Skydiving….Why keep doing it?

[Zlew 0]

Boomerdog

At the DZ the people I see and jump with every week are more than friends but they're not (blood kin) family either. Fact is, they're somewhere in between and I have to see them...they're the best group of people I've come to know and associate with!

For those who stay around for more than a few seasons, I think you will find that the people piece will be near the top of the list of why they still jump. The friends/family will spill out of the dropzone and into your daily life. For me some of my jumping friends I truly do consider family. Some new....and some who I am still close to who haven't set foot on a dz in 10 years. Lots of reasons to jump, but the connections and relationships many of us find at the DZ are different than those easily found out in whuffo land.

[Croc 0]

As long as Dick Money is a DZO I'll be a jumper!

"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

[Kalrigan 6]

I jump because it makes me happy, it makes me feel free. Free from life's every day bullshit. Free from stress, work problems, people's drama and all of that.

Not once have I jumped out of a plane thinking of something else, I've always been in that moment. Skydiving has opened my eyes to many great things in life, one of them is how to truly feel alive. Ever since I started jumping I haven't wanted to do anything else but that.

The friends I met are also definitely a big part of why I jump. They're family now, and seeing them always puts a smile on my face too. I love those guys, and can't wait for this shitty winter to be over so I can jump again.

[BKS60 0]

Kalrigan

I jump because it makes me happy, it makes me feel free. Free from life's every day bullshit. Free from stress, work problems, people's drama and all of that.

Not once have I jumped out of a plane thinking of something else, I've always been in that moment. Skydiving has opened my eyes to many great things in life, one of them is how to truly feel alive. Ever since I started jumping I haven't wanted to do anything else but that.

The friends I met are also definitely a big part of why I jump. They're family now, and seeing them always puts a smile on my face too. I love those guys, and can't wait for this shitty winter to be over so I can jump again.

This!
I find that no matter what else is going on in life, be it work, relations, finances or anything else when I step out the door the wind takes it away for as long as freefall and canopy last. Nothing else gives me this piece of mind for as long or as completely.
My non jumping friends look at me like I'm nuts when they ask me why I love it and I tell them it because it's "peaceful".

"You don't get many warnings in this sport before you get damaged"

[Trev_S 0]

Trafficdiver

It's a good way to get rid of all this money I have in my bank account.

Want some help?

[dzswoop717 5]

I have been jumping with the same friends and family (brother) for over 30 years. I quess we are just to old and lazy to try something new like, Motocross, big wave surfing, Vertical ramp skateboarding, or BMX. But not too old to give it up for bowling, bingo, or shuffle board.

[baRRRpirate 0]

These are all great reasons.

Frequently life issues distract from life enjoyment. I found myself smiling as I wrote why I like skydiving, then smiling even more as I read others. For me the finesse of building the skills keeps me jumping with a plan, but being immersed in the culture is what keeps me going until broke….and then some.

Thanks for all the inputs, keep 'em coming

[rwieder 0]

Quote

Just wondering what drives others to continue on in this sport?

Shear ectasy! I was hooked on the first tandem with Hook-N-Swoop as my Jump master at SDSL, what a blast! For the last year I have digressed and doing something I swore I'd never do. But I have done it.

I've stopping this activity b/c I'm concerned that I will only become more & more addicted to it. I sure don't want to break any laws by continuing this activity.

But to answer your question "It's the most fun you can have with your clothes on!"

Best-
Richard
IHS

[kuai43 7]

Boomerdog

...ready to taste that coconut cream pie that's gonna get mashed in my face.

That's not coconut cream. Don't ask.

Every fight is a food fight if you're a cannibal

Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man. - Anthony Burgess

[Trafficdiver 8]

darkwing

Because it is glorious.

This ^

[b3ndech0 0]

After reading this thread i guess "scratchin the sky" summs it up pretty well..

http://vimeo.com/62739266

[1001001sos 0]

FreefallingCari

People always ask if I am an adrenaline junkie, like danger, etc.

I am ADD and have aspergers, so I am very hyper and I make a lot of body movements. Even with medication, although it helps. When I am free falling in the air, bellyflying, I feel such a sense of calm and peace.I enjoy the sensation. It is as if my body is finally moving as quickly as my brain, and it all evens out. I believe I have expressed this correctly, it is difficult to explain. My body is able to be still, and I am able to fly and fly with others well.

It is like therapy for me. I continue because it is my therapy, it makes me feel whole. I also enjoy the social aspect, as I tend to be socially awkward, and skydiving is a common theme I can relate to.

My brother suffers from aspergers so I might understand your post a little more than others. I wish he could experience skydiving at least once. He has weight issues as well and so for now it's not even a possibility.

