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agentsmith413

my experience at zhills

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So i went to zhills this past weekend and unfortunately wasnt able to do the memorial jump for my grandfather. I was able to get some jumps in and overall had a pretty good time there. We were able to get some people who were willing to do the jump with me(thank you so much for those of you who were willing to help me out) but couldnt get it off the ground due to time constraints. I got to jump with 2 really cool people(thanks again for jumping with me) and had a lot of fun on those jumps. i did my first head down exit and i even got to try sit flying(which is a LOT harder than it looks)

My only gripe was that it seemed that most of the people there were only interested in jumping with their friends or other people they knew. At my home DZ, you pretty much have to be hated to not find someone to do a jump with. At zhills, people had their own jumping cliques apparently. I had people ask me if i was jumping, only to have them say "cool" and walk away.

Im going to chalk this up to being a monday and there werent that many people there. And im not going to assume that all people that jump there are like that but it wouldve been nice if it was easier to find people to jump with.

I will admit this though. I understand that my experience is minimal and i have a shit ton of stuff to learn in this sport. And i understand people not wanting someone with my experience level to be doing some more complicated jumps But how am i expected to learn if the more experienced jumpers wont jump with less experienced jumpers like me?

end rant/whine
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, all used up, and loudly proclaiming: Wow, what a ride!

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Welcome to post A license jumping my friend. You'll read a lot of crap here about people willing to jump with ya, until you actually show up at a DZ that isn't where you usually jump, and all bets are off. And how you learn more, well, again, read the above.

But, if you spend lots of money on beer, hang around all day making sure its ice cold for later, get the bone fire kicked up nice, someone will probably say thanks.

That is all.
So, you bring your beer?

Its 5 o'clock somewhere
POPS #9344

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That's atypical for ZHills. I've never had problems finding people to jump with there. Next time, just go to manifest and tell them you're new and not from around there, and ask about organizers. Maybe ask for Sky if he's around. He's an organizer there and his forte is doing jumps with less experienced jumpers.
Brian

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My only gripe was that it seemed that most of the people there were only interested in jumping with their friends or other people they knew.



Yet you also said "We were able to get some people who were willing to do the jump with me" and "I got to jump with 2 really cool people(thanks again for jumping with me) and had a lot of fun on those jumps"

So some people were clearly willing to jump with you.

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At my home DZ, you pretty much have to be hated to not find someone to do a jump with.



At your home DZ, YOU are one of those that are known and have friends.

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Im going to chalk this up to being a monday and there werent that many people there.



I am sure that had a bunch to do with it.

Zhills is one of the best DZ's for load organizing. I am completely amazed that there was no one around to organize.

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And i understand people not wanting someone with my experience level to be doing some more complicated jumps But how am i expected to learn if the more experienced jumpers wont jump with less experienced jumpers like me?



Welcome to the sport. Guys with 10 jumps want to jump with the guys with 100, but the guys with 100 want to jump with the guys that have 1,000, and the guys with 1,000 want to jump with the guys with 10,000. Same thing in competitions.... The guys doing a 5 avg want to jump with the guys doing a 1o, the guys doing a 10 want the guys doing a 15 to jump with them, and the guys doing a 15 want to join Airspeed.... Same thing with bigways. The guy doing a 4 way wants to get on the 10 way, the guys doing 10 want 20, the guys doing 20 want..... etc, etc....

That being said, did you walk up to manifest and ask about someone to jump with?
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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So i went to zhills this past weekend and unfortunately wasnt able to do the memorial jump for my grandfather. I was able to get some jumps in and overall had a pretty good time there. We were able to get some people who were willing to do the jump with me(thank you so much for those of you who were willing to help me out) but couldnt get it off the ground due to time constraints. I got to jump with 2 really cool people(thanks again for jumping with me) and had a lot of fun on those jumps. i did my first head down exit and i even got to try sit flying(which is a LOT harder than it looks)

My only gripe was that it seemed that most of the people there were only interested in jumping with their friends or other people they knew. At my home DZ, you pretty much have to be hated to not find someone to do a jump with. At zhills, people had their own jumping cliques apparently. I had people ask me if i was jumping, only to have them say "cool" and walk away.

