Is our sport dying? What would make you goto the DZ more often??

[voilsb 1]

The things that hinder me from going more often are:

Earlier Sunsets.
Crappy Winter Weather
Work Schedule.

If the sun would set later, if the weather was more cooperative (overcast at 500' generally means no jumping), and if I got off work earlier, I'd go more often.

Brian

[darkwing 4]

My beloved home DZ closed down. It was under an hour away. Now I go 3 1/2 hours to a DZ I like less. I really, really hate that drive. So for me it is largely a matter of access.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[ladydyver 0]

For me we didn't go out much this year due to my injury.....next year we will probably be out enough that livendive will tire of being our neighbor.

DPH # 2
"I am not sure what you are suppose to do with that, but I don't think it is suppose to flop around like that." ~Skootz~
I have a strong regard for the rules.......doc!

[SimpleJack 0]

Skydiving’s pretty much dead and gone for me and many of my friends. I wouldn’t go back for any reason. It’s not the economy.

The sport is not mature enough for so many reasons.

1)Many DZ’s are disgusting places. I wouldn’t let my dog hang around this filthy atmosphere.

2)The whole ordeal gets kinda boring after as few as 50 jumps.

3)Many skydivers exude passive-aggressive tendencies toward each other. There is a lot of politics and high school drama queens.

4)It is a very dangerous sport that doesn’t really give much in return for the risk involved.

Maybe in 30 or 40 years, the sport will make a come-back but for now, it’s as outdated as disco music.

[JohnDeere 0]

Sound like you need to find another DZ. None of those decriptions desribe my DZ. Or some others i have been to!

Nothing opens like a Deere!

You ignorant fool! Checks are for workers!

[SimpleJack 0]

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Sound like you need to find another DZ. None of those decriptions desribe my DZ. Or some others i have been to!

Dude, I've been to a lot of dropzones.

[BUBLHED 0]

I have only been to 5 Dzs but 3 of them were not very pleasent. If we want people to stay in the sport we really need to make everyone welcome!!! Even on this site! We should never trash newbies no matter how good we think we are or how dumb we think they are. We were all ignorant to this sport at one time and new, nervous,scared to death, whatever fits you best. Part of skydiving is the feeling of belonging to a group of people that do this thing thats out of the "norm" lets all not forget that.

ATTACK LIFE ! IT'S GOING TO KILL YOU ANYWAY!!!!

[Feeblemind 1]

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Skydiving’s pretty much dead and gone for me and many of my friends. I wouldn’t go back for any reason. It’s not the economy.

The sport is not mature enough for so many reasons.

1)Many DZ’s are disgusting places. I wouldn’t let my dog hang around this filthy atmosphere.

2)The whole ordeal gets kinda boring after as few as 50 jumps.

3)Many skydivers exude passive-aggressive tendencies toward each other. There is a lot of politics and high school drama queens.

4)It is a very dangerous sport that doesn’t really give much in return for the risk involved.

Maybe in 30 or 40 years, the sport will make a come-back but for now, it’s as outdated as disco music.

Sorry to hear you feel this way.

1) The DZ's I have been to are clean and well kept (makes me wonder which you went to as I want to avoid them)

2) If your bored at 50 jumps you are not trying hard enough. there are so many different disciplines to choose from and progress in (you must be a legend in your own mind if you are bored doing 100 jumps a year)

3) It is the same everywhere in life unless you live in a bubble...why tip toe through life to safely arrive at deaths door???

4) Dangerous??? holly shit don't drive your car, take a commercial flight or walk across the street we would not want you to get a boo boo. I won't rant..... but it's tempting

Fire Safety Tip: Don't fry bacon while naked

[AggieDave 6]

A FAI legal competition pond. That would be the saving grace. That and getting off the "working every other weekend" schedule.

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

[JohnRich 4]

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Nice poem, did you write it?

No. I gave the attribution for the source: "Skies Call".

[BUBLHED 0]

#3:

ATTACK LIFE ! IT'S GOING TO KILL YOU ANYWAY!!!!

[mnskydiver688 0]

The sport is what you make it. If you quit because you are bored then that is your problem not the sport's. Can DZ's get cleaned up and present a cleaner image? Yes, would you like to pay for renovations? Do you think about how clean the floor is when you are 10000 feet above the ground with some of your best friends having fun?
Are there plateaus in interest? Yeah I can see it, but try something different. Getting bored with RW? Flip over and go on your head. Canopy flight getting repetitive? Go touch someone! Under canopy I mean. Tired of burning a hole in the sky? Throw on some extra nylon in the form of a wingsuit. If you run out of things to learn, blame yourself. Not the sport.
I think too much emphasis is put on the "rush" of skydiving. After a while you get used to jumping out of a plane and most of the time you aren't nearly as nervous as you were on your first jump. Get over it. Look at the learning challenges. Appreciate the ability of the sport to humble you at any skill level. This is not a sport which is meant to define a weekend or one month. Don't just let it change your life. Let it define it.