For me it's therapeutic just for different reasons. And I don't get to do it anywhere as much as I use to or as much as I'd like.

When I get on the airplane I'm thinking of the jump, doing safety checks, etc... But there's still this connection to the world. When I leave the plane it's like I have left this world and all of it's problems. I guess you could call it an escape, even like a drug. But when you leave the plane you have no time to think about anything but the task at hand. And for me it is a relief to be in that position if only for a moment.

[Transmitter 0]

No words needed to describe why i jump to skydivers..... You should know it pretty well guys ;)

[mrubin 0]

shoeless_wonder

It levels me out. Clears my head. I love the adrenaline factor, but that is just a plus. When I got a lot going on in my life, if I am stressed out, if I am cranky for whatever reason, I jump. It is the only time my head is completely clear. As soon as I exit, nothing else in life matters. For that minute, I am completely free. And I like that.

+1
Most non-jumpers look at me funny when I tell them that skydiving relaxes me until I explain this to them.

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

[jimmytavino 16]

....in order to experience a fleeting Dis-Association both figuratively AND literally from a crazy chaotic and often illogical world....

I'm happy when I skydive.
Nothing of "the real world" enters my mind for those hours when I'm @ a dropzone and I can be among friends....

jmy
uspa # 9452

[AviationTD 0]

There is something magical in the sky that only few who truly understand. We are the few. Simple as that!

[gunpaq 1]

Since my first jump in 1976 through the last of the 2013 season each jump has been a blessing of physical, emotional, and spirutal fulfillment. Living life to the fullest of happiness.

www.geronimoskydiving.com

[trigger 0]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MucOqYYjbBg
The moment, sums it up nicely.

.CHOP WOOD COLLECT WATER.

[Jvx 0]

I truly believe when one gets hurt his or her mentally changes toward the sport... It's then you realize it's more than having fun. You can actually die. I went through a major injury after a really bad swoop in Dubai. Skydiving just wasn't the same. It's been over 2 yrs and I'm still not totally comfortable until my canopy is fully inflated. But I do it cause I do love it. But definitely different. I used to be a lot more carefree . But being humbled isn't a bad thing:)

[Boomerdog 0]

See...there you go...spoiling my fantasy!
Is nothing sacred?

Gabling in Casablanca?!?!? I'm shocked...shocked I say!

[mjosparky 3]

Jvx

I truly believe when one gets hurt his or her mentally changes toward the sport... It's then you realize it's more than having fun. You can actually die. I went through a major injury after a really bad swoop in Dubai. Skydiving just wasn't the same. It's been over 2 yrs and I'm still not totally comfortable until my canopy is fully inflated. But I do it cause I do love it. But definitely different. I used to be a lot more carefree . But being humbled isn't a bad thing:)

Some day you will have to tell us about when you got your "lap" ratting.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[mccurley 0]

"Why keep doing it?"


Because you haven't finished yet!

Watch my video Fat Women
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRWkEky8GoI

[Pacific 0]

Honestly, I really like flying my canopy.

[FreefallingCari 0]

Skydiver Survivor; Battling Breast Cancer one jump at a time. DX June 19th 2014
I have been jumping since October 5th 2013.
https://pinkribbonskydiver.wordpress.com/

[Kat4821 0]

If I may add on a bit:

I am no expert skydiver, in truth: I'm just now about to get back into after some years of getting out of the sport for military reasons. In any case, I went all the way through AFF, got to my 24th jump and got thrown on a deployment for 12 months. After I got back, something else took over called "life". Had a baby and got married yada yada yada…

Well soon after I got back I picked up motorcycle racing. I was actually pretty good at it. Got the leather suit, nice race prepped bike, but I always had this void that racing couldn't fulfill. Not sure what it was, but I would always drive by the local DZ's and just sit and watch. It ignited something back in me. I thought about it and trolled these forums and watched "iloveskydiving.org" on a daily basis wondering if it was something I really wanted to pursue again. Needless to say, after watching a few friends die from the shenanigans that occurs in the southern california canyons, I knew I was done. I've since gotten orders to Okinawa Japan and this tour is about to be up. In fact Ill be back in May. I've already got my timeline set up, gear, coach etc lined up. Oh yea and that one thing some of us can't have enough of--Money. Just waiting to get back so I can go back through AFF and get started again.

For me, it is something that can't be replicated in any sense of the word. When I tell people I've given up racing to become a skydiver I always get the "Thats not safer" talk and the weird looks. I honestly can say it's been something I've been missing for a long time. The friendships that you form are something different and I really miss it. I miss the smell of the thin air at 13000 feet and everything that goes with it.

I remember that I would go into "withdraws" of not jumping. Everything just disappeared when the door opened.

Long drawn out story, but Im glad I was able to share my 2 cents.

Kyle