mustard

Arrived first day of the boogie (23rd), jumped for six days and made 30 jumps. It was so nice after the cold weather we had the last two years. I figured this is my 13th year in a row, and the most jumps for quite a while, because the weather was awesome. *** DJan

Hey, I got to jump with you, PrairieDoug, and it was a lot of fun, too! I had a great time, and the weather was indeed so much better than the previous two years. It did seem smaller than last year's boogie, but it wasn't, and I do know that I'll be back, hopefully to have thirty more jumps with Airspeed! Does anybody know how Kara is? Skratch and I left on Thursday and heard that she was being taken into Casa Grande for an ankle problem. *** DJan

Skratch and I will be there, as usual. We arrive before the boogie starts and leave before the New Year's Eve party to drive home safe and sound. I believe this will make ten years without missing one. Can't wait! *** DJan

I had something like that on my first jump back on my relined Sabre2. It opened with 4 collapsed end cells and the slider stuck up high. I lost a fair bit of altitude before I had it fully open. But it was on heading, which was a new experience. Since then I haven't had another one like that. *** DJan

Had to laugh when I read this: 14 years ago I did 4 Level IV AFFs and was so happy to pass! Then two Level 5s, and 6 and 7 in one day. Now I have 3600+ jumps, have been an instructor for more than 1,000 students, and am sure glad I didn't give up at 3!!! *** DJan

Hey Mar, I think skydiving is one of those things that takes on a meaning of its own, without regard to what the activity really is. To me, before I jumped, it was being willing to let go into the unknown. When I made my first tandem, I was terrified, sure that I would die. The night before I dreamed that I was at the edge of a tailgate with my jumpmaster, begging him not to make me go. But he made me, and I learned: The non-skydiver in me died that day, and the skydiver was born. So, in a way, I think that those people who think they will love it mean that they are ready to "take the plunge" into the unknown. I remember in my early days sitting around the loft after jumping and talking with people about the magical moments that follow exit, and wondering if I would ever be able to explain it to anybody who hadn't done it. We all agreed that we couldn't. *** DJan

I tore my ACL on a bad landing back in April 1994 and went to a doctor for a brace. I jumped all summer on it with the brace and then in September I had surgery (patella tendon). I was off it after the surgery for 4 months, then jumped with the brace when I started back up. After a while I stopped using the brace. The knee is still just fine, and it now is my stronger knee, with the "new" ACL. At that stage in my skydiving career, not jumping was simply not an option. I was way too hooked to stop, but I didn't want to make it worse. The brace was all I needed to keep me in the air. *** DJan

:0:4 Skratch would hate it if I told... Man, the winds just blew all day Saturday. I could have made a jump in the afternoon, but mostly I watched other people land. Sunday, a foot of snow on the ground! But the beer was great! Still working on bringing that number up to speed! *** DJan

Most of us who have been jumping a while know someone who goes in. I only had 100 jumps when I first saw it happen, and it was a student on his Level IV. I said that day I would never ever take that kind of responsibility for another person. But I did -- when I got to the place where I wondered what I could offer skydiving, which had given me so much, becoming an instructor seemed to be the way to go. I have never forgotten that student, and I make sure that my students know what to do in any circumstance and then trust them to do it. The thing is, if we live long enough, we will all know someone who dies... and as much as it hurts, we move through it, because it's part of life. Grieving is a learned process, and unfortunately, we get to learn it the hard way. We held Safety Day at my DZ yesterday, and we talked about AADs, how they work, and why they need to be understood in all their complexities. It was a great conversation by 50-some skydivers of all abilities, including students. What might have happened to this young woman (possibly turning on her AAD at home) need not happen again, and we took steps down that path yesterday. When you get close to the ground, and something goes wrong, KNOW about that silver handle, and pull it. Complacency (and lack of knowledge) kills. We sat around yesterday while the wind blew and shared our fears and concerns about skydiving, as well as our knowledge with each other. It was very healing. *** DJan

I had one at Eloy two years ago at the Christmas boogie -- spinning mal. *** DJan

I had fun too! I was really scared because they put me in the front of the airplane by the pilot and I'm no "glory slot" swooper, with only Dennis behind me. And then as I was coming in to take my grip, I saw BikerBabe down there directing traffic. Apparently someone flew into the wrong slot and Andi put him right. I loved seeing the formation fly nice and smooth. I would like to say that I don't post much, sometimes I wonder if I would qualify for the "25 posts in 3 months" because I really only read a few of the forums and then log off. In the dirt dive it was asked whether or not the formation needed to complete and it was decided that it did, nobody could be low or out. And I myself think that Airspeed should be honorary everything in skydiving, since they contribute more than most to the spirit of skydiving good vibes. I'm home now, but while I was in Eloy, I heard about this thread, so I do want to contribute my two cents, along with Mouth: it was a blast, it was fun, and whether or not it was a record, it counted for being a very special and outstanding jump with my fellow DZ.commers!! Thanks again, Sangiro, for making this site my favorite place to spend my free time when I'm not skydiving! *** DJan

