elfanie 0 #1 January 8, 2004 You have a scary skydive..maybe a high speed malfunction, or a landing that went wrong but didn't break you... do you tell people? do you tell them, "hey..I just had a reserve ride?" or "I had a hard landing and flipped head over butt across the landscape...thank God I wasn't killed.." ? Or do you not tell people? why do you tell people..or why not? -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
falxori 0 #2 January 8, 2004 i guess it depends how shakey and shocked i'll be after it. if i'll be ok with it, it would be fun telling. otherwise i'll have to sort things with myself before i give a heart attack to my mum... O "Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elfanie 0 #3 January 8, 2004 Heh...I caught myself telling certain people, not telling others, and telling it in different ways depending on who i told it to. Parents...told very matter of fact in a positive light. "I couldn't get my PC out, so I did exactly as I was trained to do and landed uneventfully right at the DZ." Friends.."High speed malfunction...pulled my reserve...scared me, but everything was fine. Friends who have jumped with me before.."10 seconds before I would have impacted the earth I pulled the reserve, saving myself from certain death.." (said with background music for mood) whuffo friends...don't tell them at all... but I was surprised to see how I told the story slightly different (exaggerated here to illustrate a point) depending on who I was talking to. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACMESkydiver 0 #4 January 8, 2004 -After something goes wrong, ya kinda need a sympathetic ear, IMO anyway. That's what DZ.com is for! I think I'd really on people here before telling most others...except the few I jump with regularly and my hubby.~Jaye Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
caress 0 #5 January 8, 2004 elfanie, that is a good question. I am fortunate that I can tell my family anything because as far as they are concerned, I'm living on borrowed time. They never thought I would live past age 25. As for my friends, even the WHUFFOS, I can be unconditionally open with about anything. However not everyone is as fortunate as me. Some people have to either "tone it down" a bit or make it seem less freaky so their friends, family, etc. do not get all overprotective and silly about it. I can see your point about how you tell certain folks about what happen the other day to you. Which by the way I am so proud of you, but only 2 tries next time Okay? You are smart and you tell others how you see fit. everyone else has to figure out what is the right way for them.-Caress I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elfanie 0 #6 January 8, 2004 Quote Which by the way I am so proud of you, but only 2 tries next time Okay? Yes...only 2 tries next time..I've chanted that to myself since Sunday. Denial, even for a few seconds, is definately NOT a good thing when skydiving! Now I KNOW it can happen, and don't think I'll have what I jokingly call my "Scooby Doo" moment... (ie. yank on the hacky, PC doesn't move, and with a scooby doo voice I go, "Huuuhhhrrrrr?? Ruh Roh...") 2 tries next time...never more than two tries...never more than two tries... look red, grab red, look silver, pull red, pull silver... never more than two tries... look red, grab red, look silver, pull red, pull silver... never more than two tries... look red, grab red, look silver, pull red, pull silver... never more than two tries... -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACMESkydiver 0 #7 January 8, 2004 I'm glad you're Ok Elfanie...didn't realize your post was about a real situation... I'm focusing on "Look, grab, look, pull, pull." ...I hafta keep it REAL simple so as not to confuse my widdle brain. No doubt that's scary...but the GREAT thing about having a cut-away in my extremely limited experience (1 chop, 52 jumps) is that you know you can do it again if need be. I was wayyy more frightened of malfunctions before I had to chop one.~Jaye Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
indyz 1 #8 January 8, 2004 I'll tell my friends. I probably won't tell my family because my Mom gets really freaked out about these things and probably wouldn't take it very well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bmcd308 0 #9 January 8, 2004 I voted for skydiving friends, but I have actually kept a brief scare to myself until now - sitflying in a sweatshirt where the bottom came out from under my legstraps and actually folded over the bottom of my container. For whatever reason I knew exactly what had happened when I reached back and could not get the pud, so I slid my hand between the shirt and the container, got it, and tossed. The whole thing was very brief, but I actually felt a little sick at the time. Brent ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACMESkydiver 0 #10 January 8, 2004 Wow... That would be pretty freaky...good thing you kept your head and knew just what to do!!