This Weekend

[Doasfu 0]

Well, I went to the DZ this time. Did I jump? No. But this is an improvement over last weekend...
So, I get out to the DZ early on Saturday afternoon. I went to manifest and ask for a 15 second delay briefing. (ever heard of static line? hehe) Anyhow, I'm going over the jump with my JM. First time doing a new exit, a poised release from the C-182 step rather than a hanging exit. Once I get out, I'm doing a 180 turn one way, stopping, and doing a 360 the other way. Got it. Not too bad, should have plenty of time from 7500'.
Anyhow, the JM heads off to brief another student on PRCPs before we go, and I head out to the mockup to work on the poised exit a little more. Damn, I think, but that sun is coming down hard and I'm feeling just a bit woozy. The JM comes over and he asks me how I'm doing, I look a little out of it.

"I'm ok."
"Don't give me O.K. Can you jump?"
"Yep, I'm good to go."

A few minutes later, just as I'm about to gear up, I realize that this is my life I'm playing with here, and even though I'm just a shade off of normal, something's not feeling right. Shit. I really need to sit this one out.

So I take a deep breath and tell the JM that I'm feeling light headed and should really stay on the ground.

So what can I say? I know I made the right choice. I'm sick of people telling me I made the right choice. It friggin' sucked to stay on the ground. I was pumped to make another freefall, and this would have been an awesome one.

I shouldn't make it seem like the weekend sucked, though. I got a start on learning to pack, although I'm not quite a prodigy on the packing. ("I've seen worse. I'm not going to say you're the best student I've ever had, but I've seen worse.") Fun times were had, beer was consumed, but what a bummer.
Dan

[rhuurrr 0]

hey man-
good judgement on your part. I know the feeling of trepidation when heading out to the DZ after a little time between student jumps. Isn't it amazing how once you get out to the DZ, most of that goes away. I sat out there for about 4 hours today in 90 degree heat, wating for the winds to die down enough for students to jump.....it never happened. After awhile, the heat and sun were starting to get to me, and on the drive home i was feeling alittle faint, so I quickly pulled off the freeway and stopped for margaritas at the nearest friendly Mexican food franchise.
Seriously though, like you said, its your life at stake, and only you can know weather or not you're up to it. If there's any doubt....well, you know.
better luck next week.
Blues,
Jack
ps. Oh my god, next friday I will be an official college graduate!!!!!!!!! wooooohoooooooooo!!!!!
-------------------------------
http://home.pacbell.net/rhuurrr

[cloud9 0]

Hey Dan
I'm sorry to say but I don't think you made the right choice. Unless you have some sort of illness you need to get in the plane. We all had fears when we started. It sounds to me like you need to make a decision, you either want to jump or you don't. Skydiving is not for everyone, there's no shame in that. I can tell you this it gets easier with time. That works both ways it gets easier to get on the plane or it gets easier to make excuses why you shouldn't.
I jump with a girl who has about 100 jumps and she gets real nervous everytime she gets in the plane. She rides to altitude with her eyes closed just trying to relax. When the door opens she goes and she's fine. Some talk bad of her for her fear after a 100 jumps. Me I'm proud of her because she loves to jump and she has to overcome something every jump. But it's worth it to her. And over time is has got a lot better for her.
You need to make a decision. You either want to jump or you don't. Again no shame in not jumping skydiving is not for everyone maybe not you. But if you want to jump then you need to get on that plane. If you have an illness or injury that I'm unaware of then my apologies. If not get on the plane. Just think positive thoughts, all the jumps you see at the DZ that go well, have confidence in yourself and GO! Good luck in the future.
Bleau Skies

[Donna 0]

Hey Dan,
I kind of agree with Cloud. I mean, I think it's great you did go out to the DZ. And I also think there are times when people get a vibe that's telling them not to jump and they should listen to that inner voice. But I also know as a nervous student, that if I listened to my inner voice all the time, I would have never jumped. I'm one of those people that are a wreck ahead of time but have a blast once I'm outside the plane. I've been assuming that as I get jumping regularly that this will go away. (After reading Cloud's post though, now I'm not so sure. click here.
I think if you are having doubts, that maybe you should take the pressure off yourself and just go to the DZ a couple of times and just hang out and relax. Don't plan on jumping and don't jump. (Maybe a kind of windy day would be good... enough to ground students but regulars are still jumping.) Just try to enjoy yourself and watch the other jumpers. But then once you feel up to jumping ahead of time, and decide this is something you really want to do, then go to the DZ and follow through and really jump. If you start feeling light headed or anything just concentrate on deep, relaxing breaths and positive mental imaging.
Can I ask how many jumps you have and how they have gone? Have you always been this nervous or did it just start recently?
Have you ever read Wendy Faulkner's page? She's a great skydiver now and she had kind of a rough start and reading it helped me. Wendy's Page. Also here is a story by Jan Meyer that might help. Jan's story.
I wish you the best of luck and wish there was some way to help more. Let us know how you make out.
Blue 1111,
D

