no more fear

[grasshopper 0]

does anyone else miss fear? I mean the fear when the door opens, when you deploy, when you land. I don't have the fear anymore, just enjoyment of the sport. anyone else?
pull low, it's higher than you think

[froggie 0]

I dont miss it, but i do worry that i dont feel it. Its weird, but i almost have very little real fear. Of course i have the gitters when im driving out to the dz and when i first get there. but after that im cool as a cucumber. and that actually scares me. Ive been reading up a lot lately on MALs, Canopy control, landings, the whole 9 yards so that i get a better respect for what im up against. It seems like i go into everything with this "i dont think to have fear" attitude and thats just not cool. It gets weird. That landing that i had the other day, instead of ruining me for canopy landings its made me want to land a thousand more times! I think that theres a base fear to everything. a fear of the entire picture. once you get into the event, the fear sort of subsides. i dont know. theres still a lot that i havent experienced, so maybe (hopefully) ill feel those nervous pangs of pure hell for a few seconds again. I can only hope
froggie

[Doasfu 0]

I can honestly say I don't miss the fear... maybe when it's gone I will, but right now I don't. :)
Dan

[skyhawk 2]

never had fear about jumpewn even my first and that scares me

[Shark 0]

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does anyone else miss fear? I mean the fear when the door opens, when you deploy, when you land. I don't have the fear anymore, just enjoyment of the sport. anyone else?

GH,
It's different when *you* jump from 4k instead of 14k. ie. you have more time to get the butterflies.
My only fear is fucking up when people are depending on me, so I don't have time to think about being scared. And, yes, I still get butterflies, but they help me arch better.

[Iflyme 0]

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does anyone else miss fear? I mean the fear when the door opens, when you deploy, when you land. I don't have the fear anymore, just enjoyment of the sport. anyone else?

You know, grassyhopper, I've thinking about that alot lately - I think it's that rush I miss... for about my first 35 or 40 jumps the rush was just about overwhelming... that is the part that stayed with me when I was at work, or anywhere else for that matter... I've got just 77 jumps now, but that rush is not there anymore. It's becoming more "routine". I don't think I would characterize it as fear - more like sensory overload. Don't get me wrong - I still live to jump, and just LOVE this sport - but I know what you mean... that elusive feeling - those incredible few of stepping into the unknown... now it IS known...

[Albatross 0]

I still have bits of the fear but they are in the plane or in anticipation. What I hope never goes away is the tingle that I get that makes me feel so alive. I feel like everything is brighter and more colorful. I just apreciate all the little things just a bit more when I jump. I guess the feeling is like being a little kid again thinking that I can fly. For me that is the feeling I get after a good jump or one that pushes me.
Blue Skys and Safe Landings
Albatross

[venwood 0]

The fear is definitely exhilarating to me now, especially as a newbie. I remember on one of my AFF jumps when I was the next one to jump that I was afraid to step up to the door for fear of falling out of it. That I would step up to the door and just fall out, leaving my instructors behind. How absurd and funny! When I stepped up to the door, the fear quickly evaporated; I was just concentrating on the sequence of the exit. That is what is thrilling! Acknowledging one's fear, taking advice from the fear, and then overriding the fear. I still have those tinges of fear on the ride up before the door opens, but I know they will be gone soon as I gain experience. Will I miss that fear? Sure, as I do the feeling of driving a car for the first time as a teenager. But as I hopefully lose that fear I will be more akin to the intricateness of skydiving, and therefore become a better skydiver, at home in the sky.
Trying to imitate a bird,
Venwood

[Doasfu 0]

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Sure, as I do the feeling of driving a car for the first time as a teenager

Good analogy. It's almost hard for me to remember what it was like when driving a car was really exciting. I can't imagine that I'll ever really forget the sensation of my first jumps, though. I still get sweaty hands when I start thinking about it. :)

[BenW 0]

OOH YEAH!
That first RAPS static line was SCARY!
The first RAPS freefall (5 sec clear and pull) was REAL scary!! I still smile thinking about it now. What a rush. It's the fear that makes it so good for me!!
B.