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"Family oriented" drop zone

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When I want to talk about adult topics (even work or politics), I don't want little kids around.



This is why, on balance, I don't think kids belong at DZs - it's an adult playground, not a theme park. I don't curse up a blue streak (any more :)), but when I want to tell a sex joke, or drop an occasional F-bomb, or reminisce about the virtues of glass bongs vs. plastic, a DZ is one place where I should be able to do so without being self-conscious. If I wanted to be restricted to talking like I was at Wally World, I'd go to Wally World. Or join the Christian Skydivers. Or something like that.

"Their DZ; their rules"? Of course. But hopefully I'll always live around enough DZs that I, as a customer, have the option of voting with my feet.

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If I wanted to be restricted to talking like I was at Wally World, I'd go to Wally World. Or join the Christian Skydivers. Or something like that.



So you prefer places where you don't have to be respectful to others?



for some, that's pretty much the definition of fun for them

as for it being an 'adult playground', nonsense, it's just a hobby like any other thing, the environment is what it is.

I guess if someone likes tennis, they should insist on THAT being an adult playground, too.

It's a pretty consistent theme where jumpers constantly confuse the DZ with a boogie.

So far, every single person that's had that attitude has done a complete 180 the second they had kids. Especially the ones that were REALLY emphatic about it. That's consistent, because both before and after the change, their position was the selfish one. And, also consistent with that, they were the ones with the unsupervised kids in their "stage 2" time.

If someone can't be respectful of others, I prefer they walk with their feet too.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

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So you prefer places where you don't have to be respectful to others?



Yeah, that's precisely it, John. :S

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as for it being an 'adult playground', nonsense



Jeez, you're right, Bill; everyone who's ever said this before was either childless or selfish, or both. Gosh, I'm so alone. :S

This isn't Speaker's Corner, guys. Whatever.

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If I wanted to be restricted to talking like I was at Wally World, I'd go to Wally World. Or join the Christian Skydivers. Or something like that.



So you prefer places where you don't have to be respectful to others?



I don't think its really disrespectful to have adult conversations around adults. Now, if you want to go some place and start pointing fingers at some little kid saying, "you're a little f***," well then yea, I think that would obviously be out of line and disrespectful. The DZ for me, especially at night, is an adult play ground. A lot of people who bring their kids there abuse it anyway and just use it as a babysitting service. Those kids especially, I am not going to curve my adult conversations for. Tandem customers and their kids they have in toe to watch them do their jump on the other hand, yes, I will go out of my way to make sure that is as nice an experience as possible, and if that means not being as loosed lipped as I would be amongst regular skydiving friends, then thats fine with me. I do that out of respect not only for the customer, but the dropzone... the tandems are a huge chunk of their livelyhood and its just one more thing I can do to make sure that customer is happy and may even come back to spend more money to keep the dropzone open for us fun jumpers to use. Not every customer is going to care what adult things are going on around them on the dz, but just in case for those few that do end up caring.

Just my .02
Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

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A few years ago my kids were greeted by a guy with a shirt that said "He likes the cock" with an arrow pointing to one side.



i actually own the same shirt - out of respect to the families with kids on the DZ i would never wear it for a day of jumping

Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky

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A lot of people who bring their kids there abuse it anyway and just use it as a babysitting service. Those kids especially, I am not going to curve my adult conversations for.



My favorite skydiver-babysitting incident was the bratty kid getting handcuffed to a car or truck. The mother should have followed and I held that opinion before she ran into my motorcycle in a drinking and driving incident.

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My favorite skydiver-babysitting incident was the bratty kid getting handcuffed to a car or truck. The mother should have followed and I held that opinion before she ran into my motorcycle in a drinking and driving incident.



Come on dude, you cant just set up a story like that and not finish it! :P
"If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

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I would think 99.99% of Skydivers would say there are not enough Bikini clad women at any drop zone.....
Oh should clarify that as male skydivers...

My kids are into Surfing and Skateboarding...they have seen way worse than bikini skydivers by now at any beach visit !

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This is why, on balance, I don't think kids belong at DZs - it's an adult playground, not a theme park.

***I've heard this "Dz is an adult playground" argument alot. The thing is, if you can't express yourself without offending people around you, then you're not an adult, and that argument is moot.

John Wright

World's most beloved skydiver

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This is why, on balance, I don't think kids belong at DZs - it's an adult playground, not a theme park.

***I've heard this "Dz is an adult playground" argument alot. The thing is, if you can't express yourself without offending people around you, then you're not an adult, and that argument is moot.



"Adult playground," does not specifically mean adult conversations and language only. It also means that I am jumping with equipment that my life depends on, and children should not be running around near it. It is equipment that adults play with at an adult playground. I guess I have a bug up my butt about this becuase I have personally witnessed kids get really curious about gear, and go up and start touching a rig on the packing mat or on a rack. Last thing you need is a kid pulling a handle somewhere, and the not worst case scenario is you end up paying for a new reserve pack vs. a much worst cast scenario where you can end up with a mal on the next jump; hurt or even dead. Children have no business running around that place, day or night IMO. If a significant other is there or a family is there to watch a tandem and they are supervising the kid, then I am OK with this and like I said earlier, I don't have to express myself with foul language around them, but I guess this more applies for the kids that are always running around the DZ unattended because a local using it as a baby sitting service while they jump.

