Getting "accepted" into the sport.

[Deuce 1]

After my 100th skydive, I'll never forget my mentor, Connie Krusi, remarking to me "Yeah, you're in".

It was really, really cool. While eventually some skydivers may revert to "rebel" status, most of us enjoy belonging to such a diverse and eclectic group. To learn, you have to be submissive enough to be taught. Eventually the student may become the Master, but that will be long after submitting to teaching, which will result in acceptance.

If you are un-teachable, or "show the hand" to friendly or not-so-friendly experienced jumpers and instructors who attempt to show you the way, you will continue to skydive, but never be accepted.

I'm far from submissive as a man, but very teachable. I've got 1700 jumps or so, and coach, AFF, and Tandem ratings ( I think the coach one is redundant with the AFF rating).

I don't know dookie.

At any rate, none of us is ever perfect, and all of us have more to learn. The very best skydivers, in my experience, are the best listeners, and are the most curious about how the rest of us get things done. I did a couple of skydives with Terry (sp?) Schumaker this last Holiday Boogie after being introduced to him by Greg Gasson, and both those guys are curious and interested and energized by whatever can bring more to the sport of skydiving. Casually talking with Brent Finley and Mike McGowan will humble anybody. Both those guys, and all the best skydivers I've known, are always open to learning more, from any source, even a novice like me.

What prompted this little rant was seeing my "Skymonkey" hat on my desk in my pretty empty new house. How did I get that hat?

I met this guy and his friends, and I was open to them teaching me. Mostly skydiving stuff, but some really cool drinking and barfighting stuff too.

Listen up, new folks and folks who are doing solos: Listen. Maybe you are at a 182 DZ and you have no choice cause even if you listened the other folks don't have time to jump with you without you paying slots. Buying beer and listening is cheaper.

We have a new guy at our DZ who has the best beer karma in recent history. I've drunk (is it "drank" Nazi's?") enough of his beer that he has two coach jumps coming from me alone. And he listens.

I had two great AFF students yesterday. One will no doubt become "Accepted" regardless of her being attractive (or despite it) and one may end up doing lots of solos because of his "I KNOW!" "I've already done that!" attitude.

Relax. Learn. Enjoy.

Skydiving is no substitute for family, but it can be a great group of second cousins.

Second cousins are still illegal in California, Monkey. Don't poop where you eat.

[DeNReN 0]

I'll have what your having tonight

Acceptance "into" the sport is more of a social circle thing then it is a love to skydive thing...do the people in the local click accept you as one of them or not?.....that hot flirty chick with only 10 jumps and 1 month in the sport will more likely be accepted then the dude with bad breathe and 200 jumps and 2 years in the sport that dosent stick around for the bonfire.

but who should be accepted? the hottie or the stinky?......I'm all for accepting the hottie...is it right...nope...but thats how things seem to work..its all social skills for being accepted.

Edited to add: and a great ass never hurts.....

[AggieDave 6]

Getting accepted into this sport has nothing to do with anything beyond politics and if you have become apart of the "in" crowd. Many times becoming apart of that "in" crowd involves being a near slobbering servant of a skygod who has a group of folks that follows him/her around.


Obviously people have overcome that with being just incredibly good at skydiving, but it is still a vicious circle of self loving.


I believe that's why there's so many jumpers who just don't care, they jump with other people like them, even though they may not be as good as the skygod. Due to the simple fact that its fun and they enjoy the people around them.

Is it a thin and blurry line? Yup. Is the line there? Yup.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[bob.dino 1]

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...people in the local click...

It's a clique, not a click.

[popsjumper 2]

Once again, you hit the nail on the head....

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[Lindercles 0]

Somebody get that man a beer.

[skybytch 273]

Wow. I'm glad I don't live in your world.

[bob.dino 1]

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Getting accepted into this sport has nothing to do with anything beyond politics and if you have become apart of the "in" crowd. Many times becoming apart of that "in" crowd involves being a near slobbering servant of a skygod who has a group of folks that follows him/her around.

Really? I haven't seen that. From where I am, it seems you just need to be relaxed, friendly, and willing to make the effort to get to know people. Oh, and buy your beer.

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Is it a thin and blurry line? Yup. Is the line there? Yup.

I'm not sure I get you. What line are you referring to?

[AggieDave 6]

So Lisa, you're going to tell me with a straight face that you fully believe that there are no politics in skydiving?


