gerryfuss 0 #1 February 7, 2004 They are the Extreme Games. What, is skydiving not extreme enough for them? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gulaz 1 #2 February 8, 2004 I believe it used to be. Skysurfing at least. Edit: Clicky! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airdweller 0 #3 February 8, 2004 art of it used to be, Skysurfing, I feel that this discipline might not be spectator friendly enough. My guess is that swooping will be the way to go. Spectators ca see this event. Peace Tom------------------------------------------------------ "From the mightiest pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?" C. Montgomery Burns Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blahr 0 #4 February 8, 2004 Because watching skydiving is boring Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jib 0 #5 February 8, 2004 It may have something to do with little bendy people who don't shave yet (but have access to daddy's wallet) not being able to do it after school. -------------------------------------------------- the depth of his depravity sickens me. -- Jerry Falwell, People v. Larry Flynt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
frankiebrina 0 #6 February 8, 2004 How can it be boring??? Ask around and you will see that many started skydiving because they saw it on a movie or in a commercial and imagined the feeling of flying threw the sky. I think it was ridiculous when they removed skydiving from the x-games. I would actually like to know if there is an intent to put it back in. Like the other guy said .... swooping is something cool for spectators to see live. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vertifly 0 #7 February 8, 2004 The X-Games makes money off of spectator sports. That is the real reason. That is why swooping has become so much more popular lately. It is actually quite an ingenious angle to work on. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
indyz 1 #8 February 8, 2004 QuoteThe X-Games makes money off of spectator sports. Not only that, but sports that the audience can participate in. For a couple hundred bucks, anybody can buy a pair of rollerblades or a snowboard or a BMX bike and start participating right away. Now look at skydiving. The cost for an A license and gear is $4000-$5000, then the jumps needed to get good, plus the whole 18 years old thing. Even street luge or wakeboarding is much more accessable to the average X-Games viewer than skydiving. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vertifly 0 #9 February 8, 2004 Yes, this is one of the symptoms of the problem. I mean, how would it be possible to send up an advertisement for a Drop Zone, skydiving brand, or DZ-store name? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rjackson 0 #10 February 8, 2004 QuoteQuoteThe X-Games makes money off of spectator sports. Not only that, but sports that the audience can participate in. For a couple hundred bucks, anybody can buy a pair of rollerblades or a snowboard or a BMX bike and start participating right away. Now look at skydiving. The cost for an A license and gear is $4000-$5000, then the jumps needed to get good, plus the whole 18 years old thing. Even street luge or wakeboarding is much more accessable to the average X-Games viewer than skydiving. Yep, its all about the demographic and selling advertising.--------------------------------------------- Randy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vertifly 0 #11 February 8, 2004 Can't argue with the reasoning of it. The last time that I checked, America WAS a capitalist country. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumpinfarmer 0 #12 February 8, 2004 QuoteQuoteQuoteThe X-Games makes money off of spectator sports. Not only that, but sports that the audience can participate in. For a couple hundred bucks, anybody can buy a pair of rollerblades or a snowboard or a BMX bike and start participating right away. Now look at skydiving. The cost for an A license and gear is $4000-$5000, then the jumps needed to get good, plus the whole 18 years old thing. Even street luge or wakeboarding is much more accessable to the average X-Games viewer than skydiving. Yep, its all about the demographic and selling advertising. Then how come moto x and snow x are so popular in the games? They take a lot of money and tend to attract kids in there late teens. That would be a good time to get them hooked on jumping. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #13 February 8, 2004 QuoteThen how come moto x and snow x are so popular in the games? Moto-X uses the same thing that they use to get around before they can buy a car... a Dirtbike. Its really easy to visualize using the same toy in the summer as they are using in the winter. Snowmobiles are a means of transportation for a lot of kids in the north, it only makes sense to sell them something that it only takes a few minutes of day dreaming to picture them doing the same thing with the thing parked in the garage. With a dirtbike or snowmobile selling (used) for $500-1500 thats a whole lot easier for teens and parents to swallow then the $1500 for AFF, $3500 for a used rig, $500+ to get the A licence and then all the other costs. Your average skysurfer that is on TV has spent $10000+ on just training jumps. That does'nt translate well to parents or limited income teenagers. If I would have known that I could have bought a nice car with the amount of money I have spent in the last 4 years... I doubt I would have ever taken up jumping.