Sport and a job 9 to 5 - is it possible?

[bsrodeo540 26]

That's the question I am asking myself and would appreicate your ideas on the topic. Is it possible to have a regular day job from 9 to 5 and still be able to jump a lot and achieve good results on a sports level? Let's set aside financial matters for now - I just wonder will weekend and holiday jumps be enough to grow as a sportsman in this sport?

Every life comes with a death sentence. Until then, who's in charge?

[Peej 0]

Well here in South Africa our dropzones only operate on weekends and holidays and we have some pretty talented and competitive teams.

We have, and continue to, send teams to World Meets and World Cups in both CP, RW, etc. Of course these guys do take time off to go and train in tunnels overseas.

On a more personal level, weekend only jumping, and filming tandems and four way etc has got me to nearly 200 jumps a year for the last five years. And has helped me place second at SA Intermediate CP Nationals in 2007.

So i'd say yeah, taking finances out of it, it ios possible to be good at the sport jumping weekends only. (You could also go to the tunnel at night if you had one near you).

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[LuckyMcSwervy 0]

We'll see.........

I'm in the M-F 8:30am - 4:30pm category. I'm going to try to get to the DZ after work before it gets too dark. I only have 5 jumps and need to get my A finished before it gets toooooo cold. (I'm a wimp with the cold weather and I want to be able to jump down south this winter).

I do worry about keeping my skill level up since I'll pretty much be a weekend jumper.

I should've been a teacher.

Always be kinder than you feel.

[virgin-burner 1]

haha, i'm already being called a freeflier by competetive rw-freaks, i and others think my canopy-piloting are well above average for my numbers now (and they really sucked not too long ago), and i've been in the sport for a little over a year. i work and usually am not too keen to go to the dropzone after work. sometimes i take an afternoon off spontanieously. but mostly i'm a weekend warrior!

learning curve seems to be quite steep, so yea, if you put your mind to it, some money (ok, a lot of it), sure, you can get quite good at it. havent taken holidays for it yet, except for my aff. but i sure will if i get better and better. i want to achieve a level where i can turn up somewhere, and just go and have some fun with locals, whatever that might be. guess, i'm on a good way..

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[mdrejhon 8]

I've been jumping approx 100 per year on a regular 9-to-5 income. (trying to ramp that up, maybe 150-200+ if I get to bigway invitationals next year)

To do that, a few really good boogie or event weekends make the cut. This summer has not been very good to me due to weather, but I jumped 17 times during a long 3-day weekend of excellent weather. Assuming unpredictability of weather and a winter layover, you essentially have to give up half of your summer weekends to the dropzone and then stay at the dropzone both weekend days. In warmer climates of mostly good weather, a once-a-month dropzone visit (of 2 weekend days) could get you to 100 jumps a year easily.

If budget is no constraint, if you have two rigs or pack very fast, or you swap between your own rig and a rental rig, and let ground packers pack for you (A few dollars per packjob), you can easily do about 10 to 15 jumps per day at a busy dropzone that runs back-to-back loads with no propeller cut (or multiple planes with one departing every 15 minutes). If one does RW, and need dirt dives and video debriefs, then a comfortable level is often 4 to 7 jumps per day, depending on the complexity of the RW and energy levels.

Now, one can work for the dropzone during weekends of the year, and greatly exceed 500+ jumps while still having a weekday job.

[pirana 0]

Depends on what you mean by "sport" jumper.

For some that includes anybody that is licensed, but derives no income from skydiving; for others it is anybody who is licensed but doesn't enter competitions, or maybe some combination.

I get 100 to 150 jumps per season (April thru October in WI) jumping Wednesdays and maybe one weekend per month. It's enough to be competent, safe, and have a good amount of fun; but I'm certainly not going to tear up the scene - - even locally.

Everybody has their priorities.

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[AggieDave 6]

I work a real job, although its shift work and not your typical 9-5. I even work every other weekend, so I can't be at the DZ all the time. I think I'm doing ok in the sport as a whole, even with the job. I am having a lot of fun in the sport even with the job, but I don't know if you were wanting to equate fun in there.

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

[monkycndo 0]

Work a 7-3:30, M-F job and averaging over 200 jumps a year.

[bodypilot1 0]

Sure it can be done. I did just under 500 jumps my first year and worked a 40+ hour week.

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[countzero 7]

it all depends on what you do with the jumps you do make.

drill dives, coach jumps and jumping with people to work on skills together, will net you better results than solos and goof off dives.

diamonds are a dawgs best friend

[billvon 2,400]

> Is it possible to have a regular day job from 9 to 5 and still be able to jump
>a lot and achieve good results on a sports level?

Sure, if you can juggle. I've kept a "9 to 5" job for a long time now, and have a silver and a few bronzes from Nationals and four world records. (No golds yet, dammit.)

[Fast 0]

I work a regular job, 9-5 M-F, during the week and still am able to jump Friday nights, Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights. I am averaging about 400 a year.

~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

[DON321 0]

Im in a field where i dont have set hours i work everyday (demolition ) but i can be 8 to 18 hour days never really know but I make it to the drop zone every weekend and the days im off or off early (its an hour and a half drive) if you want to skydive youll find a way to skydive ive been skydiving only 6 months and have already made 91 jumps pretty happy with that

so yes it can be done........

[darkwing 4]

There are plenty of people who have 9-5 jobs and can make 500 jumps in a year, so you can definitely be in the high end of activity levels. You can compete with everyone but the best open-level pro competitors.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

You can compete with everyone but the best open-level pro competitors.

So you saw the scores, huh?

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

[peanutgallery 0]

Move closer to a 7 day a week dz and go jump after work like me! Well, I didn't move there, I happened to live about a mile from the dz when I started jumping, lucky me.

I used to have a handle on life, but it broke

[Broke 0]

Awe I'll keep you warm.

Just bundle up and wear gloves.

Divot your source for all things Hillbilly.
Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[VideoFly 0]

A couple of hundred jumps a year on weekends while working full time during the week is very possible. It’s the girlfriend that’s hard to juggle.

[virgin-burner 1]

Quote

A couple of hundred jumps a year on weekends while working full time during the week is very possible. It’s the girlfriend that’s hard to juggle.

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda