malooper

That's awesome! Seems like you were pretty darn stable! Thanks for sharing! I decided not to do it until I got feedback from my instructors saying I needed the extra time and help. I'm sure it would be beneficial regardless but the money is a factor for me so if I don't reallllly need the extra time then I won't do it until I have the extra funds to spend and not use towards AFF!

Thanks! I know lots of people are saying that about the nervousness but I don't know if I'll ever not have it. I'm a cautious person by nature so I think there will always be a little piece of me that says "ehhh, is this really a smart thing to do?" But I suppose the voice will just get smaller and smaller and it won't make me nervous per-say. I can totally see myself sitting in the parking lot waiting too as the next jumps come up. I hope you can get C2's to jump with you and get your A! Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

Thanks! I sometimes wonder how I would take a scare like that but better not to over think on it! Way to push through a scare! We'll see how I'll handle the exit and freefall on my own when I finally do the AFF1 jump. I don't think my body will be as relaxed when I'm not strapped to an experienced diver! Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

Yeah, it does make sense because you're on your own and it's a lot of information to know so I wasn't beating myself up over it, just a healthy dose of fear I think. It didn't stop me from going! Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

Thanks for sharing and relating! I definitely think with each jump I'll gain more confidence and learn to deal with the nerves better.

Soo…I finally got to do my FJC! Definitely felt overwhelmed by the time we were going over malfunctions and a bit nervous to go up on my own but by lunch time we figured I wasn't going to be able to go since the winds were gusting over the 14mph mark. But…since on my second tandem I didn't get to pull the chute and I was feeling a bit nervous flying the canopy solo, we decided another training tandem would be good with all the new information. So up I got to go and I was so surprised at how nervous I was! Even more so then the first time when I was scared. We think it was the overload and the examining I was now under. Anyways, I was with the same TI as before, who I found out is the most experienced jumper at the DZ, so that helped calm me a bit. He said that my form was great (which kind of shocked me since my back was hurting from all that arching during the course!) but needed to work on my diveflow sequence. Said I did well on the canopy control and we actually had end cells closure which I noticed and knew what to do to fix but it righted itself out before we needed to. I'm honestly glad we had that because I got to see how I initially reacted to a slow malfunction. He said overall, I'm really calm and that's great. I felt he did most of the control and he said he did need to have a good grip because the winds were up but that I turned when I needed to and had a good sense of orientation. He said "no more tandems for you. You know everything you need to." His main point at the end of it all was to grow in confidence. And after his experience and critique, I'd say I gained a bit. While I was bummed that I didn't go on my own, I'm really glad that I went one more time so now I know what I need to work on and what my weak points are (as of now!). Thanks all for the advice and forms of encouragement. I really appreciate it and can't wait till the next jump!!! Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

Couldn't agree more!! Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

That's exactly what my TI did. He let me know at each step what he was going to do, including loosening the chest strap. Yeah, it just depends on the guy and whether he's got enough integrity and respect to not abuse the situation intentionally. Thanks for being of them (so it seems!). Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

Totally agree with this. I'll give my two cents on this since I'm a recent tandem female jumper who was apprehensive about attaching myself to a man I didn't know. That first jump, when I was reading the waiver and disclosure about suing relating to sexual harassment, I wasn't expecting it and was affronted, not really considering the nature of the sport (yeah, I admit it). I even vocalized it and I'm pretty sure my tandem instructor overheard it, which I didn't realize who he was at the time. Later in the disclosure, it explained why I was agreeing not to sue and I calmed down and understood. I'm sure I'm not the only woman who has reacted that way though and has those genuine concerns so for this specific TI to act in such a way is absolutely terrible. Thankfully, I know there are great guys doing this who are respectful and act professionally. My TI was probably even more so after hearing my little outburst. It speaks volumes to women if a man steps up in situations like this and address something that is highly inappropriate. Some women have a greater sense of worth and respect for themselves and can address it but some need assistance. Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

With my new interest in the sport, I haven't encountered extreme negative reactions yet. I'm preparing myself for it though because I'm a girl and I live in a state that's ultra conservative and has it's idea of what's the norm for women. That being said, I have a great family and friends that support me even when they think I've lost my mind. I've had a few conversations with others that are shocked I'm interested in it and sometimes slightly hesitant to reveal it since I work with kids. I had a conversation with a neighbor that I'm attracted to and noticed myself trying to explain "I'm really not a crazy girl." He said he wanted to try it but also "there's gotta be some small part of you that is crazy." When I did my second tandem and had my long list of questions, one of the guys came up and poked fun at me, telling my tandem instructor and my joking response was "well, I wanna make sure there's no defect in me that's gonna get me killed!" And my tandem instructor responded "Well, there is! You're crazy!" The city I live in has absolutely horrible drivers and I talked to my brother who loves motocross and we agreed that it's probably safer for me to jump out of a plane than drive home from work. Anyways, all that to say what everyone else is saying. Different reactions but just gotta shrug it off. Harder for some, easier for others. And just maybe I need to accept that I might be a "little" crazy after all. Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

Haha, yeah I don't even know why I bother trying to use idioms. I always mess up the order! Thanks for the input you guys! I asked an AFF instructor at the DZ and she said it's a good idea and encouraged me in it. She said she went before her class herself. I'm planning to make the trip a fun/learning experience with my nephew so I'm looking forward to it! Thanks again! Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

Hi all, I was planning to do my AFF FJC this Sunday but it was cancelled until the 25th. Super bummed but I'm really interested in the wind tunnels and would love to get in the swing of things. I actually live much closer to the wind tunnel than the DZ so I was wondering if I should go to the wind tunnel this weekend. But, am I putting the horse before the cart? Should I just hang tight until after that first course? Would love some input! M Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

Thanks again everyone for the continual encouragement! I went ahead and signed up for the first AFF course!! I printed off the packet already and started to look at it, but wondering if I shouldn't have because now I'm thinking "Am I going to be in over my head on this?" I had a "security blanket" doing tandems, but now it's going to be just me. Part of me is really pumped but there is still that little question of "Do I really have what it takes?" I'm going to try and not think about it too much and just have fun and be smart about it and see how it goes! One step/jump at a time right?

Thanks all of you for the words of advice/input! I did end up going today and boy oh boy will you be surprised to know I just loved it even more than the first time! I was able to talk to an AFF Instructor there who was great and really helpful. Met some current students and hung out. Felt kind of nerdy with my list of questions but hey, that's how I roll! On the jump itself, most of the fear was gone except for a brief moment in the plane but my instructor was awesome and showed me how to turn in freefall and let me do a few! He also let me maneuver the canopy a bit which was sooo fun! He said he thinks I'll make a great AFF student so that was very encouraging! I'm definitely hooked and want to go back next weekend but my sister and nephew are coming into town so I may have to wait another week. We'll see though! I need to save up some money, too! Thanks again! I'll go and read those threads now! Appreciate all the responses! Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

Hi all, Last weekend I went on my first tandem skydiving jump for a birthday present. I was super anxious and scared, basically doing it because it was a present. When I was younger I wanted to do it but as I've gotten older my reservations grew. The whole process seemed to happen in a blur but after we left the plane it was a blast! I got a video and pics done so for the past week I've watched and looked at them who knows how many times now. I was actually kind of depressed for two days after..Kind of weird. But after, I knew I needed to do it again to see if I really love it enough to spend the money and accept the risks involved and get licensed. So, this is an introduction but also a request for advice. I'm not your typical adrenaline junkie (or my perception of them). I'm a typical cautious female who doesn't want to surf for fear of sharks and I have no desire to drive a motorcycle, although I wouldn't mind racing a car. ;) But seriously, I'm a scaredy cat and overanalyze things so I just don't know if I have what it takes to not end up killing myself if I proceed with skydiving...? I'm hoping to go back tomorrow morning and go up once again tandem style without the videos and pics and see how it goes. :) Any feedback/input would be appreciated!