state of the sport paracuting in 2007

[erdnarob 1]

Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

[kenneth21441 0]

I like it. Well written...

Kenneth Potter
FAA Senior Parachute Rigger
Tactical Delivery Instructor (Jeddah, KSA)
FFL Gunsmith

[cutaway1 3]

Thank you for your many insights into the sport. I think that the crucial factor responsible for the loss of members to the sport is we no longer jump together as much as we used to. This deterioration began with competitive rw, and accelerated with free flying. In the early 60's we mostly all wanted to do the same thing, get into a big round star, the bigger the better. At the end of the day, most of us had jumped together. Now, most people at out dz have never jumped even once with even half the people that show up. There are many reasons why. In free flying large groups of different skill levels are often prohibitively dangerous or zoo dives, because basic freeflying is just to darn difficult for most jumpers to pick up in a couple of hundred jumps, and so many newbies attempt to progress in freeflying before learning the the basics of rw-because they think rw is uncool. And many freeflyers with thousands of jumps have difficulty getting into a larger rw formation, so they would rather not attempt it. Years ago it was a big deal just to jump, to be a jumper. Now I think many people quit because they get discouraged, or get tired of jumping solo, or always jumping with the b team. Maybe requiring the last load of the day to be an inclusive big way is a step in the right direction. I'm as guilty as anybody else about jumping with the same people. But I've discovered that a safe big way track or no pressure larger rw blot is often the most fun jump of the day. If you make it mandatory, then folks will sharpen their skills to get into their slot. As Jack Jeffries said, “It is all play, all of it”, and it’s more fun to play together.

SCR-21