Im going to chalk this up to being a monday and there werent that many people there. And im not going to assume that all people that jump there are like that but it wouldve been nice if it was easier to find people to jump with.

I will admit this though. I understand that my experience is minimal and i have a shit ton of stuff to learn in this sport. And i understand people not wanting someone with my experience level to be doing some more complicated jumps But how am i expected to learn if the more experienced jumpers wont jump with less experienced jumpers like me?

end rant/whine



man, i couldnt get a jump to myself when i was down there, every load up someone wanted to jump with me. It must be my really cool rig with my name on it.

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My only gripe was that it seemed that most of the people there were only interested in jumping with their friends or other people they knew.



Yet you also said "We were able to get some people who were willing to do the jump with me" and "I got to jump with 2 really cool people(thanks again for jumping with me) and had a lot of fun on those jumps"

So some people were clearly willing to jump with you.



You're right i guess it was more that im just used to my home dz haha. ah well looking back i still had fun i guess next time ill have to go on a weekend and ill probably have better luck
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, all used up, and loudly proclaiming: Wow, what a ride!

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I thought I was the only one!! I headed down there on vacation for a few days back in March, again, through the week.

I think the only reason I found people to jump with was that I bumped into a friend from my home DZ there and he helped me find some RW guys.

Once you meet and find people, the rest is Gravy. :ph34r:

PULL!! or DIE!!

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I will admit this though. I understand that my experience is minimal and i have a shit ton of stuff to learn in this sport. And i understand people not wanting someone with my experience level to be doing some more complicated jumps But how am i expected to learn if the more experienced jumpers wont jump with less experienced jumpers like me?

end rant/whine



When at a DZ where I didn't know anyone I've always gotten some good skydives in by going to manifest and/or finding an organizer.

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So i went to zhills this past weekend and unfortunately wasnt able to do the memorial jump for my grandfather. I was able to get some jumps in and overall had a pretty good time there. We were able to get some people who were willing to do the jump with me(thank you so much for those of you who were willing to help me out) but couldnt get it off the ground due to time constraints. I got to jump with 2 really cool people(thanks again for jumping with me) and had a lot of fun on those jumps. i did my first head down exit and i even got to try sit flying(which is a LOT harder than it looks)

My only gripe was that it seemed that most of the people there were only interested in jumping with their friends or other people they knew. At my home DZ, you pretty much have to be hated to not find someone to do a jump with. At zhills, people had their own jumping cliques apparently. I had people ask me if i was jumping, only to have them say "cool" and walk away.

Im going to chalk this up to being a monday and there werent that many people there. And im not going to assume that all people that jump there are like that but it wouldve been nice if it was easier to find people to jump with.

I will admit this though. I understand that my experience is minimal and i have a shit ton of stuff to learn in this sport. And i understand people not wanting someone with my experience level to be doing some more complicated jumps But how am i expected to learn if the more experienced jumpers wont jump with less experienced jumpers like me?

end rant/whine



"ALL" big DZ's are this way...you have to be very outgoing to get into the crowd...just the way it has been forever!

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Next time you may want to consider posting something here at DZ.com. You may even be able to meet for lunch, drinks or carpool out to the dz your visiting. It helped me meet some cool people before even getting to my destination and made the experience that much more fun. Plus it may help you find some similar experienced/disciplined jumpers to jump with.
*I am not afraid of dying... I am afraid of missing life.*
----Disclaimer: I don't know shit about skydiving.----

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I jump there regularly and find what you wrote hard to believe!

Maybe it was slow on Monday, but on most weekends there are lots of organizers and you have to hide to not jump with them.

