Skygod straight from AFF

[Pendragon 1]

I agree - doing 1,000 jumps over 15 years doesn't make you anywhere near as competent as someone who manages that in 2.

You get good in this game by repetition, and changing things a little at a time. People should be careful in not allowing jealous feelings (being overtaken, outskilled etc by someone who wasn't even a skydiver that long ago) to cloud their judgment.

If the party in question has a questionable attitude to the sport - ie, doesn't have any fear, limited boundaries, doesn't put the groundwork in - then that's a separate issue,

Time / jump numbers are "red-herrings" - only what people do and say is any marker of competency.

--
BASE #1182
Muff #3573
PFI #52; UK WSI #13

[winsor 186]

Quote

I'm concerned. There's a kid who went thru AFF with lots of kudos and no repeats..blazed thru the entire student program and now he thinks he's a Skygod! He's flying camera and coaching already and yikes! IMO it's all way too soon..so much to learn still...but I suppose that the sport will teach him as he goes those things that he's skipped over.

Quality versus Quantity. Yes, you can crank out a shit load of jumps in a short period of time, but does that make you a great skydiver? I question that.

I have known all too many prodigies who came to grief when they counted on their "natural talent" one time too often. Some died, some just got pulverized.

The Darwinian nature of the sport cuts nobody any slack. Arrogance is as great a risk as ineptitude - either one can make you a crater waiting for grid coordinates.

Most of us who have been around for a while can hang out for hours swapping stories of personal close calls. Most of us both recognize that we simply got lucky on the day in question, and would not take the same risk again - there's no saying that we would be dealt the same hand the next time.

I will go ahead and talk to someone if I see them coming too close to disaster too often. Usually I tell them something to the effect that I miss the friend that died doing what they just did, and that I have been on too many ash dives already. It gets through often enough that I think it is worth the trouble.

You might as well get used to the fact that not everyone survives. Some people leave the sport because they scare themselves, some get hurt, and some go out feet first. If, however, you focus on survival skills, you can stay in the sport to a ripe, old age.

Blue skies,

Winsor

[BillyVance 34]

Agreed...

I once got called "deadman" by a good friend who was pissed at me, after a harrowingly close hook turn. I wised up after that.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[riddler 0]

Well, I'm not going to throw my opinion out there about this other person that I don't know. Mostly because all the other opinions on this thread make it look like a Pollack painting.

But I do like the fact that you're concerned. Whether or not you say anything to him, whether or not that you watch to see what happens to him - none of that makes a difference, because you are going to see a lot of people like this in your skydiving life. Some of them do great, a lot of them get bored and stop jumping, a few get hurt. But the fact that you have concern in the first place - that concern will make you a good coach

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[4201 0]

All i gota say is DAM. 800 jumps in a year? Someone should be hittin this guy up for some jump money. HOOK IT UP.

[skykittykat 0]

OK, this kid has done 800 jumps in a year, but you are concerned about him coaching.

How is his rapport with the people that he is coaching? Is he a good coach? You can have 20,000 jumps, but not be a good coach..

From the amount of jumps he has done, he has obviously spent all of his time at the dz jumping and also interacting with other more experienced jumpers.

Obviously this guy wants to get on in the sport whilst at the same time GIVE BACK the knowledge he was given to the newbies..

If he has an attitude problem then that will be dealt with from the instructors on the dz.

Please do not take this the wrong way, but with your number of jumps over a certain period of time versus this guy's, then do you see yourself as having the quality and more knowledge than hin?

Are you in training for being a coach? Are you taking newbies under your wing?

If you are, all well and good, if not, you cannot judge.

Natasha Montgomery went from being an AFF student to winning a Gold Medal in the World Championships in 3 years, plus being the first female to win that accolade.

I see from your profile that you have only been in the sport 3 years - the same as Natasha.

If you have concerns about this guy, you would be better off taking it up with your dz management rather than on dz.com.

Everyone's circumstances are different.

Liz

[DSE 3]

Quote

Natasha Montgomery went from being an AFF student to winning a Gold Medal in the World Championships in 3 years, plus being the first female to win that accolade.

yeah, but Natasha's not trying to become a coach.
she musta had some good coaches though.

[SkyjunkySean 0]

one of my coaches is a 3 year skydiver with close to 2000 jumps. he is a kid. he is also , however a very good skydiver. one of the things he has repeatedley told me is that I am to learn someting on EVERY skydive. no matter how many I make. he says he lives by that philosophy. hmmm young, high jump numbers in a relatively short period of time, and wise. it all depends on the individual in questions attitude about his craft.

[Kynan1 0]

Is that where they get saying, "What are you deaf and dumb?" haha Brilliant, intentional cutaway.

Quote

Those people are a dime a dozen. And then they die, or quit, a year into the sport. I've seen them and knew a couple... (not ones who died)

There was the one in TX, a deaf skydiver who just happened to have a natural talent for skydiving right off the bat. Started doing freeflying almost off student status. Got a swelled head. Even did an intentional cutaway for his 100th jump, even after being told not to when he spoke of it beforehand, and eventually got reamed and flamed when he bragged about it on here. He doesn't jump anymore.