How do I go about joining a skydiving team?

[trooper2 0]

I'm interested in learning how to skydive, but I think I'd like to pursue this as a team activity. I haven't even done my first jump yet, so this might all be premature, but I really think I'm going to love the experience and want to get a license and all that jazz afterwards. I'm almost 19, and I've been waiting since I was 16 to turn 18 in order to be able to do this.

I've got a few dropzones reasonably close to me, so that's not a problem. I just can't find any information on joining teams. This seems like a really fun activity to do with other people, and unfortunately all of my current friends find the idea of jumping out of a plane to be terrifying. I don't want to be one of those people who's always by themselves jumping. This looks like something exciting and cool that would be a lot of fun to experience with others!

Any ideas of where I could find info about this? How could I hook up with other skydivers that have my level of experience, or in other words, other people that are just starting out?

[kallend 1,622]

I suggest you don't try to run before you can walk.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[pilotdave 0]

There are many forms of competitive skydiving that involve teams. Learn to skydive first, then figure out what event you'd like to compete in. Then find some other people that want to compete with you.

Dave

[Anvilbrother 0]

Learn to jump
Be safe learn everything you can learn
Be sociable buy ur beer when you owe it
Rob a bank to pay for it all
Start a team

Postes r made from an iPad or iPhone. Spelling and gramhair mistakes guaranteed move along,

[davelepka 4]

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Any ideas of where I could find info about this? How could I hook up with other skydivers that have my level of experience, or in other words, other people that are just starting out?

Yeah, I would try looking at a dropzone, I've heard skydivers hang out there.

This is a team activity, your first team will be you and your instructors. Get good enough that they kick you off the team, and then worry about finding a new team.

[DigitalDave 0]

I don't know much. But I don't think he's talking about a competition team.

I've only got 20 jumps, but I found myself being absorbed into a group of long time jumpers that hang at my local DZ. I started talking to them after watching them do CReW one day .. and since then, they try and include me on their jumps and tailor them to my experience level.

We're not a team, but they kinda took me under their wing and they spend a lot of time helping me learn.

I've met tons of people by just being at the DZ. 90% of them are very helpful and willing to help us newbies out. The other 10% are dz.com'ers.

[pchapman 261]

I think the original poster may not necessarily want to join a formal team - he just doesn't know much about the sport yet and is trying to understand about jumping with others rather than on his own.

To the OP:
Everyone wants to jump with others and that's what we do!

Basically you hook up with other sky divers by being on a drop zone. As you gain experience and progress to your first license and beyond, you'll learn what you are capable of or are allowed to do at that level. Jumpers tend to jump with others of similar abilities, but often there is a wide range of jump numbers on a given group jump. One might jump with a certain group of friends all day, or get together with anyone on the dz who wants to do a similar jump to what you want. Formal teams are another thing -- sometimes a group will commit to getting together on specified days to work on a particular discipline in skydiving, perhaps with some competition in mind.

So it does come down to "just skydive" -- there's plenty to learn before you are diving with anyone other than instructors and coaches. If you really get into the sport you'll end up with a bunch of new friends and start to drift away from you old friends, especially if you start talking to them all the time about skydiving and their eyes glaze over.

[skybill 18]

Hi troop,
"Ya' gotta' crawl before ya' walk,
an' ya' gotta' fall before ya' fly!!"
Got that?
Like someone said a post or two ago, yer' first team will be you and yer' instructors. Ifn' yer' good enough, they'll boot you up the gulch to bigger and better things. Learn all you can, one step at a time.

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[trooper2 0]

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Any ideas of where I could find info about this? How could I hook up with other skydivers that have my level of experience, or in other words, other people that are just starting out?

Yeah, I would try looking at a dropzone, I've heard skydivers hang out there.

This is a team activity, your first team will be you and your instructors. Get good enough that they kick you off the team, and then worry about finding a new team.

You're not funny. So whoever told you that you were lied to you.
Thanks to everybody else.