~Jaye Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elfanie 0 #11 January 8, 2004 Quote I'm glad you're Ok Elfanie...didn't realize your post was about a real situation... Heh...it's about a real situation, but I was just generally curious about other people's experiences... because, honestly, it never occured to me that I WOULDN"T want to tell people an exciting skydiving story! And then....here I sat..not really wanting to tell certain people...ya know? And what happened to me was a hard pull... you can read about it here.. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=838821 was under canopy by around 2K...uneventful landing..but still...sparked about every nerve in my body up! -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FrogNog 1 #12 January 8, 2004 Quote I voted for skydiving friends, but I have actually kept a brief scare to myself until now - sitflying in a sweatshirt where the bottom came out from under my legstraps and actually folded over the bottom of my container. For whatever reason I knew exactly what had happened when I reached back and could not get the pud, so I slid my hand between the shirt and the container, got it, and tossed. The whole thing was very brief, but I actually felt a little sick at the time. Brent Good save, glad you didn't die, but why dincha just go head-down or roll over on yer back to get the handle? I have to be briefer and use a more positive light with the GF and her parents, or the GF gets skeered and the parents ask why I have a death wish. They don't let me get to the sublime part of the tale, e.g. how very peaceful it was for the first second after I pulled my SOS handle. (That was sweet.) Some of my other, closer whuffo friends will either listen carefully or glaze their eyes over and wait for me to be done, depending on how much I've bored them previously with my skydiving chatter. (With one of them, who has low tolerance, I've taken to saying "I did you-know-what this weekend" and leaving it at that.) -=-=-=-=- Pull. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shunkka 0 #13 January 8, 2004 i vote for "skydiving friends" because all the others would tell me "HEY IT`s SKYDIVING... what a hell u expect 2 be... u know u can die so why are shoked?" when i had my climbing accident all the whuffos told me - IT`s NORMAL where all the climbing friends told me that was a fucking bad luck ------------------------- "jump, have fun, pull" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airdweller 0 #14 January 8, 2004 Interesting question I remember one jump having both canopies out, round reserve, and landing in I guess you could call a slow downplane, but still hurt like a bitch. The first thing I did was call my wife. I said"I just want you to know that I'm okay" Her response was of course "what happened" so I told her. She was freaked out and so was I, but it did make me feel better.------------------------------------------------------ "From the mightiest pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?" C. Montgomery Burns Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dterrick 0 #15 January 8, 2004 Good question. Multiple answers, though. I had my Beer resere ride as a student on jump #20, opening weekend 2002. I skipped one load to go grab the case o beer and when I returned the DZO had manifest me on the sunset hop n pop load less than 2 hours later. No fear, no looking back, and the discussions were had among the DZ as the case evaporated... andthen the next case evaporeated.... I still tell the story to new(er) skydivers because it is a testament to how the training WORKS. there are some jumpers at our DZ who have many hundreds of jumps and have been in the sport 5+ years ... and they STILL dread their first reserve ride. Getting it out of the way was the best thing that could have happened to me. BTW, it was a pc in tow (5 count, 'check ,000) that, when it finally opened, turned into a stuck slider/streamer (cruiselite student rig, I had NEVER seen it open before as it always slammed me before I could look up ). My parents were not freaked because they know that even if I do wacko things, I do them with a clear head that can think apropriately fast. I had an entanglement/horseshoe on a hop n pop at about jump 150. That one has been reserved for experienced jumpers and these forums. The parents don't know except that I had a "rough opening" (yes, you can get whipped around prety good when you're pulled headdown at 7-8 seconds form 3,000 by a pc entanglement and you kick the p/c off your leg just before your big 7 cell Raven opens...) and I was sore for a few days. Landings? The one and only time they've been to DZ was moments after we had our one and (so far) only tandem terminal reserve ride. The first people they saw besides me...? Yup, the TM and student, both soaking wet and muddy and both white as hotel sheets. They now believe in the 'any landing you can walk away from..." theory and so far I've walked away form them all. Fellow skydivers injuries? Not so far. My FJC instructor was the TM injured in Palatka (see incidents forum if you're curious). That one will not be discussed with anyone but skydivers for a long while... and even then I don't like thinking about it as it. Our small DZ has been fortunate to have very few lost time injuries but this one will be lost time at a minimum . Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #16 January 8, 2004 Uh Elfanie. I think you would add to the Tell them everything in Detail option... but the Story must start out with.. There I was, I almost died..... This is no shit, Never pass up a good storytelling opportunity Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elfanie 0 #17 January 9, 2004 wow... I'm actually a little surprised at how many people say that they wouldn't tell their family if they had a scary event or difficult landing or something...they'd only tell their skydiving friends. Mind if I ask why? -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chaoskitty 0 #18 January 9, 2004 I told my friends and my brother the story about my mal, but didnt tell my parents the whole story. Just told them that my main malfunctioned so I cut it away and pulled my reserve. I didnt tell them that i was spinning and twisting under line twists and a line over and I couldnt get the cut away handle pulled until the line twists came out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lee03 0 #19 January 9, 2004 I dunno. I'd probably tell everyone, would definetly tell other skydivers, might or might not tell family members. Whuffos, eh..why worry about them.. hard to say who I'd tell.-------- To put your life in danger from time to time ... breeds a saneness in dealing with day-to-day trivialities. --Nevil Shute, Slide Rule Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZoneRat 0 #20 January 9, 2004 Quote wow... I'm actually a little surprised at how many people say that they wouldn't tell their family if they had a scary event or difficult landing or something...they'd only tell their skydiving friends. Mind if I ask why? Wuffo's don't understand. They can't. Just like I couldn't really "get" an accountant's "No Shit Story". Although I can imagine one: "No shit, there I was, I thought I'd put the company in bankruptsy and myself in prison"... It'd be fun until the detail started, then my eyes would glaze right over... Skydiving friends not only get it, but can comiserate, chew ya out, teach ya stuff, etc. They can tell when you're blowing it out of proportion, and when you're not paying enough heed. Wuffo's just aren't equipped to do that. Naw, you'd be better off telling your cat. or your TV.“There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.” Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chaoskitty 0 #21 January 9, 2004 A lot of my friends who have never made a skydive are interested in my skydiving stories, and they have a pretty good understanding of what I'm talking about. I can tell that they do by the questions that they ask. I do have a few friends who are very nervous about me jumping, so I am selective of what I tell them, as to not scare them. One of my best friends is a surfer, and I'm deathly afraid of sharks, so I dont want to hear about him seeing sharks in the water. Hes not scared.. but I am! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tonto 1 #22 January 9, 2004 I've been jumping 19 years, and as you know - shit happens. I've told my parents about all my mals. "Yes, I had one, cut away, pulled reserve - safe as usual!" I didn't tell them about my tandem reserve mal. I don't think hearing about reserve mals would help them much. I only tell skydivers about things I consider "hectic" tIt's the year of the Pig. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GravityGirl 0 #23 January 9, 2004 So this one time... .... I was going to retrieve a chopped Tandem Main that landed too close to the runway. So I was in a hurry. And I climbed a barbed wire fence. And it broke as I was straddling it. And I pricked my cooter..... NO WAY, I wouldn't tell ANYONE and embarrassing story about myself! ....did I tell you about the time I was on the new? Real TV? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZoneRat 0 #24 January 9, 2004 Quote So this one time... ....did I tell you about the time I was on the new? Real TV? You.. pricked.. your.. COOTER!? Oh, gawd. Oh, gawd NO!!!! Was it ok? Did you quickly put an earing through the hole? Is that how you got your piercing? I wanna hear THAT story! I got a sticker in my Yippy-Ki-Yay once... when I was about 12... (see?... maybe it's best not to tell skydivers afterall...)“There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.” Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
