Whuffos... limitations and definitions

[ryan_d_sucks 0]

So.. I understand that the term 'whuffo' generally refers to someone outside of the skydive ring. The term, as far as I have read, originates from people who do not understand skydiving, or the mentality that surrounds it. As far as I have been lead to understand 'whuffo' comes from a shortened phrase of the idea "What for (whuffo) you jump out of them planes?!"

However often times experienced, and I might say cocky/arrogant/etc skydivers refer to the one-time joyriders who take a tandem dive as whuffo's. I can understand calling them newbies, freshmen, or whatever else.. But once you actually do jump out of that 'perfectly good airplane' doesn't one shed the tag of 'whuffo'?

I'm not meaning to imply that I dont feel a sense of regret that the jumper isn't going to pursue the sport and is essentially not paying the respect that it deserves and sees it as a somewhat novelty fun-ride. I just think that 'whuffo' needs to be tamed and cut-back in its applicability.

Share your thoughts.

Ryan

[shermanator 3]

without anything in your profile, you sir, ARE a whuffo.

CLICK HERE! new blog posted 9/21/08
CSA #720

[Scoop 0]

I think alot of people see tandems as just being a passenger. They are often referred to as students which isn't always right. Sometimes you do a tandem as a first step into a training program but for the one off people who then proclaim they are skydivers... well that annoys people. They are still whuffos, especially when we know they pissed themselves all the way down and had weird body position inducing some crazy stuff for the tandem master to control.

Maybe not whuffos, as they've pushed the boundries a little and tried to experience it, but I guess its just a skydivers way of referring to someone who isn't in their gang, losing some of its original meaning.

[ryan_d_sucks 0]

You're right... There certainly is no actual skydiving outside of dropzone.com.... You make a name for yourself on the internet. Right?

[NickDG 23]

Technically, someone who's made at least one jump, even a tandem, shouldn't be called a Wuffo. And for someone who's done a single tandem - they are more correctly called, "One-Jump Charlies."

NickD BASE 194

[bozo 0]

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without anything in your profile, you sir, ARE a whuffo.

Steven....with only 77 jumps the same can be said for you.....almost.
Be careful with your assumptions.

bozo
Pain is fleeting. Glory lasts forever. Chicks dig scars.

[Dolph 0]

Tandem passengers rate a good deal higher than whuffos in my book.

These people have taken enough of an interest into the sport to fork over a good amount of money for what they essentially consider a joy ride. True, for many, the bragging rights that come with it is a huge thing and it works out well for 'em as long as they don't brag near regular skydivers.

They may only be passengers trying to kill their tandem master, but they still know something whuffos don't - the feeling of freefall.

I'm not too keen about these bragging-rights seekers, but 1) they have jumped and 2) they bring a steady and good revenue to DZs, making big fast aircraft available at reasonable prices.

Sure beats the real whuffos who would be more happy if we didn't pollute the air with the sweet sound of turboprops, opening canopies and sweet singing swooping lines.

[Scoop 0]

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Sure beats the real whuffos who would be more happy if we didn't pollute the air with the sweet sound of turboprops, opening canopies and sweet singing swooping lines.

Amen brother. If it wasn't for the tandems I can think of numerous occasions (especially over witner) where I wouldn't have jumped at all as not enough people to fill load on aircraft. You have a tandem booked thats normally 3 seats filled straight away They do have their uses

[cocheese 0]

Yes Dolf, it has always bugged me when i hear:

"I just want to do it once... just to say i did it."

Well i just want to say fuck off... just to say fuck off.

[Andy9o8 0]

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Yes Dolf, it has always bugged me when i hear:

"I just want to do it once... just to say i did it."

Well i just want to say fuck off... just to say fuck off.

Why? Having come up in the days before tandem was invented, I'm no great fan of it, but what's wrong with doing anything once just so you can have the experience of it? To me, that's what life's all about: the sum total of your experiences. Nothing wrong with that, or deserving of contempt.

I haven't BASE jumped yet. But I'd like to try 1 or 2 jumps, someday, just to satisfy my curiosity and be able to go through the rest of my life with that experience in my vault of memories. Any regular BASE jumper who holds me in derision for that can eat me.

[Dracan 0]

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Yes Dolf, it has always bugged me when i hear:

"I just want to do it once... just to say i did it."

Well i just want to say fuck off... just to say fuck off.

I don't know why that would bug you. I've got a whole list of things I want to try before my time comes. I've certainly not got the time or the money to keep them all as a hobby. Skydiving happens to be the one I've choosen to keep going with. Doesn't mean I'm not going to try various other things.

[cocheese 0]

ok guys, the key words here are : "just to SAY I fucking did it."

Yes we should all experience new things. But not so you can SAY you did it. Bad reason to do stuff. Comprende?

[TomAiello 25]

Personally, I find the term "whuffo" offensive. People tend to use it to refer to non-jumpers, but the truth is that it really ought to be used to refer to people who don't understand, and often condemn, anyone who wants to enjoy a range of diverse experiences.

I've seen plenty of whuffos who jump out of planes. They just ask things like "whuffo you want to have kids for?" or "whuffo you want to go BASE jump for?" or "whuffo you want to get married for?"