[JohnnyMarko 1]

Im kind of in the same situation. Im an 20 college student, got 8 jumps under my belt, and Im in no hurry to join a "team". The only people I jump with right now are my instructors. All of the experienced jumpers at the drop zone are very welcoming to me and love how young I am and tell me they wish they would've started jumping when they were my age. My best advice, try searching your school for clubs. My college has a skydiving club called the "Flying Cougars", although they've kinda lost members and quit grouping up. If no luck there, contact a DZ and get goin' as a student. Oh and if your in the STL area, hit me up, cause Id love another young jumper to jump with.

P.S. get ready to empty your savings, this is a very rewarding, yet expensive hobby...

[humbled1 0]

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I'm interested in learning how to skydive, but I think I'd like to pursue this as a team activity. I haven't even done my first jump yet, so this might all be premature, but I really think I'm going to love the experience and want to get a license and all that jazz afterwards. I'm almost 19, and I've been waiting since I was 16 to turn 18 in order to be able to do this.

I've got a few dropzones reasonably close to me, so that's not a problem. I just can't find any information on joining teams. This seems like a really fun activity to do with other people, and unfortunately all of my current friends find the idea of jumping out of a plane to be terrifying. I don't want to be one of those people who's always by themselves jumping. This looks like something exciting and cool that would be a lot of fun to experience with others!

Any ideas of where I could find info about this? How could I hook up with other skydivers that have my level of experience, or in other words, other people that are just starting out?

I've got a few dropzones reasonably close to me, so that's not a problem

"Tell ya the truth, I don't think this is a brains kind of operation."

[davelepka 4]

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You're not funny. So whoever told you that you were lied to you.

That's your opinion.

Go to the DZ, make a few jumps and see how the whole thing works. Looking back, you'll see that you were indeed putting the cart before the horse.

Beyond that, where do you live, and what DZs are you considering for your first jump? There's a pretty good chance that some of the staff or fun jumpers from all of your local DZs are on DZ.com. They might have some input for you regarding the different DZs, and would be a friendly face (sort of) when you show up for your first jump.

[AggieDave 6]

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That's your opinion.

I thought the "team" comparison to AFF was funny. I also agree that if this person actually pursues skydiving and builds even a minor amount of experience, he will feel very foolish.

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

[JohnnyMarko 1]

Do experienced skydivers hate students or something?

[trooper2 0]

I doubt it. I've had this attitude with several other sports, and I've never not been tempted to join a team.

Also, why does everyone assume I'm a guy?

[Andy_Copland 0]

No, Lepka just has a way with people. It did tickle me though.

1338

People aint made of nothin' but water and shit.

Until morale improves, the beatings will continue.

[davelepka 4]

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Do experienced skydivers hate students or something?

Not at all. Look at it this way, you need an A license before you can fun jump with anyone you want. You're right in the middle of it, so you realize how much there is to learn, and how much work it will take just to get the A license, and make jump #1 with a non-rated skydiver.

Keeping this in mind, you can see how asking about a team when you haven't even made one jump is a little silly, and like most silly things, some smart-ass skydiver is bound to point that out.

[wildcard451 0]

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Also, why does everyone assume I'm a guy?

85% men in this sport.
I've risked a lot more money on a lot worse odds than that before.

[JohnnyMarko 1]

Im not the one asking about a team, you got me confused with the author of this thread...I know Im not on any sort of team, Im still a student and have so much to learn still its unbelievable...I just asked if students are hated cause anytime someone with less than 25 jumps posts a question, merely asking about information, someone with 2500 jumps feels the need to say "whoa, your still a student...your a moron for asking about swooping, your skill level is so far from even thinking about swooping blah, blah, blah"...everyone was a student at one time and I myself respect experience jumpers and am just trying to learn from you guys

[AggieDave 6]

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Do experienced skydivers hate students or something?

Nope. Well, I guess there are some out there that may, but I'm not one of them. In fact, I love teaching student jumpers as well as low time jumpers (under 500 jumps) canopy control.

This thread is a reminder that perspective can be wildly different between a non-jumper, a low time jumper and experienced jumpers. Where as a non-jumper may see something on TV like an organized RW jump and assume that those persons are on a team. That they may have a team name and compete at some level. Where as those may just be up-jumpers who enjoy jumping together or it was a fun jump at a boogie.