As several have said, just go to manifest and ask who is organizing and I'll bet you a beer that you'll be jumping with them on the next load.
Dano

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Didn't you say even right from the get-go, that you were even going down to FL in the 1st place, directly because of getting notice that your grandfather was dieing, and had probably only literally days left to live?

You know something - I saw this with your pre-travel post that you made too - in which you were seeking/thinking it was "cool" somehow to try and put together some sort of skydive video to show him (because he's never seen you skydiving) while you were there. But do you think either he, or your family really cared (or would have) even the least bit about that? I bit my tongue then, but now seeing this "follow-up post" you are putting up now too, I find I really can't...

I know you are new and exuberant - but puhleeze, c'mon... Don't you think you should have really just stuck to (what should have been) your primary purpose in your trip in the 1st place - and just visited and supported your (blood) family?

I know how "consuming" skydiving can quickly become to some - and I am only saying this also trying to be empathetic to/with that here now with you too - I am concerned that you are showing very serious indications (even just in your young "posting career" here too) that you could be one of those - that is really totally and completely (over-the-top) consumed with skydiving being "all important". Beyond reason. I'm sure that your dieing grandfather and your family were just grateful and would have been fully appreciative just that YOU WERE THERE - for (and with) THEM. Not skydiving - or, even skydiving to create some sort of "memorial" video, that I'm unsure how or why - they would even see or associate any real meaning (from HIS/their perspective) or could possibly have even been derived.

Seriously. You might just want to get some perspective.

My condolences to you and your family for the loss of your grandfather.
coitus non circum - Moab Stone

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end rant/whine



Wait--so you have 33 jumps, and you're already ranting and whining?
You can't expect everyone to want to jump with someone who's so inexperienced. I don't see any reason to rant and whine about it. As someone else pointed out, you're supposed to stay humble and buy lots of beer for at least the first 100 jumps or so...

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Agent,
I was at ZHills last Tuesday and was greeted and jumped with many. I was accepted and had a great time. I am from up north and just stopped by for the day.
With that being said, I havent seen anyone ask you if you think you are ready for head down and sit flying with 33 jumps? If you asked me to jump with you I would say yes almost always, but in your case, (assuming your profile is correct) I might try to give you a bit more education prior to attempting freeflying, there is too much to list here but I would really inquire to see how proficient you were on your belly, if your rig was freefly friendly, if you understood the higher speeds, jup run, freefall seperation, did you have an AAD....etc Enough of my rant, I am conservative and you may get other opinnions here but I always recommend a solid base before wandering into uncharted territory. Especially at a unfamilar and new DZ.
Sorry for the loss and good luck.

Further: When you got your A license on Oct 10th the online community here seemed to be extremly supportive and encouraging. A lot of the online community jumps at ZHills.

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Next time you may want to consider posting something here at DZ.com.

He did. He posted ahead. See HERE

And in that thread, he even got a direct personal response from TK Hayes - the DZO (as we all know) from Z-Hills himself. TK even suggested/offered the potential "services" to him/for him of Tony (Hathaway) - one of the WORLD's most renowned videographers. ...Check it out!

All completely up-front, services even "pre-extended" - sight unseen!

What more could this poster possibly be looking for out of this? ...Unless of course, he simply just "stepped on his own schlong" with the way he "presented himself" (or didn't, or what-have-you - including anything in between) once he actually got there perhaps. ...???

Just to add another anecdote - The first time I ever visited Z-hills, I may have had slightly more experience (not much - just dug out my log book, it was jumps 63-69), and before I had even left the "check in" (manifest), I was introduced to "who's who" (including the Load Organizers - boxman & Lapp at the time, IIRC) - shown the "lay of the land", and proceeded to make some of my very best jumps to date, that I ever had at the time. I've traveled to a lot of dropzones around the country since then, as a 1st-timer/newby at least at some point to each, and have actually encountered maybe a handful that seemed "cold" &/or at least on some level - unwelcoming - but I certainly would not count Z-Hills as one of them! - FWIW.
coitus non circum - Moab Stone

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Didn't you say even right from the get-go, that you were even going down to FL in the 1st place, directly because of getting notice that your grandfather was dieing, and had probably only literally days left to live?