By the same token, I've seen plenty of folks who've never jumped out of a plane, but who don't experience those mental blocks trying to understand different perspectives.

"Whuffo" is a mentality--not a description of any specific experiences. And it's just as common on the dropzone as off it.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[bozo 0]

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I've seen plenty of whuffos who jump out of planes. They just ask things like "whuffo you want to have kids for?" or "whuffo you want to go BASE jump for?" of "whuffo you want to get married for?"

"Whuffo" is a mentality--not a description of any specific experiences. And it's just as common on the dropzone as off it.

----------------------------------------------------

well said, Tom, well said.

bozo
Pain is fleeting. Glory lasts forever. Chicks dig scars.

[cocheese 0]

So what should we call those people?
Hey here comes a bunch of ..... people who have never skydived who are going to ask us a bunch of seemingly weird questions. All the same questions that that last group asked. Well here comes a bunch of those people.

Being politicaly correct to refer to something has caused great confusion. We have words that describe things quite well, but it's bad to use them.
People have probably been killed while the PC person is trying to come up with a polite way to say "Look out for those......(place PC pararagraph here used to describe something like a lawyer in court would instead of using the single word which we all understand.)

Oh here comes some whuffos. Thanks for the warning Jef.

[TomAiello 25]

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So what should we call those people?

I tend to use "non jumpers." It's descriptive, simple, and easily understood by most people.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[cocheese 0]

Whuffo are they called non-jumpers?

[JohnMitchell 14]

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Be careful with your assumptions.

I don't care for empty profiles either. Say what you want to say and stand by it. Don't hide like a little French girl!

And I aint' no whuffo.

[Dolph 0]

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I tend to use "non jumpers." It's descriptive, simple, and easily understood by most people.

Yes, that's one way to go about it. I usually reserve the right to use whuffo for the blatantly willfully ignorant who clearly express a derogatory attitude towards the sport. The word is part of the history of the sport but it's a good idea to use it with care.

Inflation and all

[iamsam 0]

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I tend to use "non jumpers." It's descriptive, simple, and easily understood by most people.

Yes, that's one way to go about it. I usually reserve the right to use whuffo for the blatantly willfully ignorant who clearly express a derogatory attitude towards the sport.

Without meaning it in any way derogatorily (?) how about calling non-jumpers 'groundhogs'? Get in the sky and make some space dude

While recognising the accepted definition of a whuffo as a non-jumper, I've always saved it for the blatantly willfully ignorant too. Its origins come from somone asking 'why do it?' , someone who doesn't understand, and even after being told why, still can't recognsie that while it may not be for them, you don't do it because you're birdshit or a fucking idiot

but what do I know

[Shyandinnocent 0]

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"Whuffo you jump out of them planes?!"

English being my second language, I just find it hard to pronounce and the grammar bugs the living shit out of me (can you say 'shit' on the internet?)

Where does the term come from anyway?
Edit: I mean, who came up with the scentence and the word first?

It's never too late for a low turn!

[Dracan 0]

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ok guys, the key words here are : "just to SAY I fucking did it."

Yes we should all experience new things. But not so you can SAY you did it. Bad reason to do stuff. Comprende?

I get your drift now. But to be honest, I quite often say I do things "just to say I've done it". I don't actually mean though, that I'm doing it so I can tell other people that I've done it. It's more so I can say to myself that I've done it - it's got nothing to do with other people. When I'm older, I want to be able to say to myself and know that I've experienced life and tried many different things. I don't want to look back when I'm too old to try these kind of things, and regret not trying them. Obviously though, this is just one reason of many. Others include the fun, the adrenalin rush, meeting similar minded people, etc, etc.

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"Whuffo you jump out of them planes?!"

English being my second language, I just find it hard to pronounce and the grammar bugs the living shit out of me (can you say 'shit' on the internet?)

Where does the term come from anyway?
Edit: I mean, who came up with the scentence and the word first?

English is my first language - and I've gotta admit that I've always wondered the same thing. Whoever thought that whuffo must have had one hell of a dialect.

[Scoop 0]

I had the same problem, apparantly the only people that talk like that are 5th generation inbred Americans from deep deep country. But it seems they are the most quizical when it comes to parachuting

[timbarrett 0]

i think those who use "whuffo" as a derogatory term that includes tandem passengers probably deserve to spend the rest of their days chugging slowly to altitude in a C-182...
I have no problem with the term being used on the willfully ignorant - don't worry, there are plenty of those but..
We should be a lot more big-hearted and welcoming to even the one-time jumpers - it's more than 99.9% of the population will ever do...my daughter made her tandem jump and felt a bit of the spirit in the plane (Dad, what were they doing with all those ghetto handshakes?) and after landing came running up to say, "I get it now". She isn't going to jump again because it's too risky for her as an athlete to risk the injury but at least she will vote our way some time in the distant future when we face an airport closure/DZ ban.
Make them feel part of the family..we need them!

"Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

[Akey 0]

Well, my first jump was a tandem jump, to confirm that i wanted to do it. Some of the people at the DZ appeared a little stand offish to me which i thought was bull considering i was planning to go into the sport anyway, so next time you see a tandem passenger just think, they could be a future jump buddy.