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MiamiJumper

True love, or just a fling

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I was reading a post earlier about someone trying to get a skydiving tattoo, as I read the responses someone mentioned that most skydiving careers are short.

I was wondering with so many new students every year, how many decide to make more than 1 jump?

And how long or how many jumps is the average person doing before they just stop? 50?

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The overwhelming majority won't do more than one jump.

Using USPA licenses as a proxy (admittedly quite imperfect) - they're up in the mid-50,000 range for A licenses; and just issued D-30000 today. That gives you a very, very rough idea of the number of people who get their first license and drop off in the next few years. Of course, many people get an A, B, or C license and never have a need to get a higher license but are still active skydivers. And a lot of people do more than one jump but don't ever get to the point of getting an A license.

Still, I think those responses are coming from a good place - I've only been in the sport 5 years and I've seen a lot of people come and go, people who believed they were going to be in this for ever and ever and ever. Skydiving can be a big infatuation for a while, then life gets in the way for an awful lot of people.

Doesn't mean that they didn't truly believe it at the time, just means that maybe waiting a while to get the tattoo is well-advised.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

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Straight from USPA's news letter today

Membership and Licenses Continue to Rise
The membership department has been busy all spring. Despite the economy, our membership has shown modest increases for the second quarter of 2009. The end of June saw our membership exceed 32,000 for the first time in four years.

For the first six months of 2009 there were 2,554 new members, the highest six-month total since 2003; there were 2,115 licenses issued, the most since 2004. A licenses, which are an indicator of new skydiver activity, stood at 955, the most since 2003. There were 895 instructional ratings issued, which is 185 more than were issued at this point last year.
Never give the gates up and always trust your rears!

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Using USPA licenses as a proxy (admittedly quite imperfect) - they're up in the mid-50,000 range for A licenses; and just issued D-30000 today. That gives you a very, very rough idea of the number of people who get their first license and drop off in the next few years.



Key point to keep in mind was that the D requirement moved from a much more approachable 200 jumps to 500 in 2003. That ratio of A:D will likely increase over time.

People shouldn't get a tattoo after their first jump. (Unless they like and have a lot of tattoos)

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My guess, based purely on my own experience, is that most skydiving careers only last a few hundred jumps before the expense and commitment wears away the average jumper's enthusiasm. A friend of mine once commented that you need to have a skydive shaped hole in your life, otherwise it just won't fit.

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There are a few people at my DZ who don't feel that you're going to stick around till you have made it past 7 years. I think i read somewhere that most people drop off at that point and only the truly dedicated keep going.

Depends what you are looking for in your life though. We have a whole handfull of people at my DZ who are going strong 7, 10, 20 years plus. We also have a lot of people who have gotten a few hundred jumps and come and go. If someone from the DZ asks you "Why aren't you out jumping today?" and your mind goes first to the ten different reasons why you shouldn't be there, and you don't actually go, you're not hooked.

For the most part, my "life" goes on hold saturdays and sundays. I deal with as much of that shit as I can during the week and over the winter. Here and there I miss a day, but not that often! Even with a broken neck (from jumping) I still was at the DZ every weekend once I was able to like, move about.
~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

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If someone from the DZ asks you "Why aren't you out jumping today?" and your mind goes first to the ten different reasons why you shouldn't be there, and you don't actually go, you're not hooked.



I actually disagree with that, though maybe by your definition I'm not really hooked. Who knows - I've only been in it 5 years ... so by the "10 years till you get off tourist status" theory, I'm only halfway there.

I enjoy the hell out of skydiving, but I still do have other important things in my life that occasionally take me away from the dropzone even on a nice weekend. Personally, I find maintaining that balance has and will contribute to my longevity in the sport. It may mean that I get "only" 100-150 jumps a year (my average is going up now that I'm somewhere with more consistent weather than the northwest), but I'm hoping it also means I'll be doing it for a long time. Some of the people I've seen leave the sport at the 250-300 jump range are the ones for whom skydiving took over every aspect of their life ... and they burned out on it. Sure, some people are able to sustain that, but not everyone is able to (or desires to).
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

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My post was more directed at the people who would rather make up an excuse as to why they weren't at the DZ. Rather than just admit they didn't feel like going to jump. Those people don't last long.

I agree, too much of something can be a quick path to burnout, but that wasn't really the point I was trying to get at as much as, if you're sitting there coming up with reasons you could do something else, then you aren't going to last long. Even if you go out to the dz now and then and maybe make one or two jumps.

There are also a whole lot of people who show up at the dropzone looking for something other than skydiving, and when they find it, they leave too.
~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

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My post was more directed at the people who would rather make up an excuse as to why they weren't at the DZ. Rather than just admit they didn't feel like going to jump. Those people don't last long.

I agree, too much of something can be a quick path to burnout, but that wasn't really the point I was trying to get at as much as, if you're sitting there coming up with reasons you could do something else, then you aren't going to last long. Even if you go out to the dz now and then and maybe make one or two jumps.

There are also a whole lot of people who show up at the dropzone looking for something other than skydiving, and when they find it, they leave too.



I think it's important to recognize that your DZ has something very special and unique too, Derrick. Not many places are like yours. If more DZ's were, I think the retention rate would not only be higher, but so would the conversion from tandem to AFF/A License.

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