a real bummer, but another question

[guineapiggie101 0]

I won't be able to skydive for at least 2 months . Went to the podiatrist today and they put me in a soft cast (so I can drive). I also have to wear some "boot" thing and use crutches to get around (which I hate). Ugh. Apparently I really strained a crucial ligament in my right foot and it will take a few months for me to get back to normal.

I don't plan on giving up skydiving anytime soon. But, with me not being able to jump for 2 months, am I going to get really rusty and have to repeat all or most of my levels? It was a struggle to even get to AFF 3.

Also, with me being in a soft cast, can I still do tunnel time? I am thinking of maybe using tunnel time to knock out some of my levels, if that is even possible.

I am really bummed about this since I really was starting to enjoy jumping and enjoy the camerarderie of the people there. I still do plan to come hang out at the DZ on some weekend days. I will continue when I can again.

This sucks!

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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Also, with me being in a soft cast, can I still do tunnel time? I am thinking of maybe using tunnel time to knock out some of my levels, if that is even possible.

I don't think it's a good idea to do anything which risks a high impact (as with a tunnel wall or the net for any skydiver trying something new in the tunnel) if you're not cleared for high impact sports like running.

You'll be out of commission a _lot_ longer if you do more damage than if you just let yourself heal.

[Throttlebender 0]

I agree with Drew completely. Just be patient as hard as that is. In the meantime, go hang out at the DZ and learn good packing and ask questions and watch people land etc etc. This two months can still be a great learning period.

Life expands or contracts in proportion to one's courage. ~Anais Nin

[guineapiggie101 0]

Thanks! I was afraid of that.

I just don't want to get "rusty" with my skills and have to climb the "AFF wall" again from the bottom.

[missbrz 0]

The repeating levels is going to depend on your instructors, DZO and you as a student. You'll have to talk to them about it b/c they are the ones who will make the decision. I agree with the above though. Go make friends @ the DZ & learn about the gear and how to pack it.

[guineapiggie101 0]

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The repeating levels is going to depend on your instructors, DZO and you as a student. You'll have to talk to them about it b/c they are the ones who will make the decision. I agree with the above though. Go make friends @ the DZ & learn about the gear and how to pack it.

I kind of figured this would be the case. I am going down to the DZ this upcoming weekend since they have some "safety day" thing, to hang out and have some fun. I will also ask about the AFF stuff.

This really sucks, esp since I am such an "on the go" person. I hate being laid low by anything.

[jsreznor 0]

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The repeating levels is going to depend on your instructors, DZO and you as a student. You'll have to talk to them about it b/c they are the ones who will make the decision. I agree with the above though. Go make friends @ the DZ & learn about the gear and how to pack it.

I kind of figured this would be the case. I am going down to the DZ this upcoming weekend since they have some "safety day" thing, to hang out and have some fun. I will also ask about the AFF stuff.

This really sucks, esp since I am such an "on the go" person. I hate being laid low by anything.

Just because you can't jump doesn't mean that you can't learn a lot of things that will help your skydiving career. Safety Day is the annual refresher that USPA dropzones conduct after a long winter of no/slow jumping. It'll be similar to the class portion of your FJC.

So, other things you can do while not jumping? Learn to pack. Practice that a lot. Learn all about your gear and how it goes together and comes apart. Learn landing patterns, reading wind charts and planning your approach, even if you're not in the air. Watch other students land while next to the radio guy and see what they do right and wrong.

Lots to learn, even if you can't jump.

[guineapiggie101 0]

That's cool. At least I can still learn on the ground, vs in the sky.

It's all good. Hopefully I will be better BEFORE 2 months, that would be great.

[DocPop 1]

So sorry to hear that your injury is worse than you first thought.

Definitely hand out at the DZ and watch and listen - there is a whole bunch you can learn.

D

"The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls."

~ CanuckInUSA

[guineapiggie101 0]

I was doing a bit of a search on here to look up if people have jumped with a "soft" cast on, and it seems people have.

That puts a thought in my head, CAN you jump with a "soft" cast? My boot is removable and I have a smaller boot I wear to drive. The cast is not some heavy plaster thing.

