rgaray 0 #26 February 9, 2009 Eh, Fincher, your post is pretty ridiculous, if not right out disgusting. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but who are you to judge the way people deal with a fatality? A lot of skydivers are very spiritual by nature, and I'm pretty sure they mean what they say when they take time out to put their loved ones they've lost on a pedestal, no matter what their choice of words are. To the original poster....I hope your jump went well. I have something I can share which is pretty unique compared to most cases. I witnessed a fatality at my home DZ when I was on my 5th solo. I immediately told myself this was a sign and that I should immediately stop my training and get in my car and drive back home and put skydiving behind me. It wasn't just the fatality, it was the way it happened. It was a fatality where an extremely experienced jumper did several mistakes that induced a chain reaction of bad things. Then one of my coaches came up to me and explained to me that ultimately, this is something I have to accept from the moment I decided to join this sport. People will die, I myself may die....and all you can do is take a piece of what happened and put it in your lexicon of knowledge and become a safer skydiver. I realized then that everything happens for a reason and that just as he died that day, I could have died too driving back home. Skydiving just makes it more real because of the nature of the fatility and especially because during most cases, nobody really knows what truly happened to the victim up there. Staying aware....is the most important factor. Becoming complacent is the worst thing that can happen to you, and unfortunately, complacency is ironically linked with experience, when it should be the other way around. Therefore.....the best thing you can do is just keep doing what you love, accept the risk, and be the safest skydiver you can be. No matter how many jumps you do, always prioritize safety, check your gear and never jump if you're not in top mental shape. Those are my 2 cents, sorry for your loss.--- "It takes courage to walk through the rain on a cold and foggy night, but it is those nights that dawn the most beautiful mornings." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robskydiv 0 #27 February 9, 2009 I think that KimEmmerson made some great points. Take some moments to think of all of the things you liked about your friend, grieve for awhile, but come out of it and begin to enjoy life again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fincher 0 #28 February 9, 2009 my post is ridiculous? Your post pretty much says the same thing mine did. Its the same basic point. PA deleted. Your one warning.i'll huff and I'll puff and I'll burn your packing tent down Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hallux 0 #29 February 9, 2009 so true. im sick of people saying "its a sign" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnskydiver688 0 #30 February 9, 2009 Yeah sentimental crap is for pussies! Sky Canyon Wingsuiters Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #31 February 9, 2009 So to paraphrase both of you guys, we all tend to justify continued participation following a fatality...some use unicorns, some don't. Either way, the occasional self-examination is beneficial. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gearless_chris 1 #32 February 9, 2009 QuoteSo to paraphrase both of you guys, we all tend to justify continued participation following a fatality...some use unicorns, some don't. Either way, the occasional self-examination is beneficial. Not that I'm against using Unicorns or anything, but they don't have wings do they? Pegasus has wings, we should be flying with them."If it wasn't easy stupid people couldn't do it", Duane. My momma said I could be anything I wanted when I grew up, so I became an a$$hole. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FB1609 0 #33 February 10, 2009 QuoteI will be making my first jump today after the death of a jumper I had sat next to on the pac before her fatal jump. I never have had this much anxiety before a jump and I am hoping it goes away once i'm out the door. I have alweays accepted the risk with this sport but I never realized that the death of someone else could affect me so much. Just curious if anyone else has had this problem and how they deal with it. After 4 friends went in over a period of 18 months, I decided to stop jumping. Its been 10 years since my last jump but I have really been thinking about taking it up again. After reading the fatality reports I am a bit concerned about all the fully functioning canopy deaths these days. Collisions and swoop deaths were very rare when I did my last jumps. I was using the original Sabre 150 back then but there wasn't many people swooping yet. I may go to Zhills this easter, I used to load organize there and hopefully still know some people. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 14 #34 February 10, 2009 Quote After reading the fatality reports I am a bit concerned about all the fully functioning canopy deaths these days. Collisions and swoop deaths were very rare when I did my last jumps. I'm concerned too. The only good to ever come from a fatality is people's resolve to try to prevent the next one. At least, that's what keeps me going. The most dangerous thing to me in this sport right now is the swooper above me getting ready to huck a 270. When are we going to resolve this problem? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #35 February 10, 2009 Quote Quote So to paraphrase both of you guys, we all tend to justify continued participation following a fatality...some use unicorns, some don't. Either way, the occasional self-examination is beneficial. Not that I'm against using Unicorns or anything, but they don't have wings do they? Pegasus has wings, we should be flying with them. Never wanna go base flyin' head-down with a Unicorn! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
