have you ever had to choose between your 'job' and skydiving? (i.e. stop diving or get fired)

[gimpboogie 0]

I have signed an athletec ontract with a national sport organization with the national adaptive rowing team program.

for me, it meant last yr when they found out i play in the skateboarding parks, and jump off cliffs with the kites, that they were 'concerned' about my 'risk taking behaviour'.
apparently this does not work with national teams
whose athletes are
groomed' for the international competition.

i stopped doing both, skate parks and kite flights.
for them,
so i could compete.

now, on the eve on Paralympics 08,
they know i sky dive,
yes on one hand the word from some of them is
'it makes me feel good to see you so happy'
when viewing my skydiving photos.
but when it is coming
time to sign the athlete agreement.....
its not about the skate parks
and kiteflights (snowkiting with a 12M takoon or balancing on a surfboard in the summer with the kite)

its about sky diving.
apparently it also thus is risk taking behaviour
..... what kind of world is this?
re:
agreement for this yr.
i have to discontinue rowing competatively
or stop skydiving.

to me strange,
but the claim is that this is a risky behaviour
and national team athletes
have a
code of conduct
to adhere to.
taking 'excessive' risks
is not fullfilling that code

so in the end,
either i adhere to the code of conduct
not take 'excessive risks'
or
i quit rowing.


i told them that i heard the Troll wall is beautiful
3, 2, 1
see yah!


I guess im not too far off in thinking that
i'll be doing very little rowing this summer
and a lot more jumping.

To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

[virgin-burner 1]

good going mate, i dont think that rowing can put up with skydiving, no matter what level..

actually, we had a couple of national sports team members doing tandems at our dropzone. like as if ski-jumping or downhill-skiing wasnt some kind of risky behaviour.

your rowing team, in contradiction to you, sucks big time..

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[gimpboogie 0]

very good question,
had I been a Black Knights member
(respected I am sure.... if I was an Olympic team
member of any sport)
had I been on many national teams
perhaps that snowcross (?)
or slalom downhill, thats pretty
'hard core' inmy eyes,
those guys gals got balls
100mph wearing tights and sharp poles in your hands!

propably the hockey players knock themselves silly
more often then skydivers do.....is the difference because
you have a 'real bad day' if you hit your head on the tail on the way out
rather then on the boards on the way out of the box

quite honestly,
on my first day at the rowing national team camp
i received a concussion which left me with concussion syndrome for weeks,worst injury i ve ever had
outside of any body parts that had to be removed or reattached.


i hate what is happening and wish i had the energy to fight it for the principle but i'd honestly spend minutes of my life in FF then on such a fight,

rowing,
I don't think it can put up with sky diving either
I think the last I looked, my alti doesn't even move
no matter how fast I row,
in fact when i bought an alti with my 'performance bonus'(thats what I call it, but i think they have a fancy word that doesn't sound like their paying any athletes anything)
they said what the heck did i need that?
(in a water sport)
luckily I was able to convince them that the barometer it is, and the compass that it is (after all, if I can't jump through cloud cover, I'm always going know where North is
is always a good tool to have
on any element,
air, earth wind or water


in seriousness...
the more I think about it,
it is more controlled to be on a nationsl team then out on parole.
i think if i was on parole i could just do what ever
as long as i see my parole officer and obey the law etc.
but now as it stands
WADA (world anti doping association)
has a tight hold on all athletes
we are to record like in a larger date book then ive ever used in my life
(i dont write down the exact address of any loction i will ever be at, the times and if anything changes be constantly in touch with my laptop to change the info to my current location-what a relief to not have to report to WADA the sky dives...
i cant imagine in FF with my laptop frantically writing the altitudes and coordiantes of my most present location... it would make a good reserve ADD commercial.. wear my national team uniform,
have Omar do the stunt double and in FF he is typing in the laptop his WADA requirements, not paying attention to this altitude, and have a reserve ride down... commenced by his ADD while he lands perfectly and you see him deleting his last location of 14,000f to .."as he walks away tied to his reporting device)

is it obvious that i feel partly quite bitter' at this moment about this.

my team is very happy to accept my donation of my rowing machine, my everything in relation to training...

i do not care for the value of money, but some do...
they do.
i only use it to watch and see how far they will go,to happily take from me......
coaching is where they would like me to direct my energies..
so i guess as a coach it's ok to skydive
just not if i sit in the boat and row, rather yell into a microphone.
damn them anyways.

rowing is something i like to do,and love the feeling of the early morning on a calm lake..
but im not going to pay $340 for a membership so i can row recreationally
for that morning calm ness.
i could get a lot of jumps with that!

