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gus

Newbies who write off rw

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[minor rant]

Maybe I'm imagining it but recently I seem to heard alot of newbies, some who I don't think have actually jumped yet, expressing their disdain for rw. Now, disdain for rw is a perfectly healthy attitude ;) but at least give it a try! Contrary to what the 'cool' people here and on the dz might say, rw can be fun, challenging and very rewarding.
Probably no more than 10 of my last 200 jumps have been rw but that's a decision I made having done nothing but rw for the previous 100. Make an informed decision, that's all I'm saying.

[/minor rant]

Ta,

Gus
OutpatientsOnline.com

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My response is always the same.........you have to learn to crawl before you can walk, and walk before you can run. All the fundamentals of flying one's body comes from RW. There is a natural progression........let it happen.
(Bill shhhhhh!!!! we all know I walk on the dark side)








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I agree. If someone has never turned a buncha points on a four way or a couple points on a 30 way or no points on an 80 way, they have no idea what RW is all about and are missing out on some really cool skydives and the chance to jump with some really cool people.

Their loss. I find RW to be loads of fun and very challenging, and will continue to work on getting better at both RW and at freeflying. I don't wanna be a one trick pony...

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I don't wanna be a one trick pony...



That's exactly it: it's like learning to drive but only ever using a couple of the gears. Bottom line is this - we love to skydive, so why not experience as much of it as you can?

Gus
OutpatientsOnline.com

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Yep...I recommend a minimum of 50 RW jumps before doing Free Fly. I mean good RW jumps too. Not just flailing around in the sky. Go out and learn to fly!! I didn't wait....and I wasted a lot of time and money. Sure I could sit at jump #15.....sliding backwards at 367 MPH. If I had some sort of air awareness that probably wouldn't have happened.

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I recently decided that I was going to concentrate on FF instead of RW. I originally wanted to concentrate on RW but found it much harder to find people to jump with. This may just be my perception, but what I've found is that the "experienced" RW jumpers are very particular about whom they will jump with. It seems that the majority of them don't want to get on a load with someone who has the potential to screw up the jump. Yes, there are a lot of exceptions to that and I've been taking advantage of the generosity of those willing to jump with less experienced jumpers and teach me a thing or two. The problem is, I can't usually fill a weekend of jumping with those kind of jumps because there aren't enough opportunities. And then when I go off and do some sit jumps with my friends, I'm perceived as not really wanting to learn RW as much as someone else so I get passed over.

On the other hand, I have rarely seen freeflyers not take you on a jump because you might screw up (except as a safety precaution if there're too many in the group already). Their attitude is usually, hey, if you cork out, stay fast, stay aware of who's around you and if you get separated from the rest get out of there.

It may be because of the different aspects of the disciplines, or because of the mix at my DZ. For all I know it could be an attitude that I portray or maybe I just really suck that bad at RW. But as to why newbies write off RW, there's my reason.

I'm not writing off RW, I'll still do skills camps when available, and if I have the opportunity to get coaching I'll take it. But when it comes to gear/jumpsuit selection or paying for coaching I think I'll be putting my money in favor of Freefly.

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My turn off to RW as a new jumper is the difference in attitudes between the RW and FF jumpers I have been exposed to so far. Although everybodies attitude has been positive the RW folks seem to be much more rigid?? I don't know if that's the right word to describe it or not. This is just my own perception.

:)

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Well all I have to say is that I am a Newbie and I'll do anything as long as I can go out the door! I'll try anything atleast once.:)



Oh Yum, she's a skydiver already.

Amber, watch out for Clay, he can be a baaaaad boy.

Also, if you want to try "almost" anything, you need to try it in California!!

Once the plane takes off, you're gonna have to land - Might as well jump out!!

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I recently decided that I was going to concentrate on FF instead of RW. I originally wanted to concentrate on RW but found it much harder to find people to jump with. This may just be my perception, but what I've found is that the "experienced" RW jumpers are very particular about whom they will jump with.



You're exactly right. I love belly flying, and that's what I'd like to do, but I'm tired of having my feelings hurt or being made to feel like my being included on a load is a huge favor.
Skydiving is for cool people only

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I started out thinking that I was going to do only RW. Freeflying was for those young guys! I have an RW suit and everything. I had started doing some 4-way stuff, and then the RW fliers started doing a lot of bigger ways. At that time, around 40 jumps, once all the guys went on the big ways that I wasn't comfortable with, there was no one left for me to jump with! So, a freeflier showed me some stuff, and I started freeflying more and more. Then, my RW skills got rusty, and everytime I went on a jump, I was ruining the formation and felt really bad about it. So, now it's all freeflying for me. I'll tell you another reason why I don't do the big ways- being in the air with all those canopies opening at the same time makes me VERY nervous!
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

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Oh Yum, she's a skydiver already.
Quote



Well, I'm not sure if I'm a skydiver already or not...I'm doin AFF.But I know for sure I'm addicted to the sport.I catch myself all the time gazing at the clouds and keeping the windows down in my truck so I can have the wind in my hair. (aint I poetic;))

PS dont worry about me and "baaaaaad boys" I can hold my own. Wish I could visit Cali...but I'm broke sittin here in TX[:/]



"...just an earthbound misfit, I."

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Freeflying was for those young guys!



You are just soooo old. Hell, SEB and Me just had our birthday's last weekend (both are on Sunday, too weird) and that whipper snapper is only 28!! I just turned a young 35.

Back on topic. Don't let the "SkyGod" attitude stop you from learning some good RW basics. If you are going to stay with skydiving for a long time, you will learn how to live with the people at the DZ. We belong to a small community and all have to deal with DZ crap.

Heck, I'm even trying to learn some basic Free Flying. You want to see funny, watch me try and sit fly. I will probably always be a belly flyer, but I do want to get in 100 or so FF jumps for the experience.

Once the plane takes off, you're gonna have to land - Might as well jump out!!

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Yeah, what Gus said.

At a DZ recently, I participated in some organized RW. I am a competent belly flier. We did An 8-way and a 10-way. We had good dirt dives and funneled everything and didn't make a singe point. My humble observation was that the mix was bad. Only a quarter of the jumpers were skilled and the rest either had no skills or were really new. When one of the jumpers asked the organizer how to fly a particular formation his reply was "relax, it'll eventually come to you" I liked his attitude, but if somebody is looking way up with their head in a star formation, they will probably fall out. They won't know why, they will keep failing and they'll go do FF. Freeflyers wear cameras and they will tell the new person what they're doing wrong with their hands and feet, they will correct it, and they'll stay with FF because they can see the improvement they're making.

Newbies will stick with it if there's some success in it for them. Keep them in small formations until they get the basics, then go bigger. The freeflyers I have met and fly with won't take 7 other strangers out on a head-down. Why do we do 8 ways with students right off AFF in RW?

I'm a big fan of both disciplines. I think the 3D award is a great motivator to be proficient in both.

Lordy. I shouldn't ever type hungover like this.

God bless America.

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Don't let the "SkyGod" attitude stop you from learning some good RW basics.



Not throwing stones here, but a friend of mine went to the 4/20 Boogie at Deland to do some freeflying. I asked him how it was, and he mentioned something about "Attitudes". I guess some freeflyers do learn from the RW people.:o
Shit happens. And it usually happens because of physics.

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