Blue Skies.

Sky Canyon Wingsuiters

[JohnRich 4]

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Skydiving’s pretty much dead and gone for me... blah blah blah...

Then by all means, move on to something else.

How come you say you've been in the sport 10 years, but you list a D-license number that was issued over 35 years ago?

If you want to be accepted by people in this sport, you could start by just being yourself, and being honest with others.

If you want to be a troll, don't be surprised if you find yourself living alone under a bridge.

[robskydiv 0]

Well put John Rich!

[ladydyver 0]

well said...it is what you make of it.....so much in life works that way. there are always growing pains to be had....but without a little pain there is no reward as far as I am concerned....the pain makes you grow as a person and adjust and changes you. as far as i am concerned i will always have a love of the sky...just like i do for the sea. it gets inside of you, makes you breath.......but only because i have opened my heart to it with no expectation in return. there are periods of frustration.....but that is part of the learning and growing experience...something that i embrace ------not everyone is willing to do that.

DPH # 2
"I am not sure what you are suppose to do with that, but I don't think it is suppose to flop around like that." ~Skootz~
I have a strong regard for the rules.......doc!

[joelofland 0]

MONEY!! I have four friends who want to get into the sport but the $1,700 (if you pass every jump on the first try) to go through AFF is just too much right now. Maybe if S/L was an option at more DZs more people would get into the sport.......

[tetra316 0]

Tell them to try another dz. That dz is the most expensive place I know to learn.

[kelpdiver 2]

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4) Dangerous??? holly shit don't drive your car, take a commercial flight or walk across the street we would not want you to get a boo boo. I won't rant..... but it's tempting

Ok, I will.

There's no question that it's dangerous, and far more than driving, flying in a jet, or crossing the street. If he's not getting a reward for that risk or death or broken limbs, it's obviously not worthwhile.

What can you possibly say in response?

(#2 may be relevant, and put into question the experience numbers he's claiming. Those who don't find a niche they like a lot will get bored, lowered the reward/risk return)

[ZigZagMarquis 8]

You left out "Free Beer" and "More Naked Hot Chicks" as part of your possible Poll Answers!

[mjosparky 3]

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There is a lot of politics and high school drama queens.

Spoken like a true Drama Queen. Pot meet the kettle.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[2shay 0]

I think one of the main problems is the last option when you vote. You know the one that says screw it I just go and hang out. If that is the case why do any of them jump? I can't stand that shit at all. shut up and jump sweetheart!

don't try your bullshit with me!!!

[HillerMyLife 0]

Cheaper jump tickets and a beer truck 24/7. Why weren't these on the list?

Someday Never Comes

[popsjumper 2]

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Care to elaborate?

I'm of the opinion that students shouldn't jump with the same instructor on every supervised jump.

I also feel that it isn't fair for one or two instructors to get the majority of the student jumps when there are other instructors available and wanting to work.

+1...kinda.

I see that the multiple Instructor thing is not really working that well.

One "I" only does air skills. The next "I" has to back up and cover the book knowledge that the first one ignored.

There's something to be said for keeping a student with one "I" throughout his training. That way you get a measurable product and can put your finger on "I" responsibility AND accountability.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[skybytch 259]

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There's something to be said for keeping a student with one "I" throughout his training. That way you get a measurable product and can put your finger on "I" responsibility AND accountability.

Reason #1 - While I am of course an awesome instructor, it's possible that Bob may have a way of saying something that is different than the way I say it. His way of saying the same thing that I said might be the way that will stick in student A's head, even though the way I said it seemed to stick in student B's head just fine.

Reason #2 - My s/o has done more jumps as an AFFI than I've done jumps. He has told me about more than one student who jumped with one instructor throughout most of their progression, doing well, only to be the classic flailer on one or more jumps with different instructors. Do we want to train people who are only comfortable/can only perform up to standard when a specific person is jumping with them? Or do we want to train people who are comfortable with and capable of jumping with everybody?

Reason #3 - There are only so many students. If Bob takes as many as he can all the way through their progression, how are the rest of the instructors supposed to stay current? Another equally important component of this is when is Bob going to get to do some fun jumping?

If the dz requires training to be done according to the ISP, there IS a measurable product. Between the student's logbook and their A card, you can put your finger on "I" responsibility and accountability.

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One "I" only does air skills. The next "I" has to back up and cover the book knowledge that the first one ignored.

Then the first "I" isn't doing his/her job. That's not a reason for every other "I" on the dz to get hosed.

[SimpleJack 0]

I think the biggest problem is simple... Skydiving just isn't very cool anymore. It doesn't have that same rebel stigma it once had. The sport has fallen into conformity like so many other trendy past times. The "extreme sport” genre is gone just like Tony Hawk making skateboarding so accessible that every fat kid on the block has a half pipe in his driveway.