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rsmn17

Annoying Friend...

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Not sure where to post this but, I have a friend that I started skydiving with this summer. We did our first tandems together and went through aff together...he finished, I didn't. He's got almost 70 jumps so far, I have 14 (8 tandems). When we were doing aff, I started out pretty good, then had a bad jump, developed a huge fear that I didn't have in the beginning (which really slowed down my progress), also, I started my last semester of nursing school (very time consuming), and was completely broke (didn't even have gas money to drive the 2 hours to the dz.) So when it started getting really cold out, I decided to just hold off on my jumping until the spring so that I didn't have to worry about the cold AND trying to get stable in freefall, and i would be done with school, working, and making enough money to finish aff without having to wait 2 weeks between jumps and forgetting everything I learned the last time. So, here I am, waiting for spring (and money), and I'm starting again in april after a trip to the wind tunnel. I know I made the right decision about waiting to finish aff and I know I'm coming back to it, and will finish, and get licensed. My friend, who is able to jump whenever he wants and now has 70 jumps, all of a sudden thinks he's a skygod and uses every chance he gets to make fun of me, telling me I'm never coming back, and that I basically don't have the heart to do this and that I'm soooo abnormal to have fear and problems in freefall and with landing. He forgets that a few short months ago, when we started jumping, he had more problems than me! I can understand why he (and others) think I'm not coming back, and that's fine because I WILL prove them wrong. My question is, is it normal for someone recently licensed, with low jump numbers (high numbers in his mind) to completely forget what it's like to be a student?? I have less that 6 minutes in freefall not including tandems, how good am I expected to be?? I can't wait for the day when I can make him eat his words, I just wish I could make him realize that he is not the expert he thinks he is and that I am still a student (and in my eyes, so is he). Any advice, and is this something that everyone goes through at first...i really hope he doesn't stay this way when I get licensed because if he's always 70 jumps ahead of me, he'll always have somthing to say. At least I know I'll never be like this with new jumpers because I know how it feels...and he sounds like such a fool.


Wow, letting other people's ego make you cry, being afraid of what other people are thinking and having your feelers hurt by jumpers with more jumps than you...that's EXACTLY the way you should approach the sport of skydiving.
Have fun!

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he's a skygod and uses every chance he gets to make fun of me, telling me I'm never coming back, and that I basically don't have the heart to do this and that I'm soooo abnormal



Well, he is right about one thing. You did chicken out. You used school and finances as an excuse to quit the sport instead of admitting that you got scared.

It is clear that you are trying to find reasons why you cannot skydive instead of finding solutions. You cry about money when it’s only $21 per jump ticket. You cry about gas money when you could easily carpool with your friends.

A lot of people make up lame excuses when in fact they just don’t enjoy the sport that much anymore. There is nothing wrong with quitting skydiving.

Your boyfriend is right. You probably won’t return to the sport. When school gets out and you find a job, I’m sure you will have some other excuse as to why you can never make it out the DZ.

Here are some suggestions I have that will make avoiding your problems easier….

1 I have cramps
2 I have to work this weekend
3 My family is visiting from out of town this weekend
4 I got really wasted last night and I’m too trashed to skydive
5 I’m going to the beach
6 I’m having dinner with my friends

UntamedDOG

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You're an ass! It's actually $100 for each jump, i can't carpool with anyone from where i live, and i am going back to it because i love it. I didn't quit...i put it on hold for a while, and it wasn't because i was scared! Again....you're an ass. I think the two of you would get along really well.:)

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First of all, it's perfectly okay if you don't want to jump again. I'll believe you when you say you do, but you should understand that it's okay if you don't. Sometimes people just get scared about it and don't want to do it anymore and it's perfectly okay. This sport is NOT for everybody, or even for most people. You should only jump because you really want to for yourself.

Decond, your friend has some real asshole issues and jumping is just an excuse or outlet for expressing them. We all have our faults, and part of being friends is that we are willing to accept certain people with their faults anyway because we like them. Friendship demands a certain level of respect and caring. This jerk isn't showing you any of that. He's no friend. If it weren't jumpeing he'd be a dickhead about something else. If you start jumping again do you think he's going to change his tune ? I doubt it. Find new friends who like you and respect you for who you are.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

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In skydiving, as in life in general, if you allow what others think of you to get to you, you will always be miserable. And if your "friend" does not want for you what you want, he is no friend at all. When you feel like jumping--go do it. And if you don't ever feel like jumping again--what does it matter? It's your life.
"Here's a good specimen of my own wisdom. Something is so, except when it isn't so."

Charles Fort, commenting on the many contradictions of astronomy

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This one is easy. Whenever someone is being a dickwad just get a hold of their toothbrush and give your crack a vigorous brushing. Then every time you see them you can smile and know they are brushing their teeth with your ass. That or shitting in his shoes. Really, how often do you check your shoes before you put them on...