I could get the morning fuel odour at the DZ
and learn to like it just the same...


more importantly,
i could now go sky dive more often
and not be worried of how many training sessions
im missing.

i just hate that something someone else dictates what
is dangerous risky etc.
it is my life


thats what i like about sky divers
certainly we care about each other
certainly we have BSR's
but we allow each individual to assess the risk for themselves.
we do not either push them out the plane door against their will, nor do we keep them in
BASE jumpers are a respected for their skills as a freefaller, or a swooper,
if a person is genuine, is caring and giving to our sport,'if they are the kind of people who

[virgin-burner 1]

you're not the guy that does backflips in his wheelchair BTW!?

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[gimpboogie 0]

Quote

you're not the guy that does backflips in his wheelchair BTW!?

that's Aaron,
I do 360's, 720's and generally play
in vert ramps

or on water or snow and ice with 12 M kites

ooh and I'm not a guy

To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

[virgin-burner 1]

wow, i'm impressed! altough you're NOT a guy, you seem to have balls nonetheless! respect..

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[VincentVL. 0]

A simple Q & A will settle this.

Q. Do you like to row?
Yes --> Stick with it. Quit skydiving at least until the olympics (jesus...don't pass up on the OLYMPICS)
NO --> See next Q.

Q. Is this rowing thing your source of income?
NO --> Quit
Yes --> See next Q.

Q. Can you get another fulfilling job?
Yes --> Quit.
No --> Keep rowing until you can.

There we go.

[gimpboogie 0]

good questions, ok here goes:
Q. Do you like to row?

yes, and i like to kayak, and vert ramps, and sky diving, and laying it down on downhill tracks in a 4 wheeled mountain wheelchair ....
if they ALL were an Olypic sport,I'd go for the sky diving,
then the vert ramps
then the dowhill cycle cross
then the kayaking
then the rowing.

does that make any impact in the answer?
it just feels to me like it does.

yes, I'd LOVE to have an international level,
olympic perhaps even better
medal.

10 yrs ago in my early 30s and certainly in my 20'
i would have given much about anything to get one.
today,
i feel different.
i'd rather live each day.
like it was possibly my last
and...
it in reality could be
sure i've got some health complications,
which play a big part in that
but ultimately its true for everyone.

if your getting up today to go to a job you dont like
or something else you dont like
then your not living
and if your not living
your dying
that is how it feels inside of me.

maybe that's not the 'norm', and most other people
prioritize differently
but im trying to be as honest as i can.

Q. Is this rowing thing your source of income?
NO --> Quit

No its not.
in a sense i really don't have income...
sure it helped to get a check for $250 (that performance bonus) and have expenses paid
as I did things i needed to do. to go races i needed to go to..
but ultimtely i spent $,
massage therapy twice a month, athletic therapy for an injury from over use from rowing,
that cost me $600 in therapy fees to get better,
which nags me now,

if i smash myself in any of those other sports i like
i either do not have to go to therapy,
no pressure to be ready for another race, train etc.so if
and no costs
or else i get treated in the hospital for free (I hate )

I'd have more prospects to get my E license,
jump into the 2012 opening ceremonies and land in my wheelchair
then making $ rowing.
as soon as you make $ infact, then you cannot row for the national team.
hockey players are really the only ones who are true pros on the olympics.
the rest are like anyone passionate about their sport.
train like a madman, spend all your time for it,
and race for 4 minutes or more to see if you need to do it for another 4 yrs, for another chance at that medal.


i really feel like it was/is a big job,
i love the sport'
i get up at 4:30 am to row on the rowing machine because i want to,
not because they tell me to (because they dont expect us to start till 530 in the morning )

but i do not feel ok with giving up my self it feels like
its not just the sky diving
i would still have to stay out of the vert ramps,
the skate parks,
the kites,
heck i should get a granny wheel chair and turn this titanium sport chair into a hood ornament
until race time,,,
just tke the bus to go train
it feels not like LIFE.
or living.
living feels like sitting on the edge of something,
looking and feeling every hair on your body
every heart beat and hearing nothing but silence in your mind as you are ready to step into the
arena in which you feel alivce.