[3mpire 0]

If you're not an expert packer by the time your foot heals, you're going to be pretty mad at yourself later this summer.

This is a great opportunity to spend time learning how to care for a rig and how to get good at packing. This is something that I'm still learning and getting better at, and it kinda sucks that I can't pack as fast as everyone else because it means i'll miss loads because it took me an extra five or ten minutes to bag up my canopy and close the container.

everybody wants to do the fun stuff all the time--jump out of a plane. but there is a lot more to it than that. this is just your opportunity to soak all that up.

[buff 0]

Get with a canopy coach and watch other students in the pattern and landings. Have them point out things to you. More folks die under a good canopy than something that happens in freefall.

Read Germains book.

Go over the end of category quiz material in the SIM. Yes you are responsible for learning all of that stuff.

Become proficient enough at packing that you can make some jump coin doing it. Or help with manifest. Observe everything and as questions of the instructional staff.

View this as an opportunity to learn at a less frenetic pace than otherwise and you will come out ahead in the big picture.

It's called the Hillbilly Hop N Pop dude.
If you're gonna be stupid, you better be tough.
That's fucked up. Watermelons do not grow on trees! ~Skymama

[hookitt 0]

A person can jump in a soft cast, or even a hard one. It's often foolish but can and has been done safely. If It's a hard cast, it can be dangerous to the people you fly with.

You as a student will not have that option. You are way too new at it to land safe with an injury to your landing gear.

How did you become injured?

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[ghost47 18]

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That puts a thought in my head, CAN you jump with a "soft" cast? My boot is removable and I have a smaller boot I wear to drive. The cast is not some heavy plaster thing.

CAN you? Probably. Is it a good idea at your level (and will instructors even let you)? Probably not.

The problem probably isn't the soft cast (though I don't know what it looks like -- will it withstand 120 mph winds? Will it unravel? If it does, will it tangle with stuff?). The problem is you're injured. What happens when someone steps on your foot in the plane? When there's a mess out the door and your foot kicks the plane or one of your instructors? What happens if you don't flare right and land, hard, on your hurt foot?

You might decide it's worth the risk if your doctor told you your foot would never get better. But you've been given a timeframe -- two months. That seems like a long time, but it's really not.

Yes, you're likely going to have to be repeat everything. But hopefully it will go smoother this time, because you can draw on your previous experiences.

So, deep breath, get it in your mind that you're not jumping for another two months, and then learn what you can on the ground.

The sky will be there when you return.

[guineapiggie101 0]

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How did you become injured?

About 10 days ago, I was doing my AFF 3 jump and when I landed, I didn't PLF correctly and landed on my right foot and rolled it. Since it was still hurting I went to the podiatrist today and they put me in a soft cast with a boot (so I can drive).

Most of my landings have been butt landings.

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

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I was doing a bit of a search on here to look up if people have jumped with a "soft" cast on, and it seems people have.

That puts a thought in my head, CAN you jump with a "soft" cast? My boot is removable and I have a smaller boot I wear to drive. The cast is not some heavy plaster thing.

Can you? (generic you)

Sure. Done properly, a normal landing isn't a hard impact. A tippy-toe landing is one option, a properly done "slider" is another.

Should You? (specifically you, Guineapiggie101)

No. No. No. No. NO. Your landing skills are nowhere near where they would need to be to try and pull something like this off.

I don't mean to flame you but this is a really bad idea.

I was going to reply to your question about hanging out at the DZ when you weren't jumping, but you had already done so by the time I read through the thread.

There's a ton of stuff to learn out there. There's even more you can do.
Packing. General gear knowledge. Landing patterns, Weather.

I don't know mcuh about Elsinore, check with those in charge before doing any of this.

Drive the golf cart to pick up the jumpers. Help in manifest. Help with gear (you wouldn't be putting rigs on students, but how about handing out altimiters, jumpsuits and helmets?) Help students pick up their gear and get back to the hangar (see "driving the golf cart above).
And how about videoing landings? (both expereinced jumpers and students). You watch the landing and video it. You get to watch the video while the instructor/coach/other jumpers critique the landing. Again, make sure you get approval for any of this stuff, but -
#1 Most places can use a little extra help, as long as it's help that they want and you do what they tell you.

