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iamspoild

Casual Skydiving - fun jumpers?

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What is a fun jumper? I'm wondering if how I want to approach skydiving would be considered a "fun jumper".

Do any of you approach your involvement in skydiving "casually"? I'm am not implying
that safety or education be taken casually - I'm referring to hours spent and jump intensity.

I'm obviously new, and am in fact planning to spend some intense time in AZ this Feb to get my "A"
(I apologize to those that have already heard this).
But after that..... I'm looking at it as a seasonal fun thing - 1 or 2 trips to the local DZ every 1 or 2 weeks in the spring and summer. Sometimes jump with a buddy, sometimes alone.... Is this approach realistic?

Granted, this isn't going to win any swoop competitions and will probably take forever to get any "good" at anything. But ripping through the sky on a postage stamp just or getting on the prestigious loads just isn't an ambition of mine (not now anyway.....) .

Thanks in advance for your input / comments.
pete

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I guess it depends on how you define realistic. I make 6-8 jumps every other weekend. Even that is probably more than I should from a money standpoint, but it's what my wife and I are comfortable with at the moment.

I was perfectly happy with my life before I started jumping. I see skydiving as a very fun addition to it, not a replacement for anything that was there before.
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D28695 PoPs #9237
"Mix ignorance with arrogance at low altitude and the results are almost guaranteed to be spectacular"
— Bruce Landsberg

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I guess it depends on how you define realistic.



hm, your reply sounds cool to me. Thanks.

Realistic?.... Well, I guess I was actually questioning my assumption that some people that live in places like the North West (or where even more unfriendly wheather esists), take the winter off. But then, begin skydiving on a regular basis again in the Spring.

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I doubt you really need to even ask. Just look around your home DZ. Watch it clear out this month until only the hardcore hard core remain.

I think 90% of skydivers are casual, occasional jumpers. They aren't the ones who live on dropzone.com and answer general questions like yours. But they're still the vast majority.

The ones you see on dropzone.com live skydiving, breathe skydiving, and bore people at parties with never ending stories about skydiving. And they only go to these non-skydiver parties when their scorned non-skydiving spouse insists. That's who posts on dropzone.

The rest of the skydiving world probably goes to the dropzone less than 15 times a year and most of those bunched in the summer months. You don't have to become a fanatic to participate. In fact, you're a healthier human being if you don't.

Just remember though: if you don't practice a lot, keep your limits in mind.


First Class Citizen Twice Over

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The ones you see on dropzone.com live skydiving, breathe skydiving, and bore people at parties with never ending stories about skydiving. And they only go to these non-skydiver parties when their scorned non-skydiving spouse insists. That's who posts on dropzone


LOL, Narci, you're so cute. I'm here all the time....BTW, can I still come up on New Year's Eve? I promise I won't bore you with lots of boring skydive stories. None of my stories are boring! (;)

The original post describes me, with the single exception that I don't take time off during the winter. Still and all, I maybe get 3-5 jumps per month in if I am very lucky, and in the 2+ years I've been jumping, I've got all of 78 jumps under my belt.

I do what I can to limit the difficulties that this inability to jump creates...i.e., canopy control class, big main, choose my jumps carefully - if the conditions aren't acceptable, I sit down - and I am very particular about who I jump with (I worry that I might hurt them because I am not terribly skilled...) and the jumps I do - the largest I've done was an 8 way, and that was with very very experienced jumpers in the other 7 slots (and that was jump #78...and won't be repeated soon, even though it was fun). I pull high, and land far out if needed, and simply remember that I am not as current as I would like, and so make sure that I create no additional issues for myself or others. If I have questions, I ask them...and I review my emergency procedures often.

All that being said, I don't perceive anything about skydiving as casual. I know that's not what you meant, but I thought I'd make it more plain...there is nothing casual about jumping from a plane 2 1/2 miles in the sky...nothing.

Ciels-
Michele


~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

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I'm also what you would call a "fun" jumper. I can only go to the dz every other weekend because of child care issues. When I do go, I'm on a strict budget and will only spend cash to skydive. I'll probably only do about 100 jumps this year but I can live with that. No, you won't seen me competing at Nationals, but I can hold my head down. :)
She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

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I doubt you really need to even ask.



Ya know, you're right on.

I'm somewhat of a perfectionist. So it goes against the grain a little for me not to plan to pour everything I can into it. But like some others out here w/kids and relationships, etc. I just don't have time. It took me 38 years and a recently hung-up passion (that eventually burned out me and everyone around me) to realize that I can't approach everything in my life at full steam.
Sorry, rambling again...... Bottom line, I just wanted to actually hear it from someone else.

thanks everyone. Michele, you're very wise.;)

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LOL, Narci, you're so cute. I'm here all the time....BTW, can I still come up on New Year's Eve? I promise I won't bore you with lots of boring skydive stories. None of my stories are boring! (;)



Michelle, you're definitely welcome to visit NYE or any time. I didn't know you were coming but I'll gladly shovel aside whatever worthless BASE jumpers are crashing in the basement apartment and make it lovely just for you. I'll make you the Best Cocoa In The World, too.