if one is passionate about playing dominos,
or knitting.. great hope they get to do it daily!
i just don't feel tht passionate about rowing
that i would want to give up everything i gave up last yr
and more.. this yr.
for rowing.



call me crazy... i've heard it before,
along with being stubborn.
i just hate the fact that i cant row for fun even
withut the boat which is at the club
to which i need to belong to use it.
i kayak, race sprint kayaks and our clubs are in the same building i will see my boat every time it is out.
The Minna the rowing club called it
(they said it was because i got them the $ from a grant, to get them the boat and other stuff needed)

i love to kayak and will go kayak in the world championships in outrigger canoe next summer
which is fine enough for me athletic wise.

but, there is.. this underlying feeling of unease.
i wouldl like to row
and i would like to row in a fast racing boat as i was
supposed to, this summer
but IF i have to choose, the choice is not hard to make
i just feel its shitty it has to be made on the basis of the danger, considering their giving medals out to the guy who has the least amount of fear and skill to stay on their feet down a hill in speeds slightly slower then i FF, and certainly faster then under canopy.

maybe I'm naive,
but I feel more comfortable (as in safe) under that canopy then i ever did racing a bike down mountain roads, cyclecross, motorcross, downhill skiing or even hockey.

To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

[VincentVL. 0]

So rowing costs you more than it makes you.

You like it the least of all your activities.

You'd have to sacrifice all above activities, which you prefer to rowing, in order to row.


Edited; I'd stay...keep on rowing and decide after the summer.

[skybytch 273]

I dunno. If they're putting money into your training and travel expenses then they do kinda have a right to ask you not to do other activities where you might injure yourself during the season. After all, an ill-timed injury to one member of the team could easily put the chances of the entire team in jeopardy. That's not fair to your teammates.

Only you can decide if the chance at a medal is worth the sacrifice they're asking you to make.

[virgin-burner 1]

mhm, do what feels right for you!? if you cant live your dreams, you might end up dreaming all your life..

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[peregrinerose 0]

I can actually see their point... you are an investment to them... they spend their money and resources training you with the intent that you compete within their program. They want to maximize their investment. Should you be unable to participate in their program for whatever reason, including skydiving injury, their money/time/resources spent on you to that point has been thrown away... poor return on their investment.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[virgin-burner 1]

i wouldnt see her as a money-fund, but a breathing, living and feeling human being.. and if it feels not right and thinks, she's missing out.. well, easy choice there!

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[gimpboogie 0]

very true,
're poor return on an investment.

I think where I may be going wrong,
is thinking that the investment is not much/meaningful or something of that sort,
because of my 'sqewed' sense of $, and what things are worth.

see, the $ they have spent, is $400 in plane tickets.
the training -the coach puts his time in free
he vlunteers (thats another thing about sports like this,'its not just the athletes who give freely and infact it costs them just like anything does)
the coach volunteers to coach me and my partner (I row alone in a single and so does he... so we are not on a 'team' like a double, 4's or 8's. thus there is certainly the thought that the national team must find someone to replace that person in the single boat if i was to be in it, and leave it.
it would in my opinion be worse if i was in a double, or 4, or 8 - i would go to the olympics even if it was my last summer to be alive.
because of what it would do to the others on that boat.
but because i row in my own single,
i keep thinking that the investment is me workiing my butt off alone about 35 hrs/wk.
my coach coming to test me once a month,
(seriously that is how often i see my coach)
he ofcourse volunteers his time... that is to be recognized.
then repeat that for months and months..
during which i look at the winds,
look at the things i like to do
while i do enjoy rowing,
i am training alone, all the time.
many hours a day on the water and many hours off
while my kids do their own stuff (they are 15 and 17)

I do like this discourse, because it does help me to see others see things differently.
there are 3 or 4 women who are ready and compete for,
this single seat that is the womens single in the races for the national team.
each spring there the national team selection,
you make it and follow the rules, or you dont bother.

they spent the $ of 400 to travel me to the selection camp.
and if i was to be selected they fly me to Munich, or beijing or where ever we would need to go,
and there the accomodations and meals
so i do not know of those costs,
but substantial they must be.

