Do you remember the good or the bad skydives?

[CanuckInUSA 0]

I had a great day of skydiving on Saturday making six jumps including one bad ass freefly with two other very good freefliers (freeflying is so much easier and more fun when you jump with people who know what they are doing). But my Sunday wasn't even remotely as good (two totally chaotic tracking dives with mostly low timers and lead by someone who's never lead a tracking dive before ... not me ... but I can't talk as I've never lead a real tracking dive either) and now I sit here pondering the bad jumps instead of the good ones. Is this just me, or do others think about the bad jumps. I'm sure if I did the bad jumps on Saturday and the good ones on Sunday, I'd be thinking about the good ones, but the jumps are reversed and I can't help but think about the crappy jumps yesterday instead of those good ones I did on Saturday.

Of course I am happy with my swoop (in moderately windy conditions) on my 2nd jump yesterday, so I do have some good memories from Sunday's jumps. I don't know, maybe I'm just in squirrely mood this morning.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[happythoughts 0]

The last one on Sunday. I like to finish on a positive note because I seem to think about the last one during the rest of the week.

[flyangel2 2]

Do you think you're thinking more about the bad jumps cause you are disapointed in them? Try looking at them from a different way. Ask yourself, what did I do good on the jumps, and what did I learn?

If you ever want to do a really bad jump, take me on a FF jump

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[ladyskydiver 0]

Where's the both option?

Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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Do you think you're thinking more about the bad jumps cause you are disapointed in them?

Hi Mary ... without a doubt I am dissappointed in those jumps and part of it has to do with the attitudes some of the low-timers brought to those jumps. Maybe I'm slowly turing into a safety-nazi (I hope not), but when certain people are joking about the previous zoo dive and how much they are looking forward to the next zoo dive (you known many of these people I speak of, but I will not name names), it serves as a warning to myself to wonder what am I doing on these jumps. But there was no one else to jump with yesterday (plus the WX sucked) and I do enjoy participating in good tracking dives (which these jumps did not resemble). I don't know, maybe I'm just in a squirrely mood.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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Where's the both option?

I purposely left that option out as I knew it would generate the most votes.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[MarkM 0]

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Where's the both option?

I purposely left that option out as I knew it would generate the most votes.

Too bad, because that's what I always remember. The best and the worst.

4 years ago best: When Charlie my DZO climbed over me at the door to exit a C182 to do a flag jump. Just watching him exit and deploy was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Was like a moment of grace.

4 years ago worst: A blown PRCP that had me loop forwards and have the SL pull my chute out between my legs. It was the first time I ever really saw the mechanics of a canopy opening up(since I was watching it deploy through my legs), it bruised/cut my legs big time(they got entangled in the deploying lines) and I ended up upside down in the harness. Was a riot, and taught me that I get pissed rather than scared in bad situations

It's the high and lows that make it so addictive.

[flyangel2 2]

Steve, I understand where you are coming from. I too am at the point, in fact have been for some time now, where I don't want to just throw my money away on zoo dives. Call me stuck up, but it's my money and I want a good skydive for it. Don't get me wrong, I will do jumps with students and low timers, even cover my own slot.
You said there weren't many people to jump with, then either find some one to coach, or leave the DZ and do something else. Why waste the time and energy with jumpers that have an attitude? Please, don't let them spoil your day.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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leave the DZ and do something else.

That's what I did. Besides the WX was starting to get crappy (and of course it started to snow here anyway).

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[airgord 1]

Something that I've learned in almost 10 years of team skydiving is that there is always something positive in EVERY jump I have been on, Even if it was a total disaster it is not worth pointing fingers and foisting blame, you can sit down and analyze the jump to find out what went wrong, move people if appropriate and go do it again. It does no good to shun someone because they "suck", everyone one can learn, I have video proof of it.
To answer your post Steve, I remember both good and bad, but not all. Some jumps do stick out in my mind though.
Be patient with those that you deem to be "scary" and help them to learn, It will pay off later.

Cheers

[pkasdorf 0]

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Where's the both option?

I purposely left that option out as I knew it would generate the most votes.