[Doasfu 0]

Hey Guys,
I thank you for your honesty, but I don't think I made things very clear. This wasn't a case of nerves. I've had plenty of those, but they usually either keep me away from the DZ or keep me from manifesting. On Saturday something was physically wrong, and I'm thinking it was dehydration. A few hours later, after drinking a good deal of water, sitting in the shade, and having some food, I was much better, but it was sadly too late to jump. When I was about to gear up, I was quite light headed and a little bit dizzy, and I could only see things getting worse at altitude.
Dan

[skymama 37]

IMHO, I am glad that you DIDN'T jump, based off of my own experience with feeling not up to par. My only reserve ride was because I jumped when I was tired, hot, and hungry after a long day at the dz, and it was my 5th jump of the day, and I was only at #26. I think all of those things combined contributed to me not thinking clearly, and I got myself twisted up with another jumper and we both had to cutaway. It was the jump that made me stop for 7 months, because I was convinced I was one of those people who shouldn't jump because I made such a stupid mistake. But, once I stepped back and looked at the situation a little more, and talked to people about what happened, I was more confident in my skills. What I do now, is I take a closer look at myself, and know my limitations. I'm not 20 years old, and have boundless amounts of energy. I'm pushing middle age, work 2 jobs, and have a husband and 2 kids. Just on a regular day, I'm worn out! So, I limit my number of jumps, make sure I stay out of the heat as much as I can, and I make sure I eat and drink enough while I'm at the dz. If I feel the least bit out of sorts, I'm done. No more pushing myself. The sky will be there another day, and I want to be here to jump in it!
Blue Skies Forever-
Andrea

[pyke 0]

Well, I would have to say....absolutely NOTHING about your decision. It was right for you. Two examples from this weekend about judgement to illustrate...
One of the AFF JMs showed up to the DZ on Sunday feeling ill. She was keen on working but didn't feel right, just a little off. We had a rain delay for whole meaning and some of the afternoon, but she thought it would get better later and she would be able to jump. It didn't, she felt like crap for the whole day (even after a nap, some breakfast and water). BUT...she lived to see another day. So, it was her decision to jump or not, and she chose what worked for her.
Secondly, a student with only 9(!!) jumps went to deploy at 4 grand and something in the plane(?) or in freefall(?) (he had a videographer check his pins and stands by his word that they were fine), jostled his reserve pin and when his main came out, so did his reserve (cypres hadn't fired by exam on the ground, and the handles were still on his harness). So, he flew a bi-plane all the way to the DZ, making nice long turns and with a slightly bumpy landing, came in fine. Point of the story...he had been trained that if he had a canopy that was above him that met all the req's for a good canopy, then fly it. He had TWO of them, so no reason to cut away. He was applauded by EVERYONE on the ground for doing the right thing AND he put on another rig and got back in the plane. So, it worked for him.
Doasfu, good on you. The one thing that nobody can blame you for is being here another day to go jumping!!!
my .1 1/2$,
Kia Kaha,
Pyke
NZPF A-2584

[Shark 0]

Dan,
Sometimes you have to go with your gut feeling. You know when it's right. This is a sport were being indecisive can be deadly. eg. when to cutaway. If you are alive and still having fun, you made the right decision. So, the trade-off for not jumping was learning how to pack. That's not bad at all.
Black skies, CReW skies (6/9-6/10, Perris)
L8r

[skybytch 273]