#2 Demonstrating that you are willing to help out will show them that you really want this and are willing to put in some effort toward that.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[guineapiggie101 0]

Ghost47, the soft cast really isn't anything. They wrapped my foot up in some plaster wrapping that will harden a bit but will give me the mobility to still drive and move around. I have a "boot" to put on over the soft cast so I can move.

I also have a shoe thingie to put on over the soft cast when I drive (can't wear the boot when driving), so I could potentially jump with the soft cast and shoe thingie.

Two months is a pain, esp when I am on a roll and I want to keep current.

[Ron 7]

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But, with me not being able to jump for 2 months, am I going to get really rusty and have to repeat all or most of my levels? It was a struggle to even get to AFF 3.

It will be easier since you have already done it.

Visualization will help keep you focused.

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That puts a thought in my head, CAN you jump with a "soft" cast?

ME, Yes.
You, nope..... Since you HURT your foot on a landing, don't you think you could easily hurt it again?

The difference is I am not going to biff a landing and risk hurting myself more. Even then, I would not risk it.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[guineapiggie101 0]

I'm the crazy one who like to push "limits". I'm also quite stubborn.

Eh, I dunno. I guess I will ask at the DZ what my possibilities are.

Otherwise, I'll just stay grounded and try to learn some things.

[Throttlebender 0]

Piggie, you really don't have and SMART option other than wait it out. Jump now, land poorly, and you're potentially screwed for the ENTIRE season or longer.
Besides, depending on where you are, it's still cold outside. Relax! Breathe! Learn to pack well now and you might have a part time place on the packing mat in the next two months and that can be a great way to pay for your jumps

Patience now means so much later.

Life expands or contracts in proportion to one's courage. ~Anais Nin

[guineapiggie101 0]

You're probably right.

I jump out in CA, so the weather is great out here most of the year (besides the rain we get every so often)

I guess I will just hang out at the DZ on the weekends I can and see what I can learn.

I would love to learn how to pack (aka take a packing class) but not sure since I so low level, if I can do that.

[Ron 7]

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I'm the crazy one who like to push "limits". I'm also quite stubborn.

You need to get over that.... It will slow you down and possibly hurt you.

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I guess I will ask at the DZ what my possibilities are.

My bet is that they will not let you jump. And if the DID let you jump.... I'd be VERY worried about the quality of instruction.

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Otherwise, I'll just stay grounded and try to learn some things.

This is your best course of action.....

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I would love to learn how to pack (aka take a packing class) but not sure since I so low level, if I can do that.

We used to teach people how to pack in the FJC.

This weekend I saw a guy with 12 jumps and a girl with ZERO being taught how to pack (bad weather).

I know packers that pack for a living that have not made a single jump.

You can learn to pack at anytime and this would be a very good use of your time.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[pchapman 261]

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I'm the crazy one who like to push "limits". I'm also quite stubborn.

Sure sounds like a skydiver to me.

So does getting told on dz.com to not get overexcited and take things easier.

[DocPop 1]

Hey GP

I know this probably won't make your desire to jump any less, but there are some of us whose DZs close for 6 months of the year and we can't jump unless we travel!

The long term health of your ankle has to be your priority. I know it sucks to be told so soon after you started that you have to have 2-3 months off, but I promise you it will be worth it if you don't end up with an ankle that either requires surgery or is so chronically weak that it won't stand up to any landings.

I can tell that you're stubborn, but you also seem to be smart, so I have confidence that you'll take the smart option. As other have stated, this time could be very valuable if you use it to do stuff that you otherwise wouldn't because you would be in the air. For example, watching others land with an instructor by your side commentating on the landing (pattern, turns, flare etc).

Don't SPEND your time on the ground; INVEST IT!

"The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls."

~ CanuckInUSA

[ghost47 18]

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Two months is a pain, esp when I am on a roll and I want to keep current.

Of course. But you know what's more of a pain? Eight months, because you need ankle surgery.