Too bad, because that's what I always remember. The best and the worst.

100% with you MarkM! If most people remember both, like you and me, why must that option be excluded?

HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

[StearmanR985 0]

Low timer here.

Yesterday was the first time I got to do some RW (3-way, 4-way) with some more experienced jumpers. I had a blast!!!! No one had an 'attitude' and I believe everyone had a good time.

These guys made my entire week by welcoming me along with them...and putting up with my mistakes
Just wanted you up jumpers to know that many of us low timers REALLY appreciate jumping with you guys/gals.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

I didn't mean to slam the low-timers. There were really only two people (out of many more) who were joking about the chaotic nature of our tracking dives. So having myself generalizing all of the low-timers wasn't far. Gordo had a good point is saying to be patient with newer skydivers and I still consider myself to be very much a newer skydiver compared to many of you out there.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

Man, I have a tendancy to do the same thing! I made 9 jumps this weekend, and feel like i'm really improving in my sit, and even held my stand pretty good. But, my last jump on Sunday was a track,... and I am not good at tracking. Needless to say, I again floated away... and tracked along, about 1000 feet higher than anyone else:( It SUCKED! I was really pissy about it for an hour or so,,, then I realized that who gives a shit, I made some great jumps and I am not going to worry about tracking right now. I need to go on a 2-way track and learn, not on a 4 way track. I am just too floaty and really need coaching with it.

So, I suppose my answer is both. I remember the good, I remember the bad. My first jump of the weekend was hilarious, my first jump in my new suit. I am pretty sure i'll remember that one for a while:)

Angela

[crutch 0]

What about the ones in between? Some skydives I remeber very vividly, the first hundred-way in Deland, the two-point hundred-way, also in Deland and of course my very first one. It is funny, but I really don't remember much about the 200-way in Myrtle Beach, some of the other big ways I have been on either, although I do remmebr some hilarious jumps, like Wally bouncing around the base on a 64-way in Deland, hit four people before he finally eradicted himself. I do remember seeing some good friends get hurt/die (bad jumps). I also think good and bad is in the eye of the beholder. Some of your Sunday jumps may have been fantastic to some of the other people on the load. I have been in that situation many a time, when people on the jump landed hooting and hollering and me wondering what was the big deal. I think whether a jump is good or bad depends on ones expectations walking out to the plane. My dad use to tell me "any good landing is one you walk away from". Well to me any good jump is one that you get to make and talk about later. Some jumps are more memorable than others, but saying they are good or bad is the conotation that you put on it due to your expectations of it.

blue skies,

art

[chuteless 1]

I remember them all, the crash and burn landings, the trips to the hospital, the casts on my arm or leg ( some of which I removed the same day it was put on), the concussion, and yes, all the good ones too...too many to list

Bill Cole D-41

[Amazon 7]

I tend to remember the good jumps but the ones that scared the shit out of me I will remember forever.

[skymick 0]

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Is this just me, or do others think about the bad jumps.

Depends really, if I do a weekend of shit or average jumps (luckily that doesnt happen too often anymore!) then I'll get end up going over and over it trying to wonder where I went wrong. If they were shit jumps due to other peoples fault then i'll just grizzle about waste all that money . Though if I ended up doing at least one or two good jumps then I usally dont worry about the rest that much.

[slotperfect 7]

When I was a Golden Knights Demonstrator, I worked on my target accuracy a lot. On a couple of consecutive training days at Raeford I brought my video camera and set it up on a tripod, asking our accuracy coach to film my approaches. At the end of the week I edited the video so that all it showed was dead-centers. I watched that tape over and over, learning from what was obviously working for me on those approaches. Later in my Demonstrator life, when I would get into a bit of an accuracy slump, I would dig out that tape and watch it again.

The point here is that focusing on what went well is much more forwarding than focusing on what did not go so well. Of course, there are benefits to looking at what went wrong and learning from it, but moving on and shifting focus from it makes all the difference.

Arrive Safely

John

[SkydivingNurse 0]

Where's the "I only have six jumps so I remember them all" option?
(I really want this winter to go away, I miss getting my knees in the breeze )