Personally I think you did the right thing by staying on the ground Dan. And this brings up a couple of points -
First, summer is coming and so, therefore, is hot weather. Skydiving takes a lot out of your body even on a cool day; when it's hot outside be sure to keep a bottle of cool water near you and empty it on a regular basis throughout the day. Don't forget to eat something too; I've found that eating a small amount of healthy foods several times during the day (instead of breakfast, lunch and then dinner) and drinking as much water as I possibly can makes me feel the best on a long, hot day of jumping. Oh, and stick with water and/or fruit juices during the day - carbonated drinks tend to dehydrate you more than if you had nothing to drink.
Second - a safe skydiver knows when it's time to stay on the ground and makes the go/no go decision for themselves. imho NO ONE has the right to tell you that your decision not to jump was not the correct choice. I've been chewed out by a dzo for getting off a load when I felt the winds were too high for me and my (extra big) main canopy; I later got an apology for that chew out and was told that I made the right choice for ME (but I already KNEW that!). You were feeling bad enough that your JM noticed and commented on it; if I'd been your JM I would have strongly recommended that you not jump on that load. As skymama said - "The sky will be there another day, and I want to be here to jump in it!" Something to think about...
pull and flare,
lisa

[Dutchboy 0]

I don't mind sitting on the ground if something isn't quite right. There will always be other days. Some times it's hard, like last week when I didn't make my 100th jump because a storm was blowing in and some of the other folks involved didn't want to chance getting caught in it. I was disappointed, but I could very easily have had a miserable jump had I gone.
The Dutchboy
http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

[what42 0]

Quote

a student with only 9(!!) jumps went to deploy at 4 grand and something

Pyke, are you talking about me? Have I met you at Monroe yet? That 'student' was me that had the two-out yesterday. Talk about an 'interesting' experience... I checked my pins on the ground and had another check them in the plane and they were fine. When I deployed at 4500' I looked up and first saw the blue of my reserve then looked to the left and saw the green of my main. My first thought at seeing the blue was that some idiot put the wrong canopy in the rig but then I saw the main beside it. My first reaction at this occurance was to repeat the phrase "Oh Shit" at least 10 times. Luckily the main drifted over in front of the reserve into a biplane. I knew this was a much better situation than the side-by-side it was in at first. I was very careful with it and steered with VERY gentle main rear risers. I knew that if I cut the main away there was a very big chance it would entangle with my reserve leaving me with no good canopies over my head so I stuck with the two of them. I would've cutaway if it moved into a downplane though. Luckily once it was in the biplane formation it remained stable. It was a nice soft landing and I didn't even have to flare at all. I could've stood it up but of course I plf'd not knowing what to expect from my 2 canopies.
I waited out one load but decided that I had to go ahead and get back into the air otherwise I'd be a nervous wreck the next time I'd be able to jump. The one canopy over my head was a relief on the next jump. That CASA was a blast to jump out of this weekend. Unfortunately because of the weather I only got 4 jumps out of it but they were all fun. (Until my two-out experience)
We aren't sure why the reserve deployed.The cypress hadn't fired and my reserve handle was still in place. I talked to a rigger and to Bill (the DZO) and the only thing we can think of is that the RSL got snagged by something.
And, Doasfu, good choice. I've delayed myself for a few hours when I knew I wasn't ready mentally or physically to jump. You're the only one that can decide if you're ready.
Wesley
--
I want to fly!

[Keys 0]

I will probably get slammed for saying this... but some people just shouldn't skydive. case in point, I watched a guy slam into the ground under a downplane. The lines were clear for a cutaway, the radio on his harness was telling him "pull the yellow handle", and he froze.
I don't think it's safe for people who have difficulty responding under pressure to be jumping out of airplanes. Get over the pressure problem doing something safer, then come out to the DZ.
Edited by keys on 5/21/01 02:21 PM.

[what42 0]

Quote

I don't think it's safe for people who have difficulty responding under pressure to be jumping out of airplanes

I agree 100%. Skydiving isn't for everyone. If you can't keep a cool head on you and make the right decisions quickly you shouldn't be a skydiver. But then, a lot of people don't know how they will react when the shit hits the fan. Hopefully some of these people will learn that they can't handle it and quit before they are killed.
My comments on this post have nothing to do with anyone in this thread. I'm just voicing my agreement on the idea behind Keys' post.
Wesley
--
I want to fly!

[Doasfu 0]

Quote

I don't think it's safe for people who have difficulty responding under pressure to be jumping out of airplanes. Get over the pressure problem doing something safer, then come out to the DZ.

Forgive my denseness on this one, but is this a direct response to my post? Have I said something that implies I should take up golf? I guess I'm not clear on what you're saying.
Dan