A day for our lost brothers and sisters...

[justaflygirl 0]

Rkymtnhigh and I were just on the phone, discussing the fatalities that are unfortuntely a part of our sport.

We both were wondering why there isnt a day, once a year set aside for rememberance? It only seems fair and like the appropriate thing to do. These people who unfortuantely lost their lives participating in the sport we all love.

Some were careless mishaps that could have easily been avoided and others there was nothing that could be done.

We are all brothers and sisters in the this amazing life, and unfortuantly you can do everything perfect and still die.

We have lost some great ledgendary skydivers as well as people who were relatively new.

Just because they are gone, they should not be forgotten.

[labrys 0]

Safety Day sort of serves that purpose, in my opinion.

Owned by Remi #?

[justaflygirl 0]

I mean a day just for them, with no other objectives.

They deserve it

[NickDG 23]

You mean like, Death Day . . . ?

No thanks, I think most of us remember close friends on the actual anniversaries of their demise.

And I never liked the idea of President's Day either . . .

NickD BASE 194

[justaflygirl 0]

no I dont mean death day, how morbid can you be? Honestly...

I mean a day, that we can remember the beauty of our friends lives who were tragically taken from this sport that we all love.

Honestly, I dont think its too much to ask!

[adamsr 0]

I personally wouldn't want a rememberance day as I think it'd turn out to be a sad time.

I can't think of any better way of remembering lost friends than continuing in the sport and enjoying every minute, I certainly know that's what the friend I lost would want everyone he knew to do!!

Also it's quite a personal thing, everyone deals with losing a friend in different ways, and choses to remeber that person in different ways.

I just think a set day each year would put a downer on the sport, and that's not the spirit of skydiving

[RkyMtnHigh 0]

I agree that everyone deals with loss differently. I dont feel it'd be sad yet an opportunity to share what we cherished about our loved ones, funny memories, and how they positively impacted our lives. Raise a Toast!

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[tigra 0]

How about Memorial Day- isn't that a day to remember all of our friends and family who are no longer with us?

Then of course, there's Day of The Dead, celebrated in Mexico on November 1.

[diablopilot 2]

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We both were wondering why there isnt a day, once a year set aside for rememberance? It only seems fair and like the appropriate thing to do. These people who unfortuantely lost their lives participating in the sport we all love.

That's everyday in my life.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[evilivan 0]

I'm with Nick on this; I'll celebrate those I knew as appropriate. Not sure I like the idea of a) lumping them all together and b) making it a generic "morbid" day...

"If you can keep your head when all around you have lost theirs, then you probably haven't understood the seriousness of the situation."
David Brent

[RhondaLea 3]

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I mean a day just for them, with no other objectives.

I remember my dead friends--and sometimes people who were friends of friends of mine--every day.

I've said this before, but it bears repeating. No matter what your spiritual beliefs, the only immortality any of us has here on this earth is in the hearts of those who love us.

A day is not enough.

rl

[RkyMtnHigh 0]

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I mean a day just for them, with no other objectives.

I remember my dead friends--and sometimes people who were friends of friends of mine--every day.

I've said this before, but it bears repeating. No matter what your spiritual beliefs, the only immortality any of us has here on this earth is in the hearts of those who love us.

A day is not enough.

rl

You're right Rhonda. It's just been a tough day as you are well aware.
They are with us in spirit every day.

_________________________________________

[NickDG 23]

>>no I dont mean death day, how morbid can you be? Honestly...<<

Sorry, I didn't note your profile before now. You are coming to terms with the sport, you're beginning to realize that people fly and people die, and you feel helpless about it. You wanted to do something positive and I made light of it . . .

You'll figure it out one day, or you'll leave the sport. When the worst happens sometimes you'll weep, sometimes you'll laugh, and yes, sometimes you'll even be morbid . . . Honestly.

NickD BASE 194

[kai2k1 0]

I think its a great idea. Now for the date part.

I honestly believe that the most people that you could get involved would be at a boogie. I would Designate the 2nd saturday in August every year as a "Skydiver Memorial Day" to remember those who have passed tragically as well as gave of themselves for the betterment of our sport.

AFAIK the second Saturday in August would coincide with WFFC where you would have the biggest concentration of skydivers from around the globe. I think this would make the best date since everyone who could not make it could listen in on the web (WFFC webcams and audio), cell phones, video and almost every other media outlet we could find outside of National TV.

In short, I'm behind it 100%

There's no truer sense of flying than sky diving," Scott Cowan

[labrys 0]

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I mean a day just for them, with no other objectives.

They deserve it

You sound like a very kind and sensitive person. I personally don't agree with the idea, though. I think that people who sacrifice their lives for a common cause "deserve" to be remembered by the other people who support that cause.

I don't think people who die participating in a sport they enjoy deserve that same treatment.

Owned by Remi #?

[algboy 0]

I'm with you on this one.

I haven't been in this sport long enough to have lost anyone near and dear--yet--but I support the spirit of your post.

Setting a day or weekend aside is realistic. The problem with a boogie is that it requires everyone to gather at just one DZ. Why not make it universal? A day or two dedicated to the fallen is not asking too much, is it?

Let's face it: this is a sport that has killed and will continue to kill lovers of this sport. Why not honor them, jump, party, and toast to their memory.

Is this sport getting too PC?? Denial is not just a river. Does everyone want to deny that this sport has taken more than a few of our brethren?

Memorial Day is just plain silly. It has nothing to do with or about skydivers. Safety Day doesn't even come close. Yes--we do this voluntarily, but we are a tiny slice of the world's population. Let's celebrate our differences and the loss of those who've died whilst sharing the sky. Others will never know. It needs to be an event for jumpers--by fellow jumpers.