I've had the opportunity to jump with some of the best skydivers in the sport, they have been good jumps. However, I've been around some of the best skydivers in the sport that have a world such as I described. Luckily there are a number of very experienced people in this sport that have an incredible amount of experience that aren't skygods. Although, there are a lot of skygods around.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Icon134 0]

I agree with Dave... I've been to dzs where I was accepted the moment I walked in the door and places where even after several visits I didn't feel like it was home...

Scott

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[AggieDave 6]

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Really? I haven't seen that. From where I am, it seems you just need to be relaxed, friendly, and willing to make the effort to get to know people. Oh, and buy your beer.

That is important and I will agree that having those qualities will get you a long ways with other people that are similar. A good number of jumpers in the sport are similar as well.

However, what I got from the original post was getting accepted by the super experienced jumpers. There are some, such as the one referenced via the hat in the original post, that just likes people and likes partying with people. Thats good. There are many others that are simply skygods and to become accepted into the sport by those uber-experienced jumpers is to be one of their minions.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[popsjumper 2]

I hope Monroe was one of the former....

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[bob.dino 1]

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However, what I got from the original post was getting accepted by the super experienced jumpers. There are some, such as the one referenced via the hat in the original post, that just likes people and likes partying with people. Thats good. There are many others that are simply skygods and to become accepted into the sport by those uber-experienced jumpers is to be one of their minions.

Ah, getcha. There are very very few jumpers like that in Australia. Maybe because it's a much smaller community over here? There's also a thing in Aussie culture of not being particularly tolerant of folk that're full of themselves.

[Icon134 0]

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I hope Monroe was one of the former....

You bet... I really enjoyed my visits to Monroe.

the only real latter was a dz that primarily was a Freefly DZ... and since I'm not a freeflyer I often didn't feel at home there...

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[DeNReN 0]

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...people in the local click...

It's a clique, not a click.

Did that bother you?.....Ooopsy .....Might I suggest using a

[skinnyshrek 0]

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I agree with Dave... I've been to dzs where I was accepted the moment I walked in the door and places where even after several visits I didn't feel like it was home...

Scott

When you coming back to the farm?

http://www.skydivethefarm.com

do you realize that when you critisize people you dont know over the internet, you become part of a growing society of twats? ARE YOU ONE OF THEM?

[popsjumper 2]

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...When you coming back to the farm?

Maybe when he can pry himself away from the Ohio girls...

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[Icon134 0]

I don't know... Hopefully I'll make it back down there sometime during one of my breaks this summer.

have you seen the video of you jumping out of the caravan for a hop&pop on my website...

attached is a frame grab from the vid...

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[Icon134 0]

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Maybe when he can pry himself away from the Ohio girls...

Now if only that was a problem

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[Vallerina 2]

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Acceptance "into" the sport is more of a social circle thing then it is a love to skydive thing...

Somewhat. But not completely.

I've never strived for acceptance, nor have I ever cared. If I'm accepted by a group or not, I have no real clue. However, I will agree with a lot of what Deuce has said. I have learned so much in the sport, and there will always be a certain bond with people who have mentored me. What I find so cool about that bond is that even after not seeing them for so long, it feels as though no time has passed. And I find it especially cool how I keep learning from these mentors (for example, a couple that had mentored me at 20 jumps, well, I'm going to take a coach's course from them soon!
I can't even begin to list off all the wonderful people I've met in the sport....big names...not big names...whatever. Even though so many of them live so far away, it's cool to have friends all over, and it is really neat to meet up with people again. I don't think it's "acceptance." Well, for me it's not. I don't know of any real "groups" I'm accepted in. For me, it's about meeting really incredible people and learning from them...skydiving related or not.

But, of course, there is the human side of the sport. Will the hot chick get more attention? DUH! Will the guy bringing a couple of cases of beer get more attention? DUH! This is the part of the sport where it's really just a glorified bar. Big whoop.

Think about it....how many other people are there where you hung out with them for only a weekend three years ago, but you still stay in contact with them? That's the part that goes beyond the normal social circle even if the hot chick is still getting free coached jumps.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[DeNReN 0]

great post

[micro 0]

I have to say that my experience getting into the sport has been nothing like what Dave posted. When Gino Leone first got me interested in skydiving back in the fall of 1994, all I could afford to do is to go down to Chris Martin's DZ in Tullahoma and hang out. I introduced myself to everyone and quickly became friends. I found myself many times just hanging out down there, helping out. I'd clean the hanger, help Chris clean the planes, basically whatever they needed to be done. I'd watch them pack the rigs, sit in on training sessions, listen in on old-timers telling stories.

