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decompresion

The four times you might quit skydiving

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Interesting thread that got dredged up. I made it past hurdle 1, and I guess hurdle 2 since I bought my own gear. I'm severely addicted, and I underestimated how true that descriptor is.

I've given a lot of thought to the financial thing and I've come to a completely fucked-up conclusion: if I ever run out of money to jump, I will get money in whatever way is necessary (without physically hurting anyone).

Severe injury or death is the only thing that I can think that will put a stop to my jumping within the next 5 years.

Past that, I worry about burning out too... but there are so many different disciplines that require focus, dedication and time commitment that I can easily see myself transitioning from one to another.

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diablopilot

***+1! You can tell the 3 types of staff jumpers by what they work out when they stand up. The "Neck rub" Cameraman's salute, the "Back Stretch" Tandem Salute, and the "Arm Spin/Shoulder Roll" of the AFFI. One day they realize that the fun has gone out of what they do and that there are other ways to make a living. Hopefully, they just take a break and go back to making some casual fun jumps but a lot them just walk off into the sunset.



I have all three. Am I screwed?

Then you become a jump pilot... ;)
Chad B Hall
Woo hoo!
My goal is to make every jump a fun and safe one. Blue skies!
Some of my videos...

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Damn near quit two years ago when a hard opening (i.e., two seconds) knocked me unconscious. Pulled at 3500, open at 3499, woke up at 1700 having no idea where I was or what I was doing. Some long, hard thinking afterwards.

I knew a guy who was packing when he noticed that one of his links was all the way open and bent severely so that his lines were a miracle from falling off one riser. Left his gear on the packing mat and never came back as far as I know.

There are a jillion reasons for quitting.
"Here's a good specimen of my own wisdom. Something is so, except when it isn't so."

Charles Fort, commenting on the many contradictions of astronomy

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What about the term "Sabbatical" rather than quit? I mean, taking time off from the sport you love because you cannot devote the amount of time you need to so that you are safe and current? I just don't want to be "that guy". You know, the one that shows up once or twice a season, tries to make a jump as if he is current. Sucks in the air, sucks at landing. Then one day, makes a bad call. Breaks his leg..... It happens.

So instead of living in the gray area, I have decided to just take time off. Still visit the DZ, help out where I can, but I will not jump my gear, or with friends. Hard to do with 20+ years in the sport. But necessary.

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I would be in Cat 4.

Got about 3-4000 jumps, mainly tdm camera, started getting into smaller canopies but just... got bored.

My skills plateaued in pretty much every aspect, I didn't feel like starting over again being a spud in the free-fly realm, and I just felt like it would never click for me in terms of becoming a super-duper canopy swooper (not that I put too much effort there, I was purely recreational, but the canopy ride quickly became the funnest part of jumping for me)... the drive out to the DZ and back was a drag and when I realized I was just going out there to fill some time on the weekend, it dawned on me that it was time to quit.

It really sucked when I made that decision as it was something I NEVER thought would happen to me. Felt like I was giving up on myself in a way.

I miss the folks I met and obviously still feel somewhat connected to the sport (since I am perusing the board on a daily basis and posting once in a blue moon), but feel essentially zero compulsion to do another jump ever, and don't regret quitting one iota nowadays (probably cuz I have a 5 year old and he is my priority on the weekends).

My .02

__________________________________________________
What would Vic Mackey do?

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