Interesting question

[flyinryan 0]

Okay...so here you go. What is more important to you as part of skydiving, the social aspect, or the jumping out of airplanes. If you had to give up one, which one would you give up. I am not saying which is better, just asking for opinions.

[AggieDave 6]

Hey, anyone can be social, I wanna jump out ze planes.
Aerials
So up high
When you free your lives (the) eternal prize

[pop 0]

If I had to I would give up the social aspect, even though it makes skydiving so great. We are talking about skydiving here, which requires us to jump out of something. Giving up jumping out of airplanes would be giving up the sport all together...
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"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled, was convincing the world he doesn't exist!"

[skymama 37]

I like the people I hang out with, and I look forward to seeing them ,but I'm definitely there for the jumping.
Andrea
I'm high as a kite
I just might
Stop and check you out.

[SkydiveMonkey 0]

If you give up the social side, you might as well just give up skydiving. It's jumping with other people and shring experiences that makes this sport what it is IMHO.
When I grow up, I want to be a post whore

[ChromeBoy 0]

If I just wanted a social aspect I would be golfing with my other friends on the weekends. Why drive such a long way, (for me at least), on the weekends just to hang out with people for a couple of hours? It's all about the freefall and canopy ride for me.

[hooked 0]

I would be in it for the skydiving! Easy choice!
J

[Spy38W 0]

For me, I would have to say its the combination of the two. I remember how before I started I had always had the itch to do it, then I showed up at the DZ to be a pilot, saw how much fun the people were having and how well they got along, and then stuck the proverbial needle in my arm and did a tandem. I haven't really looked back since. I didn't really participate in the social aspect for a couple of days because I didn't feel like I was a real skydiver until I did my pre-second IAF jump and therefore thought I didn't belong..
The two just go hand in hand
--
Give them a sip of the darkside, and they just thirst for more.

[dove 0]

It'e the jumping that got me addicted.
I gotta have air.
dove

[nacmacfeegle 0]

Spy got it,
You simply can't have one without the other, its a social sport, we jump with our friends, old or new. I mean, its kinda hard to do any type of fun skydiving on your own isn't it?
Try doing crw on a solo, or RW, VRW etc...IYSWIM
Cya
D

[kingbunky 3]

i think the two are integral. although there is enormous personal satisfaction involved, talking about it afterwards seems to be as important. all the 'no shit, there i was' stories and stuff are a big part of the sport. like they say, how can you tell if there is a skydiver in the room? don't worry, (s)he'll tell you! how else would you explain people that go to the dz even when they can't jump due to injury, illness or finances?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
bunky
get crazy, before it gets you.

[hobbes4star 0]

i can be social at work, i want the planes:)
why jump when you can fly

[Skyrose7 0]

this is a tough one, but I have to say the jumping is more important to me. This could be because I haven't been at my dz that long. still a newbie, but I love the people already! At this point, I don't know everyone. That will surely change this summer, but jumping is what brings us all together. There would be no social "connection" with out the bond of jumping together. They go hand in hand. The mind is like a parachute--it works better when it is open. JUMP.

[Sebazz1 2]

It's all or nothing for me. If I can't have the people and the friendships I do not want to skydive by myself..........
Sebazz........

[flyinryan 0]

I think some people have mis-understood the question. At my small DZ people stay after the sun has set and drink with eachother. Some people seem to do more drinking/partying than actuall jumping, while others jump all day and have fun but leave when the beer light comes on....this is where the question comes from.

[billvon 3,092]

>Okay...so here you go. What is more important to you as part of skydiving,
>the social aspect, or the jumping out of airplanes.
The social aspect is a byproduct of the skydiving. Even on days when I do nothing but jump and go home (camps etc) I see friends, talk on the plane, give people grief, etc. You can have odd friends without skydiving - you cannot skydive without picking up odd friends.
-bill von

[Sebazz1 2]

In that case I would say that I would like to jump from sunrise to sunset (with friends) Then drink all night till following sunrise (with same friends).
I like all of it. But if I had to chose between the partying or jumping. Well you have to pick the jumping no doubt...
Sebazz........

[Scratch 0]

I'm with the fence sitters here.
You cannot separate the two.
When I think about the sport it is the people and the air, one does not mean that much without the other.
I wish the real world
would just stop hassling me~~~matchbox20

[skybytch 273]

For me it's about the jumping. Jumping with friends is a great benefit but not required for me to want to skydive.
Partying is fun, but I guess I'm getting old - it's not nearly as fun as the skydiving. It's rare that I make it even to midnight anymore...
pull & flare,
lisa
---
On the other hand...you have different fingers

[Billy 0]

"You can have odd friends without skydiving - you cannot skydive without picking up odd friends."
ain't that the truth!! I do love the freefall,, solo is cool but I definately enjoy it more with friends,, kinda like sex,, it's better with someone ya care about!

[MrHixxx 0]

It is not that I don't like people, I just feel better when they are not around. I'll take the planes!!!
-Hixxx
"Sous ma tub, Dr. Suess ma tub"

[Dumpster 0]

I think Bill got it right - You can have friends without skydiving, but you can't skydive without making friends - at least some casual aquaintances-
Yet there seem to be a few people who socialize and occasionally jump - Some who jump and occasionaly socialize - and the bulk do both - And a few that are beer drinkers with a skydiving problem--
Bottom line for me is I'm there to jump and have fun, and the social aspect is nice side effect-

[GrumpySmurf 0]

*heh* I remember seeing that on a shirt when I first started in 99 - "My drinking team has a skydiving problem." - that one, and "Warning: The plane is NOT perfectly functional" (never could find that second shirt though).

[pop 0]

where did you see those shirts....i'd love to get me one
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"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled, was convincing the world he doesn't exist!"

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

My drinking team has a skydiving problem."

I have one of those, its on the back of a shirt from a local bar that had a few jumpers that worked there. If you look at the dz.com the gathering pics from Spaceland last year, its that blue shirt I'm wearing, but I don't think you can see the back. The front is cool, though, it has a guy in freefall holding a keg...
Aerials
So up high
When you free your lives (the) eternal prize