yes, if i was to wreck myself sky diving,their
faith in me in the program would be wasted
while i recover
just as it was last yr when i had that concussion on their training camp site
and was banned off rowing for the summer
so i kayaked and won the world sprint trials.
to qualify for sacramento world sprints.


i cannot disagree if some thing i have a scewed view
and even not understand the other view well enough.

i guess i do think about the fact that my terminal 'illness bs' does leave me more serious about doing what i want to do....
leaves me more aware of the temporrily existence of life.
maybe thats why i am so detached from the things that i think are more trivial 9=-like money.
that why we have none.
i'm smart (i think) and could propably have at some ppoint made some $
but i didnt.
i followed my heart,
went to places iwanted to go to
had the kids i wanted to have
brought them to places they wanted to go to,
heck once i was going to write abook
travelling through canada with two kids and a fridge.
because we were homeschooling and explored the country living on money practically.

now that phase is over,
thekids are older and do not want to travel.
the want to do other things.
which do not include me so much.
but i still do not think of $ as that important.
thus we never have any.
we have tons of memories

maybe i am not the right person for the national team at all then,'if i have this attitude.
that what i give up, ]what i invest
what i pay (I pay for therapy etc. out of my nonexistent pocket.. i do not have a job, been disable since 2005)
what the kids give up for me to spend on rowing
is not worth the rowing.
i tink i need to apologize to the national team then,
that they will have to spend the stamp to send it to the next woman in line wanting to be in the program
to row in that single at the worlds.

i DO feel badly for the coach.
he saught me out.
and i brought him a replacement so to speak.
recruited steve the former paratrooper to row for him
and steve just broke the canadian record,
he will be my coaches star-he already is....
thus. i do feel bad for my coach because his role wil be solely on steve, and i think he feels some responsibility to do for me also.. for i was the one who started the local rowing club and found the athletes.

i dont know if that makes sense?
does it?

To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

[gimpboogie 0]

actually they havent paid a penny to train me,
although i have paid tons, more then i care to remember....
athletes need to find their own trainers, gyms, equiptment...
the local clubs let you pay their fees touse their equiptment,but this club didnt have elite boats for paralyzed athletes, so i wrote a grant proposal to the government, they got 14,000 to get equiptment
and i recruited them some rowers.
then i basically hit my had and was banned off the water.
i trained in another sport during that time and went to qualify for the worlds in that sport.

also canada didn't qualify a single womens boat for beijing so they need to qualify for a spot in one more possibility, a world class even this spring.
if i keep training, as a athlete in this program,
(meaning basically they recognize my training and test scores-thats where the coach comes in. he tests me-thats what he does for me as fas as rowing goes.. actually inmy other sport, we even have winter training 3 times a week during the winter and 4 each week in the summers.. plus the other sports i do for fun, which is how i train often.. cross training.)


anyways...
so they did putout an investment
the tickets to try outs=selection camp
and any races which the selected athletes need to go to,then ofcourse to beijing.

other then that,,,its 'row on your own, pay out of your own pocketk, if your injured better get if fixed fast so you can keep up with the training)

does that soundlike i am feeling more like a race horse (who at least is fed for free! now im being stupid)
not a human....


well this converstion HAS been helpful.
because once i wrote that last sentence,
where i realize that i feel more like a in animate object who can be replaced at any moment, and to which you pay attention once a month for a 4 min test... to make sure that the object stil is in high working order...

tht tells me more then i wanted to know
about how i feel about it.

i will follow through with my offer of giving the team my equiptment /rowingmachine etc which i paid for more then i would havve for a main and a container.

live and learn.

To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

[wmw999 2,587]

Quote

travelling through canada with two kids and a fridge.
because we were homeschooling and explored the country living on money practically.

now that phase is over,
thekids are older and do not want to travel.
...
we have tons of memories

and I'd bet that in the long run the kids will look back fondly on those memories.

As far as rowing is concerned, is there a way for you to row for yourself, for the solitude and the conditioning? If it nurtures you for yourself, then finding a way to do it is good.

Having to choose sucks. But, ya know, if it's not how you want to spend your life, then it won't work. And yes, I too can understand their feeling about "investment." But I think they're being a little too over-the-edge.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[WatchYourStep 0]

How in the heck do you get a concussion in rowing? I've only been in the sport for 10 years. I've seen a lot of things but never a concussion.

