SkyPainter 0 #1 May 24, 2008 Hello from Massachusetts! I am about to become a full-fledged member by jumping at Jumptown in Orange, Ma. I have convinced about ten other people to come along and try it as well! A lot of the conversations both here, and in general, revolve around the question of "Why?" My answer is - Meaning. We are in a constant search for meaning in our lives, and skydiving provides some of that meaning. Whether it is to affirm ourselves personally, do it for someone we love/d, or to just increase our social connections and sense of FUN, it is about meaning. It MEANS something personally to us! I am 61, (look 41, dress 31, dance like 21, and act 12!) I have one of those addictive personalities, and try to always expand my experiences. Skydiving fits right into my life on a lot of levels; I like speed ("No, Officer, I'm not driving fast, I'm flying low!) I have a cancer that has just recurred, so I need to get this in as soon, and as long as I can. I survived in Vietnam when a lot of my friends did not. I do this partly for them. I like technical stuff. I like competition. (Was a semi-pro bowler, and still a currently certified Level I USBC Coach) I like timing - I teach Fly Fishing, and would love to do a Jump-N-Fish someplace! I LOVE flying, and doing it in the sky WITHOUT the plane screams my name out! I love art, and jumping seems to me to be a form of art in the sky (hence my nick on here) MY ultimate goal would be some sort of RW, but I really like the Sky Surfing vids online! I will be heading towards my "A" license first, with an eye toward getting to the board! Lastly, I like people, especially people who don't wait, but go out and DO! People who thoroughly appreciate their bodies, their freedoms, their lives, and maximize those wonderful things! I look forward to chatting and maybe even meeting some of you someday - maybe we can go paint the sky together! Blue Skys, Safe landings! SkyPainterLive deliberately; Dare greatly; Land gently SkyPainter SOS 1304, POPS 10695, DS 118 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyjumpsteve 0 #2 May 25, 2008 Welcome to the sky Skypainter! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grannyinthesky 0 #3 May 25, 2008 Welcome to the skies. It is a graat place to be for all the reasons you mentioned and even more. It nice to see another person with more life experience starting to skydive. I'm 57 and started last October. I'll be doing the check cive for my A today. You might want to check out the POPS group too. The website is http://www.thepops.org/ "safety first... and What the hell..... safety second, Too!!! " ~~jmy POPS #10490 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyPainter 0 #4 May 25, 2008 Hi! Thanks!! Where do you jump in MA? A wingsuit jump would DEFINITELY interest me!!!! Just gotta go get the 200 + jumps in first - can't wait! This something I should have done a long time ago, but at least I am able to do it now. I know we have a few DZs in MA - Orange, Pepperell, someplace on the Cape, as well as Lebanon, ME, one in RI, and one near Hartford. Do folks generally jump at their "home" DX all the time, or after getting the "A" license do they jump in different places??Live deliberately; Dare greatly; Land gently SkyPainter SOS 1304, POPS 10695, DS 118 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyPainter 0 #5 May 25, 2008 Hi, there, Granny! Thank you for the welcome! Yeah, after a point you do get some life experience! LOL! This will just add a lot to that for me - meet new interesting people, see the planet from a different perspective. Congrats on your Check Dive! You can do it!!! And at 57!!! AWESOME!! Age is only a relative measure of experiences ..... Safe Landings, SkyPainterLive deliberately; Dare greatly; Land gently SkyPainter SOS 1304, POPS 10695, DS 118 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 37 #6 May 25, 2008 Welcome to the forums! Once you get your A license, I do encourage you to check out all the dropzones in your area. Each dz has a different vibe and it's fun to check that out and meet new friends along the way. 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyjumpsteve 0 #7 May 26, 2008 I jump at Pepperell and we have a big wingsuit group there called "Flock University". The other "big" DZ's in the area are Jumptown and Lebanon. All three are great, fun, safe places. Most jumpers tend to do a lot of jumping at their home DZ but also find time to make it to other DZ's either for a change of pace or for an event or boogie. I often end up doing jumps at 10 or more DZ's per year. I make it out to J-Town every now and then so I will see you around. Good luck and blue skies..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyPainter 0 #8 May 26, 2008 Hi Skymama and Steve! Thanks for the responses! Mama, I would travel to get the appropriate coaching for the surfing .... I am not trying anything in this sport without being totally trained first! Gotta go gt the A license - first steps first! Steve - I know that Pepperell is a smaller DZ ...is it still a pretty active place? It would be closer for me to jump at. Winsuits sound like a blast! How may leaps would I need before I even considered wingsuiting, in your opinion? Thanks again to both of you - see you somewhere in the skys! Safe Landings, SkyPainterLive deliberately; Dare greatly; Land gently SkyPainter SOS 1304, POPS 10695, DS 118 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyjumpsteve 0 #9 May 31, 2008 Sky, Pepperell is one of the 3 busiest DZ's in New England and is open 7 days a week. the normal standard is to have 200 jumps and be current before doing a WS jump. Tonysuits has introduced a beginner suit "the Intro" that can be flown with as few as 100 jumps. Try and find a WS instructor for additional questions and to find out how to get started. www.flockuniversity.org has contact info for "Flock U". Blues Skies. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyPainter 0 #10 June 20, 2008 Hi Steve .... I will be jumping from Pepperell as my home DZ ....and I am fascinated by Wingsuits and Formation Dives! Making my first Jump - Tandem - first thing tomorrow AM (Sat), and then hoping to book the FJC and AFF while there. SKyVenture will be a good resource for me during the AFF course, methinks! Best - Blue Skys and Safe Landings always ... ChaaazLive deliberately; Dare greatly; Land gently SkyPainter SOS 1304, POPS 10695, DS 118 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 37 #11 June 20, 2008 There's a bunch of wingsuiters in Pepperill this weekend. Say hi to my Moderator DSE (his real name is Douglas). He'll be the one with a black ponytail. Tell him I sent ya. And, have fun on your jump! 