Now complete these different perspectives with the typical Type-A personality that is drawn to skydiving and flatten all sort of communicative additives with the internet. You can see how those different perspectives may become wildly skewed on the receiving end.

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

[AggieDave 6]

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"whoa, your still a student...your a moron for asking about swooping, your skill level is far beyond that blah, blah, blah"...everyone was a student at one time and I myself respect experience jumpers and am just trying to learn from you guys

You'll find that a lot of low time jumpers ask inappropriate questions about swooping for their skill level. If this was done in person it is easy to help direct and guide that person to an appropriate course of action for training. However, on the internet we, the skydiving community, have seen too often that the people seeking highly advanced canopy advice, are the ones that have been told "no" in person. These are the same people that we see time and time again turning too low on too small of a canopy. That results in a life altering and many times permanent injury or death!

So the tough responses in those cases are due to experience and not wanting to contribute to someone's death or injury. The same people saying "no" on the internet are many times the same people who will go out of their way to help teach and guide the same jumper if the question was asked in person.

The internet is a horrible place to learn how to skydive. It is, however, a great place to chat about gear, incidents, competitions and more importantly, just get to know other jumpers.

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

[wildcard451 0]

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Do experienced skydivers hate students or something?

Nope. Well, I guess there are some out there that may, but I'm not one of them. In fact, I love teaching student jumpers as well as low time jumpers (under 500 jumps) canopy control.

This thread is a reminder that perspective can be wildly different between a non-jumper, a low time jumper and experienced jumpers. Where as a non-jumper may see something on TV like an organized RW jump and assume that those persons are on a team. That they may have a team name and compete at some level. Where as those may just be up-jumpers who enjoy jumping together or it was a fun jump at a boogie.

Now complete these different perspectives with the typical Type-A personality that is drawn to skydiving and flatten all sort of communicative additives with the internet. You can see how those different perspectives may become wildly skewed on the receiving end.

Yeah, what he said. Also, add in a mix of anonymity behind a keyboard, and voila!

Also - it's not that we don't wanna talk to students about swooping, 4way VRW, etc, its just that their direct attention needs to be focused on much simpler tasks first, or half the stuff we talk about won't even make sense...

You gotta run before you can walk.

[JohnnyMarko 1]

Ah, gotcha...thanks for being honest with me and actually giving me new insights

[davelepka 4]

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Im not the one asking about a team, you got me confused with the author of this thread...I know Im not on any sort of team, Im still a student and have so much to learn still its unbelievable...I just asked if students are hated cause anytime someone with less than 25 jumps posts a question, merely asking about information, someone with 2500 jumps feels the need to say "whoa, your still a student...

No, I know who you are. I was explaining this perticular situation to you, and why I said what I said. I didn't realize that your qeustion about experienced jumpers hating skydivers went beyond the comments in this thread.

The reason you get the, "Whoa, you're still a student line...." is becuase it's not uncommon for low time jumpers to actually use information they read on the internet in place of actual training. Maybe not for student level jumps, but many novice jumpers have gotten themselves in over their heads by trying to imitate things they may have heard about online. Some of these situations end badly.

For this reason, you'll get a lot of that as a low timer asking questions on the internet. As far as being called a moron, that's another story. I'm not sure there's any valid reason for anyone to call you a moron. Some experienced jumpers are just jackasses.

[wildcard451 0]

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Ah, gotcha...thanks for being honest with me and actually giving me new insights

Another unfortunate thing that Dave has touched on here, and a reason for getting harsh replies, is that that is more than one thread in existence where someone talks about flying a canopy that they should not be on, etc, but they have "mad skillz" and shortly thereafter there is a post in their memory in the Incidents forum.

It's not that most of them are assholes, but people get jaded saying the same thing over and over again onto deaf ears.

Kinda falls into the same logic as jumping in higher winds. If you are going to get on the plane and everyone at your DZ with >1000 jumps is sitting in the landing area with beers and video cameras....rethink your decision to jump.