Gators1240

So after reading all these posts I have come to the realization that I must be a little more insane than I thought I was. Granted I have only jumped once but not once did I have an ounce of fear. I know the risks and the dangers associated with skydiving and I read and try to learn as much as possible and try to make myself as prepared as i can. But with that being said I am not scared. I may be once I start aff and am jumping by myself but I don't really see that happening. Like mentioned before that is probably a bad thing but I am always aware and take whatever precautions I can to ensure my own safety and that of others which I think is one of the reasons I don't feel scared

If you need to rent gear, you better be in front of Square1 an hour before it opens. I won't be able to make it out there till Friday. Is gear usually rents out for the whole thing Friday or do you think I would still be able to get something? If I can't rent gear its not that big a deal, I still plan on coming out and checking everything out

Ok so they probably don't actually do that but so far this morning I have seen 4 videos on CNN that were posted here a within the last few days including the rubiks cube solved during free fall and the Indian pole gymnastics thing.

I've been debating this same exact thing myself but I am moving close to there so it will be a regular thing. Both of them are about the same distance from where I will be living so I think I will visit bit and see which I like better

Your video just made the new down in Orlando. It's pretty awesome man

Well when I made the reservation I let them know that I will be starting aff soon and will tell them again when I go on Thursday so hopefully they will tailor my tunnel time towards helping me in the sky which I'm sure they will

Well I am new to the sort but I am also moving to the la area for work (Oxnard/ventura area) and will probably make Elsinore my home dz as well. Look forward to seeing you out there

Are they really that different from each other?

It's ok it happens to the best of us from time to time

A "real" skydiver would never ask that question!!! Obviously you have heard of "Laundry Mats"... Just Kidding Dude! Laundrymats are expensive. Just wash your clothes in the kitchen sink and hang dry 'em in the backyard. 'Cept that fancy new Hawaiian print jumpsuit that gets taken to the dry cleaners. Isn't that what dishwashers were made for?

A "real" skydiver would never ask that question!!! Obviously you have heard of "Laundry Mats"... Just Kidding Well like I said I am about to start aff and am already obsessed with this and debating this decision. And I can tell you that there is a 90% chance as of right now that I will buy a rig instead of furniture and that will more than likely increase to 100% by the time I get through aff Edit: with the timing of everything that purchase will more than likely happen at chicks rock 2010 as Elsinore

I find it funny how off topic this thread has become. It had nothing to do with "this religion says it's ok to kill your enemies if the government orders you"...."no it doesn't it means this".....it was about soldiers who thought they were being punished because they did not attend a Christian event that was offered during duty hours. I have already put my 2 cents in about this I just wanted to point out how these topics sway and grossly get changed even with the hint of religion involved. I believe what I believe, you believe what you believe. I'm not gong to change your mind and you aren't going to change mine so why waste you're time arguing over who is right?

Very true statement. I am in the middle of moving to California and starting aff next week. I get a nice bonus in October and I am already debating on if I should use that money for furniture/washer and dryer that I will need or my first rig...

No way! I mean Christianity would NEVER do anything like that! It's not like there were things like the crusades or the Spanish inquisition or some other shady things done by the Vatican..... Disclaimer: The above entry is intended for mature audiences only. Sense of humor is required.

Now I am by no means an expert considering I haven't even started my aff yet but from everything I have seen on here and through talking with other people I think you would be better off waiting to buy any equipment until after aff. Considering you are only planning on buying a few things that really shouldn't change much I don't think it's that big a deal but why buy those during the winter and not in the spring prior to your class? I mean anything could happen you could lose interest(very doubtful ) or pick up a few extra pounds during the holiday season and no longer fit into your suit

I agree completely but at the same time I believe they should be taught to inform people of the different beliefs and not to treat them as Fact in the textbooks

+1 I mentioned the same thing a few posts up

I had a very similar experience. I had my first tandem a few years ago at a dz in Alabama(can't remember which one) and absolutely loved it. Since then I have wanted to get my license but like you said life tends to get in the way. I live in ct and for the past few years do to work I have only been here during the winter when the dz.'s are closed. But I'm finally about to get it done. as far as the people are concerned I had the same thing in Alabama. Everyone was great and extremely nice and friendly. I have never met a more welcoming community in any sport other than skydiving.

Please. It has everything to do with the band being Christian; and of course it was punishment. It's not like there isn't a long-standing history of this in the US military - but there is. Have you ever served in or had anything to do with the military at all? Like I previously stated event like these happen all the time wether or not they are religious events is irrellivent. They are given an option to attend an event, they chose not to go so they cleaned. I had the option 2 weeks ago to either go to a home buying seminar on base or stay at work and work. Same thing is happening here. This event was not religious in any way but if I decided not to go so it wasn't free time off. People view things how they want to view them and with most things whenever religion could POSSIBLY be involved people jump all over it and make the situation a much bigger deal than it really is.

Honestly this is not anything new that we did not know was going on. I mean look at Kansas, they have banned the teaching of evolution because it is contrary to christianity.

No offense but people who view military actions like this piss me off including the whiny 21 year old who is in "A" school in Virginia and has absolutely no idea how the military works. The whole point of this story is something that happens in the military on a very routine basis and has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the band was Christian and there was no punishment. The way this is normally done is a command will come up with something for soldiers/sailors/airmen etc.. To do During duty hours that is fun and gives them a break. But if you decide you do not want to participate in that you do something constructive(usually still work). The fact that these kids were in school means that since they have no job other than learning, guess what their other job is.....you guessed right cleaning. So bottom line is you have some little kid who thought he could get some free time off because he didn't want to go to the Christian event (I don't blame him for that I personally would have opted out of that myself) and when he found out that he was getting "punished" instead he threw a temper tantrum and went straight to the media with it. He is actually lucky he is not actually being punished for jumping straight to the media about something so trivial without going through a public affairs officer beforehand. With all that being said there are a few facts anyone in the military truly needs to understand...freedom comes with a price and sacrifice and in serving your country you sacrifice many of those freedoms that you fight to defend. I have proudly served my country for the last 7 years and will continue to do so knowing these facts.

Hi Jared and welcome to the forums! So let me get this straight did you want to do more tandems down there before starting aff or is that something they are requiring you to do? Sounds a bit odd to me if it's the latter...

Thank you for the info. I don't think I could live without actually being in the sky but I plan to use the tunnel to build a solid foundation of belly skills prior to getting out there(as much as 15 minutes will do lol). I think aff will be easier if I have some kind of idea as to how i need to move my biddy in the air

It's funny...when I went for my first tandem a few years ago I was all for it! The other people doing tandems with me were scared and freaked out but I couldn't wait to get out of the doors and in the sky! In sure you will love it. Nothing can describe the feeling

Knee of my favorite drinking games of all time is called "drink the beer". The object is to drink a beer and the winning prize is another beer! You always win!