missed doing 15 jumps a weekend, then I was ok with doing 5, now it's been since Nov and I am not excited about the start of the season. Losing as many friends as I did in such a short time really turned me cold to a lot of the aspects of the sport. On top of that the drama and bs just help drain the spirit from it even more. Plus you really find out in the end that people in this sport are not your brothers/sisters....most are just "people you know." I finally understand what Derrick was talking about.

I've had a blast this winter. I picked up other interests and caught up with some old friends. I've had more fun in the last few months than I have in the last year....and all of that without a jump. I have other things I want to do like get back to school and a passion or two I've put off for too long. On top of that I have a couple really positive things that are about to happen and I want the time to enjoy those things.

I never wanted to compete in this sport. I face very tough competition in my field on a daily basis and every minute of my day is measured out. There was no need for that on the weekends for me. I never wanted to be a name in this sport or any such skygod goals like that. I just wanted fun. I'm not sure if I am having fun anymore. I'm finding the whuffos really know how to enjoy life as well. If you think otherwise you are just convincing yourself to believe in the subculture hype.

I haven't made a final choice yet....and I am planning on making a few jumps this year to figure it out. I'll just fade away if I do, will never say goodbye or make a post about it. (and I won't sell my rig) Why? Because it will be about me, not how many waves I can make or how much attention I can grab.

This is about you, not about the sport, not about what others think. Do what is right for you. The sky is going nowhere. And your real friends will still be there for you.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[Girlfalldown 0]

Hey Viking. Just my opinion here and I didn't actually read everyone elses posts so sorry if I'm duplicating anything but here's what I think.

I think it's better to take a break for a while and see if skydiving calls you back than it is to jump every once in a while. Go ahead and take a couple years off. If it calls you back then come back and jump! Jump often! It worries me that jumpers only jump once every month or few months because it just seems like you can't learn anything that way and the likelihood of getting hurt is much higher.

There's nothing wrong with taking some time off but I will sure miss your big gigantazoid hugs at the occasional boogie!

[goose491 0]

Yo Arthur,

All these people are saying "The sky will still be there when you come back."

... don't trust them. At the rate we're going with polution, the sky as we know it WON'T be there much longer

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[BIGUN 1,053]

I took a nine year break. When I came back, I had a lot of my old skydiving buddies that acted like I never left.

And, I met some new friends which I keep at DZs all over the country.

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

[lummy 4]

Arthur...

I just wanted to say that whatever you decide to do, I respect you and your decision and you'll always be a friend and skydiver to me

I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. eat sushi, get smoochieTTK#1

[CanuckInUSA 0]

I'm thinking of staying in the sport. "Less bitching, more jumping".

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[Squeak 17]

Hey Arthur,
if you do give it away (even for a while) pop in and flash some of your photos, so we can see how you're progressing

Photography rocks, it was my obsession for many many years before skydiving

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[Andrelr 0]

Don't confuse the jumping with the lifestyle and the friends. Too many force themselves to jump when they really find it difficult socially to walk away.
As Tonto said: it's only jumping...

[bunge 0]

I am one to NEVER jump when the feeling just isn't right. if its doesn't feel right to you, then take the break. Ya always have the tunnel at Perris to play in if ya need to feel the wind, or want to get current if you decide to come back some day.

the big question, do the beer rules reset if ya leave?!

BUNGE

I don't hate them, I just like us better.

[freeflir29 0]

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anyone else have these thoughts? what did you do?

Nope........can't say that I have. I had to take 6 months off once when I got out of the military. No job......not a whole lot of money. Then......I got a job and with my first paycheck.....I bought a rig.

[QuickDraw 0]

Nice.
I think you've already made your decision (reading in between the lines).

Good luck Arty.

-- Hope you don't die. --

I'm fucking winning