Oh, well.... sorry to get on a tangent, but the point of the reply was there is a lot more that goes into consideration as to what makes it an "adult playground." More so than just grown up conversations, and much more important like the gear that children shouldn't be around.
Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

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If a significant other is there or a family is there to watch a tandem and they are supervising the kid, then I am OK with this and like I said earlier, I don't have to express myself with foul language around them, but I guess this more applies for the kids that are always running around the DZ unattended because a local using it as a baby sitting service while they jump.



Yeah, the kids need to behave or be closely supervised.....

I feel that way about grocery stores and tennis courts too.

Actually, I feel that way about parks and playgrounds too.

I guess those are 'adult playgrounds' too

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

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Yeah, the kids need to behave or be closely supervised.....



I can agree with this. However, if the kid hears me say "fuck" or tell a dirty joke then that really isn't my fault. It was the PARENTS CHOICE to bring them to an adult activity.

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I feel that way about grocery stores and tennis courts too.

Actually, I feel that way about parks and playgrounds too.



The flaw in this logic is that childen can participate in these activities. In which part of skydiving is a child allowed to participate?
Muff #5048

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Just to throw a little twist into this pile of oddness... Where I come from, when you go to a casino, you wont see any children on the floor... because there is an age requirement. Same with the beer stores in my state. BUT, if the child is closely guarded and watched at ALL times they will most likely make an exception (at the beer store at least)... but otherwise you will need an I.D. to be there. Now, I'm not saying that a DZ is the same as those places. I'm just comparing similar situations and observing the "Adult Playground" concept... (but I do think that there still is an age requirement to be able to skydive... in most of the world)

Take Care

btw. i'm not on any side of anything at all at this moment :):|

I don't have a license for this.

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I guess the real answer is that a dz is the owner's sandbox and he can style it as he likes. High performance landing policy, drug policy (implementation not theory), level of adherance to BSRs, ghetto activity, are all policy decisions that affect the tone of the dz. They are all decisions that will affect the bottom line one way or another as people gravitate to dzs that are closer to what they want.

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Yeah, the kids need to behave or be closely supervised.....



I can agree with this. However, if the kid hears me say "fuck" or tell a dirty joke then that really isn't my fault. It was the PARENTS CHOICE to bring them to an adult activity.

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I feel that way about grocery stores and tennis courts too.

Actually, I feel that way about parks and playgrounds too.



The flaw in this logic is that childen can participate in these activities. In which part of skydiving is a child allowed to participate?




Bingo, Millertime!!! You summed up exactly what I would have said to this myself and hit the nail on the head!
Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

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if the kid hears me say "fuck" or tell a dirty joke then that really isn't my fault. It was the PARENTS CHOICE to bring them to an adult activity.



Do you feel no obligation to refrain from doing such things when children are present?

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I've already stated my stance on that at a DZ, which was yes I have no problem refraining especially in front of tandem customers family/children. But I think he was just using that example to back his argument all together, not that he would totally not refrain. (and correct me if I'm wrong, MT)

JR... say you're at a huge boogie party and there's tons of alcohol, naked chicks riding a mechanical bull, and adult language flying. Would you watch your language around the kids at the party? Or go out of your way to refrain if you were at a bar and somebody had their kids in there? I think the general point is there are just some places where you shouldn't have your kids, and then there are places where people are more than happy to have kids and respect them in their welcomed enviroment and refrain from non-kiddie talk.
Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

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if the kid hears me say "fuck" or tell a dirty joke then that really isn't my fault. It was the PARENTS CHOICE to bring them to an adult activity.



Do you feel no obligation to refrain from doing such things when children are present?


If "Uncle Bolas" is at Chuck E. Cheese with his nephews he watches his mouth as that is a place for kids.

When "Uncle Bolas" took his nephews and their mother to a DZ to let them watch him jump she was warned ahead of time and they didn't stay very long anyways.

In retrospect it was a bad idea as one of them broke free of her and ran out to me in the LZ while a canopy was still in the air. Luckily it was just a Cessna DZ and the person nowhere near but... [:/]

The thing you are forgetting is kids don't just show up to a DZ by themselves, someone has to bring them. Given that this is an adult activity they are exposing their children to it is uo to them to keep their child safe, in more ways than one.

What's next? Family oriented cock fighting? Pornos? Tijuana donkey shows?

Sorta reminds me when Vegas was advertising itself as family oriented... :S
Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting
If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

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if the kid hears me say "fuck" or tell a dirty joke then that really isn't my fault. It was the PARENTS CHOICE to bring them to an adult activity.



Do you feel no obligation to refrain from doing such things when children are present?


I TRY not to make a habit of speaking that way in front of kids, but like I said those kids aren't "MY" responsibility. If Im talking or joking with a friend and some kid walks up behind me and hears some course language tough shit!

Oh Oh I have the answere!!! Lets put a friggin bell around the kids neck so all of us with no vocal self restraint will know when their coming.:S:S:S:S
Muff #5048

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In the '80's I jumped at a DZ where they had a sticker inside the Cessna that said "Eat, F***, Skydive."



Did that DZ happen to be in Indiana? We had one in the back of the 206 at Parachutes and Associates. Just curious.
Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

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