I'd be curious to hear from the old-timers. Does this go against the grain of skydiving's roots? Is it standard to just hoist a beer and move on--or does this idea of justaflygirl's have some merit? I think so--but I'm only a pup . . . .

[peacefuljeffrey 0]

I see good points on both sides of this idea, actually.

Individual people honor their lost privately and internally, and that makes sense to me.

But around the world, people gather on certain days to do this kind of thing together. We have Memorial Day, that's the big recognized one, but that's for military dead.

I think that there would be nothing wrong with having a day for skydivers, living and gone. It need not be morbid at all, really. It would just be a day on which we all could know that we all are thinking about those we've lost. Admittedly, sometimes we get so busy and distracted that they slip from the forefront of our minds because they've been gone a long time, and we can use the refresher to feel our love for them flow over us once again.

I'm thinking that people would be doing memorial jumps and speaking fondly of skydivers they miss.

Not for nothing, it would speak well publicly of our sport, since whuffos probably think we're all crazy and/or stupid, and pay no mind to danger or death. Imagine if we made news with some safely conducted demos on a specific, newsworthy day of the year, and showed everyone how much we care about each other? They don't currently know that!

I play disc golf. Once a year, through the PDGA, disc golfers celebrate the "World's Biggest Disc Golf Weekend!" It's awesome; at every club, they keep track of who signed up to play, and they have little tourneys and stuff, even T-shirts with a new logo each year, and discs that have the logo too. And everyone gets to know that not only are they making a point to play disc golf on that day, so is just about every other disc golfer out there.

I think the premise is the same, and it's a worthy one. This is apart and aside from Safety Day.

I'm for it.

Blue skies,
-Jeffrey

-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

[Zenister 0]

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You mean like, Death Day . .

No thanks, I think most of us remember close friends on the actual anniversaries of their demise.

i agree, but i prefer to remember them on birthdays etc... not the day we lost them and i dont see the need for a 'special day' unless your also then going to petition the govt to recognize it as a sacred holiday for skydivers and require that we get it off to jump in rememberance...

hell i'll trade a few other religious holidays.. oh wait.. i do that already.. easter, xmas..

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Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[pkasdorf 0]

It is a very thoughtful idea and it comes from your heart. But I kindly disagree. Let me explain why...

Those fellow skydivers who died in action deserve to be remembered, no doubt about that. But is a special Memorial Day the best way to do it?

NO because a special Memorial Day would only add arguments to the whuffo community about how "crazy" we are and how "insane" it is to let us practice skydiving and we do not want to give any arguments that could give way to more regulations and outside controls that could make our sport more difficult and more expensive to practice.

Let's incorporate a Memorial Chapter in Safety Day. It renders homage and also makes lots of sense since the vast majority of deadly incidents involved human error and Safety Day is all about learning how not to make mistakes. In the wake of a day dedicated to safety it cannot be used as argument against our sport.

HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

[Antidote 0]

I dunno if it's needed.

Every day at my DZ, I remember. So do the others. Sometimes it's talked about, often it's not.

We have the pictures where everyone can see them. We all have our individual memories of those who used to jump with us, but are no more.

I doubt those that haven't seen a friend go in will give it more than a superficial thought because it's very very hard to relate then - and for those who have witnessed it and kept jumping - we probably know and think about the dangers and the individuals at any rate.

It's a nice thought, though.

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

We usually have a boogie Memorial Day weekend to remember all friends lost, and try to do something posivite that weekend by raising money for Make A Wish.

However, the best way to really honor them is to learn from their deaths. Make it safely to the ground jump after jump until you are too old to jump again.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[chaoskitty 0]

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We both were wondering why there isnt a day, once a year set aside for rememberance? It only seems fair and like the appropriate thing to do. These people who unfortuantely lost their lives participating in the sport we all love.

That's everyday in my life.

I was thinking the same thing. Every day.. every jump.. every tequila shot..

[catfishhunter 1]

Your wanting to do "something" is heart warming. I understand that feeling. Keep it close to you. It will serve you well through out your life.

With that, there are reasons there isn't such a day and this is just my perspective and opinion.

Skydiving is about Living. We celebrate Life. that is not to say we don't care for those who's life ended on their last jump, it is that we celebrate their life each time we show up at the DZ, manifest and then hurl ourselves out of an airplane.

If I went in I would not want people to remember my last jump. There is nothing glamorous about dying. Death is waiting for us all, Life on the other hand, now that is something worth celebrating.

The next time your at the dz organize a Sunset high alti hop-n-pop to celebrate being Alive.

That would be want I would want :)

Blue Skies.

MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT
Life is Short and we never know how long we are going to have. We must live life to the fullest EVERY DAY. Everything we do should have a greater purpose.

[airtwardo 6]

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Skydiving is about Living. We celebrate Life.

***

Well said Fish.

And I agree with Nick, to let close friends and family of those lost, honor their memory in ways appropriate,
and let all of us honor close friends not lost.

It's about living, and that's what really matters.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[diablopilot 2]

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Skydiving is about Living. We celebrate Life. that is not to say we don't care for those who's life ended on their last jump, it is that we celebrate their life each time we show up at the DZ, manifest and then hurl ourselves out of an airplane.

Bravo.

This sums up some of my thoughts on the matter.

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Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am the essence of clear blue sky;
I am the yearning to climb very high.
I am the breeze you feel as you spot;
I am the rapture of building a blot.
I am the rustle of a canopy in flight;
I am the flicker of camp fire light.
When you pass through the door into open air,
I know you are smiling, I'm the wind in your hair.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there; I did not die.

-Allen Roulston, June 1996

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.