You know something - I saw this with your pre-travel post that you made too - in which you were seeking/thinking it was "cool" somehow to try and put together some sort of skydive video to show him (because he's never seen you skydiving) while you were there. But do you think either he, or your family really cared (or would have) even the least bit about that? I bit my tongue then, but now seeing this "follow-up post" you are putting up now too, I find I really can't...

I know you are new and exuberant - but puhleeze, c'mon... Don't you think you should have really just stuck to (what should have been) your primary purpose in your trip in the 1st place - and just visited and supported your (blood) family?

I know how "consuming" skydiving can quickly become to some - and I am only saying this also trying to be empathetic to/with that here now with you too - I am concerned that you are showing very serious indications (even just in your young "posting career" here too) that you could be one of those - that is really totally and completely (over-the-top) consumed with skydiving being "all important". Beyond reason. I'm sure that your dieing grandfather and your family were just grateful and would have been fully appreciative just that YOU WERE THERE - for (and with) THEM. Not skydiving - or, even skydiving to create some sort of "memorial" video, that I'm unsure how or why - they would even see or associate any real meaning (from HIS/their perspective) or could possibly have even been derived.

Seriously. You might just want to get some perspective.

My condolences to you and your family for the loss of your grandfather.



You couldnt be farther from the truth. I spent as much time with my family as i could. As far as whether my family wouldve cared about the video i wanted to make... It wasnt meant to be a purely skydiving video. I wasnt going to just make a video of me skydiving and leave it at that. I was going to have video and pictures of him growing up throughout his life as a memorial to him. THEN i was going to incorporate my skydive in the video sort of as MY memorial to him in something that 1, i KNOW he and my family would appreciate and 2, it was something unique from me.

Frankly i think you have some real balls coming on here and telling me that my family would or would not care or even appreciate what i wanted to do. I certainly dont feel that skydiving is all important nor am i "over-the-top" consumed with it. You dont know me or my family to have any right to make any assumption as to whether or not what i do would be appreciated. Again, i wanted to do something that was unique from me. Do i love to skydive? absolutely! Am i so over-the-top obsessed with it that i feel the need to incorporate it into everything i do in life. absolutely not. Before you go and make wild assumptions like yours, make sure you know who youre talking about.

As far as my post concerning my trip. As stated before it was probably just the day i went and i dont assume its normally like that. Maybe what i wanted to say came off wrong but i was simply stating my experience and wanted to hear from other people as to why that may have been.
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, all used up, and loudly proclaiming: Wow, what a ride!

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Didn't you say even right from the get-go, that you were even going down to FL in the 1st place, directly because of getting notice that your grandfather was dieing, and had probably only literally days left to live?

You know something - I saw this with your pre-travel post that you made too - in which you were seeking/thinking it was "cool" somehow to try and put together some sort of skydive video to show him (because he's never seen you skydiving) while you were there. But do you think either he, or your family really cared (or would have) even the least bit about that? I bit my tongue then, but now seeing this "follow-up post" you are putting up now too, I find I really can't...

I know you are new and exuberant - but puhleeze, c'mon... Don't you think you should have really just stuck to (what should have been) your primary purpose in your trip in the 1st place - and just visited and supported your (blood) family?

I know how "consuming" skydiving can quickly become to some - and I am only saying this also trying to be empathetic to/with that here now with you too - I am concerned that you are showing very serious indications (even just in your young "posting career" here too) that you could be one of those - that is really totally and completely (over-the-top) consumed with skydiving being "all important". Beyond reason. I'm sure that your dieing grandfather and your family were just grateful and would have been fully appreciative just that YOU WERE THERE - for (and with) THEM. Not skydiving - or, even skydiving to create some sort of "memorial" video, that I'm unsure how or why - they would even see or associate any real meaning (from HIS/their perspective) or could possibly have even been derived.