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyPainter 0 #12 June 22, 2008 Well....no longer earthbound! Made the Tandem first thing in the morning, first load. There are no adequate words or sentence structures .... but you all already know that! Mama ....looked for a guy with a black ponytail, and, oddly enough, there were too many of them there yesterday! LOL! I love this, I love this, I love this ......my first brushstroke in the sky was yesterday ...... Chaaaz, AKA SkyPainterLive deliberately; Dare greatly; Land gently SkyPainter SOS 1304, POPS 10695, DS 118 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grannyinthesky 0 #13 June 23, 2008 Way to go!! It is beyond words, isn't it? When's your next jump? That's what happens you know..... one jump and then another and another. "safety first... and What the hell..... safety second, Too!!! " ~~jmy POPS #10490 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomasurii 0 #14 June 24, 2008 Hey SkyPainter -- The "C" word is what drew me into the skies a few weeks ago, too -- always wanted to fly, that first jump was better than sex and faster, too, the way I do it blue skies, dude! life is a near death experience. George Carlin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyPainter 0 #15 June 25, 2008 Thanks, there T! This is an amazing avocation! Hopefully, you will have great outcomes in your other battles, and use the sky for relaxation! Blue Skies, Safe Landings always .... Chaaaz, AKA, SkyPainterLive deliberately; Dare greatly; Land gently SkyPainter SOS 1304, POPS 10695, DS 118 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rwieder 0 #16 June 25, 2008 QuoteA lot of the conversations both here, and in general, revolve around the question of "Why? Waiting on your "A" license to use an entry level skyboard? That take a lot of competant jumpers a minimum of 500 jumps. First of all, welcome you and your cronies to the sport." QuoteMy answer is - Meaning. We are in a constant search for the meaning in our lives, and skydiving provides some of that meaning. Whether it is to affirm ourselves personally, do it for someone we love/d, or to just increase our social connections and sense of FUN, it is about meaning. It MEANS something personally to us!Quote It sounds to me like your "Searcing your self for you place on the big blue marble" Realize, every time and i mean everytime you exith the jump ship, that may be the last sane thing you do. I am 61, (look 41, dress 31, dance like 21, and act 12!) I have one of those addictive personalities, and try to always expand my experiences. Skydiving fits right into my life on a lot of levels; Your a type "A" personality all right, i don't know about your associates. The one remark you made is extremely perplexing to me: "SkyDiving fite right into my lifeQuote You don't even know the sport yet, neither do i think you know of all of the "Wierd Sjit" that takes place in the air. To much too mention. You mention haveing cancer, and insuring that you get as much in as you can for as long as quick as possible"*** Brother, i do not at all envy your situation. Having saif that, please re think your obejrctives and motives for wanting to join out sport. Please make no premature judgement on me for me advising you the way i am. I've seen too many of my friends "Burn In & Bounce" for a lot of reasons. This reply is not intended to imply anything at all, save for one reason, "I Care About You" If pursuing this sport is what caotivets you, then by all means "Go For It) On the other hand, if you doing this for other resons, please do an honest self examanation of your sel right now.f. God Speed, Tale Care & Be safe.-Richard- "You're Holding The Rope And I'm Taking The Fall" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyPainter 0 #17 June 29, 2008 Hi man! And thank you for the considered response! Since that first post, I went and did a Tandem - on my own, as virtually ALL of those people who were to join me relented when the date was set! My reason(s) for getting into this sport are sane enough. My motivation to do so is committed, as evidence by the solo Tandem (which I LOVED BTW!), and heading off to the AFF training asap. Yep, probably a type A alright, but a safe type A. Every sport I have gotten into, I have gotten the appropriate training, gotten certified where possible, and endeavored to learn - and continue learning - since then. Skydiving, having different inherent dangers, as well as different satisfactions, requires a focused dedication to ongoing learning. As a coach and teacher in other things, the value of structured knowledge is not lost on me! My goal is to jump, fly, and land safely myself, while ensuring those around me in the sky or on the ground do so as well, as far as my actions are concerned. That includes instructors during AFF. I even took multiple trips to a wind tunnel before the Tandem jump; I wanted make sure I had some familiarity in the windstream, with arching position, and to make sure I did not interfere with the TI during the jump. I believe that it helped a lot, and will continue in the tunnel during AFF training. Everyone has personal reasons for jumping - me included - but safety for me is the number one goal for achieving the result. As far as the surfboard goes ... I now understand how much training that takes, and I have also learned since that first post about several other disciplines that may interest me even more! But first steps first .... FJC, AFF, "A", then a slew of solo jumps to cement initial skills before even considering any other types of relative or other work. One of the things that impresses me most about this sport, and this community, is the caring for newcomers expressed by more experienced jumpers, without reservation. It is indeed a unique group, which I will be proud to be part of! Thanks again, Blue Skies, Safe Landings always SkyPainterLive deliberately; Dare greatly; Land gently SkyPainter SOS 1304, POPS 10695, DS 118 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