Work got busy for a while and I had to stay away for a few weeks. I called Chris later and asked if anyone was going to be jumping during the week and when he heard it was me, he grabbed the phone and said, "DOO-DAH!" (that's was my nickname as soon as they learned my real last name, Dudek) "Where you been man? You're like family! We miss you! Get down here!"

I just about cried. Honestly. I had only been in Nashville about 6 months and hadn't made made many friends outside of work. My college love, now my wife of almost 11 years, and I were having a long-distance relationship, and Chris' words were like a balm on my soul.

As time went on and winter weather dragged (drug?) on, jumping continued to be slow. I remember one time in late winter, I rode up in the co-pilot's seat of Chris' Twin-Bo on a light load with what Chris called "fairly inexperienced" jumpers. All were jumping Sabres and the winds were in the high teens.

Chris helped me into the emergency bail-out rig. It was the first time in a rig and my heart was racing. Chris was very good with instructing me in what to do should the Twin-Bo go down, which ironically, it would do a few years later after losing an engine. Luckily, no one would perish in that crash.

On the way to altitude, Chris and I chatted about the sport, telling me about his history of jumps, about what these jumpers were about to do, and I could feel my desire to jump growing by the minute.

Well, we started on jump run and Chris informed me he was going to cut the engines and inform the jumpers to EXIT EXIT EXIT! I turned in the co-pilot's seat to watch them prepare for their jump. Then, ready, set, go! Fuck me, just that quick, they were GONE! I couldn't believe it! It all happened so fast!
Chris banked the Twin-Bo hard to the left to watch the 5-way descend. We spiralled down and down and down. I had no idea a Twin-Bo could do that. We planed out and around the pattern to land. We touched down just in time to see three of the jumpers land on the dz. Two of them landed out due to the high winds. One hooked in to avoid power lines that were lining the road leading into the airport. He broke some bones but I don't recall which ones. I recall someone saying he landed the same time as his canopy and, at the time during my relativel whuffo status, I didn't quite get that.

I saw the dz staff spring into action. Chris was pretty pissed, but his care for his hurt customer was still evident. What got me what that the dz staff expect me to be right there helping out. They didn't expect me to stand back and stay clear, they expected me to get my hands dirty so to speak and contribute. Again, the inclusiveness did profound things for me at the time.

Sorry this has carried on so long. One last thing. Back when I started jumping, Orly King jumped there a fair bit. I was on the deck outside the dz trailer one day, watching the canopies float down. Well, out of freakin NO-WHERE comes Orly on this rinky-dink canopy right in front of me, hookin and swoopin. I so wasn't expecting it and I actually jumped and shreaked like such a whuffo (I had actually started AFF by this time). Having never SEEN a hook turn, I thought OMG, this dude is going to FUCKING DIE!!!! I was SO scared. As he came up to the trailer to pack that little beach towel, I told him how he had scared the shit out of me and to ask him if he meant to do that (such a whuffo!).

His response? Total compassion. "I'm sorry man, I didn't mean to scare you! That was called a hook turn so I could swoop those cones over there."

I miss Lee.
And JP.
And Chris. And...

[Vallerina 2]

That is such a cool story!
It's much better than my story. I signed up with the Purdue club, became a treasurer, then figured out how to get free jumps with my status! And I was a big pain in the ass.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[smiles 0]

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Getting accepted into this sport has nothing to do with anything beyond politics and if you have become apart of the "in" crowd. Many times becoming apart of that "in" crowd involves being a near slobbering servant of a skygod who has a group of folks that follows him/her around.

getting "accepted" into the sport?

My attitude is having the ability to accept people for who they are, and giving back to the sport is what I enjoy. #1 is new blood, and new blood is what makes this sport happen. Becoming part of a "in crowd" is not in the picture as the "in crowd" do not have a nano of the great vibes the "new blood" have. Politics? ...who has the time for it?

SMiles

eustress. : a positive form of stress having a beneficial effect on health, motivation, performance, and emotional well-being.

[HeatherB 0]

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Getting accepted into this sport has nothing to do with anything beyond politics and if you have become apart of the "in" crowd. Many times becoming apart of that "in" crowd involves being a near slobbering servant of a skygod who has a group of folks that follows him/her around.

Personally, I think it has a hell of a lot more to do with the person's attitude than any politics.

Yes, at big DZ's it may be hard to "break in" at first...but find some organizers, don't kill anyone, listen, smile a bit, and you should be good to go. Lather, rinse, repeat as necessary.

I'll take this opportunity to say that Skydive Dallas is one of the friendliest dropzones I've visited. It is very different from Z-hills, but super friendly. I've only been here a little while, but each trip to the DZ has been great, and it looks like I already have a team.