Either way do what you want to do. My thought though is you can always skydive but the the amount of time you'll physically be able to be a competitive rower is fairly small.

"You start off your skydiving career with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience up before your bag of luck runs out."

[relyon 0]

When I was a junior is high school, my German class went on a trip to Germany. The day before we left, a classmate was was injured on mini trampoline and missed the trip. I never forgot that.

In late 1999, my team was selected to represent the US at the 8th world champsionship in CF in the 8-way speed event. I became almost obsessive about risk avoidance; I wasn't going to miss a world championship due to an injury if I could avoid it. It sounds to me that you need to make a decision about how important competetive rowing means to you.

Bob

[ChrisL 2]

Just as well dude, cuz if we hear you been rowing we will kick you
out of skydiving
It violates the "not enough risk" clause.

__

My mighty steed

[grannyinthesky 0]

Quote

I guess im not too far off in thinking that
i'll be doing very little rowing this summer
and a lot more jumping.

With all you have put into skydiving, I applaud your choice. I;m glad I'm not in a position that would require me to make that choice. In fact, I'm actually in some ways being encouraged in my exploits. THey are even planning on using my avatar picture on the cover of our spring/summer schedule of class booklet.

I hope I get to see you in the air one of these days.
Pearl

"safety first... and What the hell.....
safety second, Too!!! " ~~jmy

POPS #10490

[airtwardo 7]

Okay...here's a simple question:


Which one is your hobby and which is your passion?


I said the question was simple, not the answer!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[virgin-burner 1]

6 jumps and you're a legend already! how cool is that?

when are ye' making your next jump, ma'am!?

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[grannyinthesky 0]

I doin't know about legend, but what I have done is to work with a physics instructor to link his physics class with one of my math classes in a learning community. (take one class and you have to take the other too). We are using skydiving as the basis for many of our joint activities. There's a lot of fun math and physics involved in skydiving and the kids seem fascinated with a teacher who skydives. Either that, or they think I'm a little nuts. WE are going to be teaching the class this summer and a 6 day field trip is part of the class. I hoping to take the students to a DZ on the way for them to observe people landing (and me landing too. Gotta have some fun along the way. Maybe I can get administration to pay my jumping costs that day.) If any can afford and want to do a tandem, I'd hope to arrange that as well. I understand canopies are made in the Bend, OR area where we will be part of the time and I'm hoping they can possible get a tour. Fortunately, I've got a fair amount of time to get this put together. Right now, my own skydiving is taking precedence.

The DZ called this morning. I'm supposed to be there at 9am. The weather forecast is for sunny skies and 40 degrees, so hopefully tomorrow afternoon will see me in the air a couple of times. I have to spend the morning reviewing stuff because the weather kept me on the ground for over the 30 days.

"safety first... and What the hell.....
safety second, Too!!! " ~~jmy

POPS #10490

[gimpboogie 0]

how?

well it was b=pretty crazy actually.

I am on the adaptive team (we are wheelchair athletes)
this National rowing federation brought us to their heavyweight womens trainining location.
which is not wheelchair accessible.
28 athletes in wheelchairs
at a non accessible day.


on that first day, 4 fell out of their chairs,
i was the one who did the double backflip and landed on my head.
(the others falls were not so spectacular... )
regardless, apparently i was knocked out,
and thus the concussion issue kept me off the water until the coaching staff had a letter from a doc to say that i had no symptoms of concussion anymore.

a month later i still did not pass the sport concussion assessment tool -didn't pass the neurological sector either... so another month off the water for the national adaptive team purposes
strangely the canoe/kayak did not use the same criteria and thus i was kayaking about 5 hrs/day 6 days/wk.

i cant see any reason really for a rower to get a concussion either...
unless your wheelchair goes flipping backwards down a path into the bush.. thankfully I didn't have the oars with me.

To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

[gimpboogie 0]

rowing WAS my passion, but i also knew that my time on this planet is limited and i am at a point where i am doing things that are important for me to get done.

thus skydiving...
is a time limited endeavor for me.
i like to row very much,
and i can row (as in know how)
i am only learning sky diving.
i also have to learn while i still can breathe,
and move/control

so i can skydive.
once i cant do those things anymore,
Angus will fly me around the skies
as tandem
then i guess its the ash dive finally.

i don't think id want an ash row...
though

To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works