Seriously. You might just want to get some perspective.

My condolences to you and your family for the loss of your grandfather.



You couldnt be farther from the truth. I spent as much time with my family as i could. As far as whether my family wouldve cared about the video i wanted to make... It wasnt meant to be a purely skydiving video. I wasnt going to just make a video of me skydiving and leave it at that. I was going to have video and pictures of him growing up throughout his life as a memorial to him. THEN i was going to incorporate my skydive in the video sort of as MY memorial to him in something that 1, i KNOW he and my family would appreciate and 2, it was something unique from me.

Frankly i think you have some real balls coming on here and telling me that my family would or would not care or even appreciate what i wanted to do. I certainly dont feel that skydiving is all important nor am i "over-the-top" consumed with it. You dont know me or my family to have any right to make any assumption as to whether or not what i do would be appreciated. Again, i wanted to do something that was unique from me. Do i love to skydive? absolutely! Am i so over-the-top obsessed with it that i feel the need to incorporate it into everything i do in life. absolutely not. Before you go and make wild assumptions like yours, make sure you know who youre talking about.

As far as my post concerning my trip. As stated before it was probably just the day i went and i dont assume its normally like that. Maybe what i wanted to say came off wrong but i was simply stating my experience and wanted to hear from other people as to why that may have been.



Following what you just said, does npot jive with your OP, If you mde soem skydives, why diddn;t you hire a camera to go with you? even a solo added to a collage video would have beeen perfect...there was no deen for a big way@!

Did you assk manifest for camera people? Organiser's? talk to ANYONE about what you were tryin to do?

I have done several Collage type video's for funerals that I wish I had made while the person was alive to see it...I hope you put your sights back on the goal, and make the vid!

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I was going to have video and pictures of him growing up throughout his life as a memorial to him.

That sounds very nice. That is nowhere near how you had initially presented (posted) this though. So hopefully, you can at least see where the perception (even if it is a misperception) could have come from?

I'm sorry to hear you were not able to add in your personal skydive/skydiving snippet/segment-only portion of it, in time - to the entire project. But surely your grandfather (and the rest of your family) must have really appreciated all the rest of this (you are now telling us about), no doubt that you presented him/them anyway.

Like Skyrider - I hope you still get the opportunity yet, to at some point now, as it is, only later get this added in, ...or even separately presented to him if necessary - for you still to get this done then, before he passes. In the meantime, I'm sure they all really appreciate(d) all the rest of this - even if you can't/don't even get to it now, at all. Sounds like a very thoughtful, considerate and beautiful overall project indeed. Either with, or without the skydiving incorporated/involved.
coitus non circum - Moab Stone

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Ok rather than go on and on about what i wanted to do and how i perceived zhills to be i want to say this and then im done posting in this thread.

My OP was NOT meant to bash zhills or any of the jumpers there in any way. Nor was it really meant to be a rant either(my "end rant/whine" part of the OP was more sarcasm) I stated that it SEEMED to be the way i stated and, after that, i chalked it up to just being a monday with a lack of jumpers as well as MY own lack of experience. If i came off as any other way, i assure you it wasnt meant to be that.

There WERE some helpful people there who wanted to help me get the jump i wanted to do up in the air and i appreciate everyone who wanted to help and who did help me with this(even though we didnt get to do it[:/]). i never once complained that people didnt want to do the memorial jump with me. It was more or less after i had bought my jump tickets and realized that i wasnt going to be able to do the jump i wanted that i felt like it was tough to find someone to jump with(in comparison with my own DZ)

So again, im not bashing zhills nor was i bashing all the people there. If it came off that way i apologize and i didnt mean to come off like that.

Ryan

P.S. to scrumpot thanks for the understanding(assuming you werent being sarcastic:P) and yes its very easy to misunderstand what people mean on here. So with that being said, im working on getting the jump done soon and hopefully will have it all put together as soon as i can. Thanks

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, all used up, and loudly proclaiming: Wow, what a ride!

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