You can even tell skydiving stories if you let me tell my favorite BASE story. Then we'll both look outside at the driving sleet, remember why nobody skydives in oregon in winter, then wrap ourselves up good by the fire and sip something tasty.


First Class Citizen Twice Over

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There is a point that currency concerns come to mind. As an instructor I've talked to a few poeple that want to make only 2 or 3 jumps a year just to say they are a skydiver. Look at the USPA currency requirements. Basically as someone that only has an A you will be paying for a coach/AFF instructor to go with you every time you go over 30 days of not jumping. Anything over a few months usually requires something like going back to do an AFF 6/7 depending on how long and how many jumps you have.

As long as you realize that the low currency puts you at a greater risk of injury or worse and you keep those things in mind on gear usage (a loading of .8:1 or less then the 1:1 that most people get for a first rg) then it can be done.
Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

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I define "fun jumper" as a licensed (current) skydiver who is NOT a) DZ staff, instructor etc. or b) member of a team and/or participating in competition.
So just skydiving for "fun". Like yesterday when I rocked up to my DZ found a couple of others and did a couple of "fun" 3-ways and had some good "fun".
If you are lucky enough to jump at a DZ with a few "fun" skydivers around it can be a very good way of participating in the sport without it becoming your no. 1 priority.
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When people look like ants - pull. When ants look like people - pray.

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The ones you see on dropzone.com live skydiving, breathe skydiving, and bore people at parties with never ending stories about skydiving. And they only go to these non-skydiver parties when their scorned non-skydiving spouse insists. That's who posts on dropzone.



Shit! according to your definition i'm not supposed to post here. :S

so to break up your general definition: i LOVE skydiving and spend tons of time at the dz. but besides i still have some other interests to share with my non-skydiver (whuffo) friends :P
The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle

dudeist skydiver # 666

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I am a fun jumper.
I have an AFF rating, but only work when the DZ is swamped (my choice).
I have a career that requires travel, lots of it. I am often out of town (or the country) for a month at a time. Sometimes I jump out of town, sometimes not.
When I am home, I will make 20-30 jumps in a weekend.
I get on few organized loads, maybe 10-15%,
Mostly this season I did freefly, and just went to the plane to find someone in the boarding area. I did lots of one-on-one with sub-100-jump newbies this year.
I am not out to get on all the prestigious loads, I get to jump with a huge variety of folks, and HAVE FUN!
Total for the season so far...285.
In winter I will travel to jump/tunneltrain.
I am a fun jumper!
Troy

I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

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The ones you see on dropzone.com live skydiving, breathe skydiving, and bore people at parties with never ending stories about skydiving. And they only go to these non-skydiver parties when their scorned non-skydiving spouse insists. That's who posts on dropzone.



Actually, I think that opposite is probably true when it comes to_actual_skydiving. The great majority of posts on this website are from people who jump very little, if at all in some cases. :|That, of course, does not stop them from posting their expert opinion to "newbies."

Yes, there are quite a few of us full-time skydivers on here as well, but I doubt anyone who has met me would say that I am "boring." :ph34r:

As to the original discussion about "casual skydiving," that can truly only be accomplished after reaching a base-level proficiency that allows you to go more than a few months without having to be retrained. I went a few years back in the mid-nineties where I was lucky to make 100 jumps a year, only making it out to the dropzone a few times a year to see who was around and see what kind of loads were going up. While it felt great to jump, I had too much other stuff going on in my life then to devote any more time than that. That said, I felt "out of the loop" when I was on the DZ, even though I still knew some folks and had over 1500 jumps before I took that break. There are quite a few people who only skydive at boogies anymore. You will see them with very-dated gear, jumpsuits with the asses ripped out of them from botched landings, and always hanging around Ponce's tent.....;) Just picking.

The bottom line here is that you MUST maintain some semblence of currency in order to keep the activity within safe limits. Man, you get to some of the larger boogies and you will see some stuff that will scare you to death. I am serious.

Chuck

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Chuck, you mean the huge population of self-styled skydiving addicts who post 10 times a day aren't actually at the DZ? I always figured they posted once after ever jump. 10 posts = 10 jumps.

Or maybe ... just maybe ... the just-off-aff newbies who post prolific reams about their new unbreakable bond with their True Skydiving Family are just being emotionally clutchy? Do you think?

Oh, and regarding currency, Chuck's right. Don't slide into that bigway headdown formation if it's your first jump since last season. If you're a fair weather skydiver, stay humble. Your occasional skydive should be a very simple one.


First Class Citizen Twice Over

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