Either of these solutions will greatly improve your quality of life.
"In one way or the other, I'm a bad brother. Word to the motherf**ker." Eazy-E

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Many of us had a rough start and thought about hanging it up before we got the hang of it. Hang in there. You'll be so glad you did.
You are normal as for skydivers go, but your friend just wants you to jump. He thinks that if he jabs you with the right words at the right time, you'll drop everything and just go jump.
Sit him down and have a talk about being friends, then tell him he'll be asking YOU for skydiving advice sooner than he expects. It's not a race, but the clock is always ticking. You have a good plan. Stick to it.


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"Anyway, what happened to freak you out or cause this fear? "

I did my second aff jump at a new dz and had line twists then got lost and landed in the woods. I did get 4 more jumps in after but i have been noticably more scared since. That and most of my landings have been pretty bad. But i do realize that this is normal for students and i know i'll get better at it if i can do it more often.

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currency is the key.
I'm not a hard core jumper but i try to get atleast get a jump a week.
That Fear is a good thing, you should feel something in yourself saying "oh shit" or something ,that reminds you that pain sucks and that if you don't have your game or whatever together, pain will be the least of your worries.
As you progress that fear will subside and the craziest shit that you have experienced now will become "normal" But, back to my point, RELAX. it's all good. Don't worry about your buddy giving you shit or others. Fear is always there no matter your #'s(watch out for no fear people) and have fun.
Get back on that Horse!
Blue Skies
Darwin's Watching!

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Ain't that the truth.

I'm new to the sport myself (coming up on three years). Got a friend that's even newer (coming up on two years). Started off giving him advice - now he out-swoops my ass and has nearly closed the jump-gap between us.

Be nice to newbies. Some of them are gonna haul ass and leave you eating dust, jump-, skill- and social-wise.

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Sounds like he has beginner skygod syndrome. Take comfort in the fact that he is probably treated like the buffoon that he is by the others. When I took my hiatus from the sport I was still a beginner, however I realized that the really skilled skydivers never felt the need to condescend to me for just having my A-Cop. It was the 300 jump wonders who presumed that by having more airtime than me that they implicitly had larger dicks, and spent every fucking moment reminding me of their seniority.

There are losers in every sport.

Cheers,

Richards
My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within.

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I didn't want to bring this subject back up but I think I have to because I've heard from a few people that jumpers from my dz read this and know who i was talking about. So, while I won't take back what I said about this person, i will say that i didn't post this to bash him in any way and i really didn't think that people who know him would see this or know who i am or who i'm talking about. I talked to him and he said everything he was saying to me was just because he didn't want me to quit and was trying to motivate me to keep going. He did apologize and he's not the asshole i made him out to be. So, because I put this out here in the first place and publicaly bashed him (not my intentions), i just want to apologize for something that was never intended to make people think he's an asshole. I did use some harsh words but that day I'd just had enough shit from him and had to vent.

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I have spent my life excelling at everything that I do.

School, military, business, drinking...you name it.

Enter skydiving:

I'm just tipping 100 jumps and I haven't even begun to know shit. One of the greatest feelings of accomplishment I've had (next to landing without dieing) is being able to exit the plane and stay steady, and in control on the hill.

I learned very quickly that this is a truly humbling sport. There aren't many who advance early to the top of the class, and some never do. There are people who started after me, that are better than I am, and people with several hundred jumps that still land like an out of control torpedo.

I had a guy who has hundreds of jumps tell me the other day that his PLF is Feet- ASS- Head, and not necessarily in that order.

For me, skydiving isn't something to be conquered in a day. It's going to be many years of learning, in small steps.

I'm fortunate enough to be at a DZ where everyone is willing to help, and no one has ever belittled me for my mistakes.

Paul M. told me last Saturday night that if anyone ever tells you that they haven't screwed up, then they are either A.) lieing, or B.) never really skydived before.

Listen to your instructors, jump often, and drill until everything you're taught is second nature. Your fears will lessen.

PS- Fuck you Randy (Redneck) for calling me Swanboy the other day when I made that spectacular landing with Turbulence, during multiple crosswinds!:ph34r:

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So, because I put this out here in the first place and publicaly bashed him (not my intentions), i just want to apologize for something that was never intended to make people think he's an asshole. I did use some harsh words but that day I'd just had enough shit from him and had to vent.



Thx for posting this.

Jurgen

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I have expierenced a similar thing, I have 70 jumps and am still very much a student, even tho I do have my "A". I have taken some time off, due to a minor injury last year that has me spooked. I am very close to someone who took to jumping and skydiving much more naturally than I did, he was freeflying at 100 jumps and now has his TM rating. He hassels me saying that i'll never jump again and has even gone as far as calling me a whuffo again and saying I'm no longer a skydiver. I used to let it get to me, but why? It just gives him what he wants when I get aggrevated or upset. I know I will jump again - in my own time. I plan to do alot of reading, alot of listening to expierenced jumpers and a lot of learning. Then one day I will say to him "oh btw, Im jumping again and had a blast doing it":D
Exodus 20
Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven
1 cross + 3 nails = 4GVN

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