loudtom 5 #26 May 20, 2004 Quote I think you can do it, Jen. I think you could to but why would you??????? After all, what is the likelihood of someone with 500 jumps winning a RW medal at Nationals? Sometimes it happens! anyone could who had exceptional teammates!!!!! sorry Jen I was one of the three, unless you need it like I do to make a living, hang with the aff's and wear your own rig to make a living!!!!! That is the bomb!!! bammm tomtom #90 #54 #08 and now #5 with a Bronze :-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoShitThereIWas 0 #27 May 20, 2004 Quote I think you can do it, Jen. After all, what is the likelihood of someone with 500 jumps winning a RW medal at Nationals? Sometimes it happens! Thanks John (and everyone else) but for the record I only had about 400 jumps Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoShitThereIWas 0 #28 May 20, 2004 QuoteQuote Uh...lets see.....Ive never been President of the United States. bozo The Bozo in the White House isn't you? Just caught that ... John, you so make me laugh. I saw your name on the WFFC list. Hope we can get on some dives together. Take care Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoShitThereIWas 0 #29 May 20, 2004 QuoteQuote I think you can do it, Jen. I think you could to but why would you??????? After all, what is the likelihood of someone with 500 jumps winning a RW medal at Nationals? Sometimes it happens! anyone could who had exceptional teammates!!!!! sorry Jen I was one of the three, unless you need it like I do to make a living, hang with the aff's and wear your own rig to make a living!!!!! That is the bomb!!! bammm tom You fawker! (One of the three ) Yeah, I'd bet You'd laugh your ass off watching me do tandems. Just remember who plowed who into the ground trying to cross train on whose rating. Himph Aaaaaaaaaaaaaalrighty then (Jen squats over spreading talking butt cheeks to imitate Ace Ventura----> "Have a nice day." (sorry folks, inside joke.)Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoShitThereIWas 0 #30 May 20, 2004 QuoteI'm not gonna vote cause my answer is as follows... Why not get with your local Tandem I/E and do a couple of orientation jumps by yourself with the rig, then you can take "Sandbag Sally" as a test before making a decision and a commitment. See now that is a really good idea. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cocheese 0 #31 May 21, 2004 Yep work on your strength anyway. it's always good to have some muscle in this sport. Or get with Bill Booth and invent a micro pully system for flaring those huge canopies. I bet you can do it if you really want to , but don't feel bad if you get talked out of it or decide it's not for you. I never had the desire, but i do envey some of the great experiences being a tandem master could bring you. I think you want to do it. Go do it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nightjumps 1 #32 May 21, 2004 QuoteSee now that is a really good idea. I gots a million of 'em Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voluptuosa 0 #33 May 21, 2004 Hey there, I started jumping at a small DZ where the only two tandem masters around made it sound like you had to be a demigod to be a tandem master. Then I moved to California for a few years. I got to a drop zone that had about 12 regular tandem masters and one of them was a girl about 5'6" and 140 lbs. Well, that was the first time it occurred to me that I might be able to do it too. So, as soon as I got 500 jumps, I did it. Six years and over 1100 tandem jumps later, here are a few points of advice. 1. Find at least 3 tandem "mentors" and spend as much time with them as possible before and during your course. 2. With all tandem masters, mentor or not, watch how they brief their students and then, as often as possible, watch their videos to see how their students perform. You will notice that tandem masters who are aloof and don't connect with their students tend to get more crappy students than tandem masters who are truly "teachers" and take the time to build the students' trust. 3. Definitely work on the upper body strength but remember that, where that strength is lacking, finesse will get you through. For example, save your energy. If your student wants to do fast turns under canopy, good for them. Tell them to pull really hard. You save your strength for the flare. You'll find that you can pull off a great flare 6 times in a row when you're not wasting all your strength trying to give your passenger a cool ride. (Of course, building your strength gives you the opportunity to do that for them.) 4. There is something truly amazing about being under canopy with someone who just made their first skydive. You will feed off of their energy and it's really cool. On the other hand, strapping on an inexperienced and, therefore, unpredictable person is THE most dangerous skydive that an experienced skydiver can make. If the joy outweighs the fear, do it. The moment that the fear outweighs the joy, hang up your tandem hat and walk away. I don't have time to write much more because I've got to pack for a boogie this weekend but there are all sorts of little "tricks" we could talk about to make sure your passengers don't throw up and to use leverage instead of strength. I'll check on this thread sometime next week or you can email me. Blue skies, Charlene USPA D19090 CSPA C2202 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoShitThereIWas 0 #34 May 21, 2004 Thanks Charlene for all the info and support. Good for you on your rating, experience and insight. Those were some valuable comments for me to hear and I appreciate you taking the time to respond. I will keep an eye out for any of your tidbits of info or help. Have fun at the boogie!Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydivah1 0 #35 May 22, 2004 The trick with tandems is energy conservation. If you do 10-12 tandems in a day, there are little things you can do - like have the student help you tighten down the lateral connectors in the plane, let them steer the canopy and if you feel comfortable enough have them help you flare (although I don't recommend this in case the student locks up because of groundrush) If you do flare on your own there are ways of using your shoudler and arm muscles efficiently as to conserve energy. Have one of your local experienced TMs show you this technique. Oh yeah - I think that you should go for it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