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dougjumper 0 #14 February 8, 2004 I remember watching Freeflying,Skysurfing on the Xgames...it was nice. Even watched one of my favorites Rob Harris, and the Freefly Clowns Olav,Omar and cant remember the third dudes name I think Mike Vail...but thats when Freeflying really started to get big... What Brought And Broke a new World to Skydiving was the Movie Point Break...After that people everywhere wanted to try it out...it was Great for our Sport... I would like to see it come Back to the Xgames some day... The glass is half full or half empty doesn't matter. Let go and have the Lord guide your path. He will take care of it all. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vertifly 0 #15 February 8, 2004 Quote remember watching Freeflying,Skysurfing on the Xgames...it was nice. Just an FYI... Freeflying was never an event in the X-Games. You may be thinking of the Pro-Tour that went on around 1998/1999. I really thought that when the public saw what the FlyBoyz were doing up there, that the sport was going to go crazy. I REALLY had faith in the sports ability to skyrocket. Unfortunately, this didn't happen. In fact, quite the opposite. Then the economy started to suck, less people began getting interested in our expensive sport, and then WHAMMO...Sept 11. Boy, did I go on a tangent. At least it is fairly accurate. Crazy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumpinfarmer 0 #16 February 8, 2004 Yea I know what you are saying. I used to ride a snowmobile to school. Kids can dream a little to, besides I'm no kid and I'd rather watch the Xgames than most any other sporting event. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jdthomas 0 #17 February 8, 2004 well you can read all the reasons why skydiving is not in the x games with all the other guys post and they are all true. Just give it time man, things take time to grow and become large. When I was a skater I can remember my sponsors seeing the future, even though skateboarding was almost dead as an industry and skaters where very unexcepted as a whole, I had a sponsor that could see the future. Skateboarding started to pop up in movies, like police academy and a few other little spots and before long it was cool. Skydiving is poping up, slowly it will happen.. I would guess that swooping will take off. Crowds just can't get into freefall with us. And sadly enough, I think somone has to get hurt.. crowds love it when people smash. it keeps the ratings up. So 10 years ago few people knew Tony Hawk.. and now even grandma knows the name.www.greenboxphotography.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DBCOOPER 1 #18 February 8, 2004 I think the official excuse was production cost.Replying to: Re: Stall On Jump Run Emergency Procedure? by billvon If the plane is unrecoverable then exiting is a very very good idea. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jlmiracle 7 #19 February 8, 2004 QuoteThey are the Extreme Games. What, is skydiving not extreme enough for them? It was on the Xgames at one time, but we were cut. Skydiving is not a spectator sport. JudyBe kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yoink 321 #20 February 8, 2004 QuoteBecause watching skydiving is boring Unfortunately I'd have to agree. whilst I'll happily sit there watching Airspeed, VMax etc, none of my whuffo mates understand just how difficult it is. Comments like: "It's like synchronised swimming" abound. Swooping however... that they don't mind watching, but it is kinda one dimensional unless you're a skydiver. Something like BMXing has variations in each run which can keep the watcher interested. I'm not sure watching skydiving is a long term proposition. Will Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #21 February 8, 2004 QuoteSkydiving is not a spectator sport. But swooping sure as hell is. I'd love to see the PST push to get swooping in the X-games. More people watching, means more people wanting to jump, means more money at DZs, which means cooler stuff/planes/facilities at the DZs and the need for more staff, which means more money for instructors, packers, etc. That means other people can make more jumps, buy new gear/more gear, the DZs would need more gear, etc. All in all it would only help the sport.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #22 February 8, 2004 >the need for more staff, which means more money for instructors, packers, etc I doubt this... they probally will do the same thing they did with the current shortage of instructors - lower the limits to enable more people to pass the tests.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sdgregory 0 #23 February 8, 2004 Of all the diciplines that I watch on video, my family and friends get most jazzed when watching swooping. There is definitely some truth to your statement. In fact after about five ten minutes of watching freefal of any kind the native begin to get restless. It actually takes away from my enjoyment. So most times I watch skydiving videos alone or just with my youngest two kids. They like watching most of the disciplines, but of course they want to skydive so to them it is like daydreaming. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sdgregory 0 #24 February 8, 2004 Quote>the need for more staff, which means more money for instructors, packers, etc I doubt this... they probally will do the same thing they did with the current shortage of instructors - lower the limits to enable more people to pass the tests. God I hope not. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 25 #25 February 8, 2004 QuoteJust an FYI... Freeflying was never an event in the X-Games. Hmmm. I swear I saw a segment on the X-Games competition on the Flyboyz Party Mix video. Can anybody verify that Freefly has never been part of the X-Games?-- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