I'm so used to using abbreviations for money I guess I forgot briefly how to write 800 instead of 8000. Now that canopy will be hard to move at that price! I still think he can get 800 for it without much work. *** DJan

It will need a reline before too long even if it's in good shape, which is around $200. If it were a Spectre or a Sabre2 it would have higher resale value because they are the most wanted of PD canopies. A Silhouette is a good canopy, so if it were me, I would ask for something between $800-$1000. You probably won't move it fast at the higher price but would give you some bargaining room. I myself would sell it for $8K but I always am accused of giving things away. What do other people think? *** DJan

Yes, it's like tdog says, as well as Antidote (above), it's all a matter of priorities. When I made my third tandem and decided I needed to go AFF, I went to the bank and asked for a loan for "educational purposes." They wanted to know for what, I said to become a skydiver. They said sure, if you just sign here for insurance -- and I went on to get more than 300 jumps my very first year! Now I spend money on skydiving that I make skydiving. As an AFF instructor, I can write off my expenses if they are equal to or greater than what I make skydiving. And I get to count my fun jumps, too! *** DJan

Well put. I've been reading this thread with a lot of interest, because I've wondered too what makes one person excel in skydiving and another one become discouraged and stop. As an instructor, I've noticed that it depends a lot on what kind of attitude the student has: willing to learn, motivated to succeed, or proving something to him/herself or another. I had a guy once in my FJC who was determined to succeed. He was very fit, in fact his upper body was so overdeveloped that I asked him if he worked out. He said proudly that he did. We talked about the need to relax, especially with those overdeveloped biceps that if he didn't relax it would be very hard for me to help him find the PC if he couldn't locate it himself. He didn't relax on the skydive, felt that he could muscle himself through anything -- and of course he didn't do well. Rather than continue on to try again, he never came back. Many times I've wondered what I could have done differently. I've learned that if I tell someone that the "relax" signal means letting their wrists go limp, it helps, and so I learned something from that student. Athletes who are not mentally fit (i.e., mentally flexible) have a harder time. I've seen that proverbial "overweight housewife" come back every weekend and become a no-longer-overweight absolutely outstanding skydiver! In my opinion, the biggest variable is the connection of trainer to student. *** DJan

One Christmas boogie at Eloy I had an unstowed brake under my 1.1 wing loaded Sabre 2. Unfortunately, I also had lots of line twists, and when I tried to kick out, I spun up really hard. Had to chop while spinning very hard, here didn't seem to be any way to stop it. I had a nasty bruise under my chin where a riser apparently smacked me. I did change out the risers to the new velcro-less Mirage setup, which works very nicely. But even when I pay for a packer, I always stow my own brakes since it gives me some peace of mind. *** DJan

OOOH! What happened? Was it a canopy wrap? Tell more! I want details. I took a novice CRW camp last year and got my 4-stack, but it was the most terrifying canopy thrills I've ever had. And it sounds like you had even more "fun" -- I'm very interested in hearing about it. *** DJan

The next version of the IRM (coming out this fall) will have the syllabus for the new AIC in it. Many of us on the BOD went to the pilot and now it's ready for prime time. You'll be able to see the content is when you see the next IRM. I plan to go to the first one that is held in Texas! *** DJan

Yes, you can have a *great* time at the WFFC without jumping, or just make one or two with a coach, but remember that just the experience of seeing so many skydivers from so many different backgrounds and countries is an experience in itself. However, I've got 3400 jumps and my neck hurts from looking around for other canopies after a few jumps at the WFFC. You've just got to put yourself in the right hands. Come to Tent 4 and introduce yourself to the organizers, and don't expect to make more than a few jumps and socialize madly the rest of the time! The WFFC is really worth it, whether you jump or not, because it brings skydivers from all walks of life together in the same place. But you do have to be careful, no matter where you jump, right? And not get in over your head... *** DJan

At my DZ, when I am working on the proficiency card with a student, the "pack the parachute" line is usually the last to be signed off. Skratch got a bunch of packing videos, and we give them to students to watch, then they attend a class, but the most harrowing jump they do is the first one they pack themselves. I had a student (who I knew had done a pretty good job packing) was ready to do his checkout dive for his A. I told him he would be pulling at 3.5 and he blanched. "What's the matter?" When he told me it would be his first pack job as well as his checkout dive, I relented and let him open a little higher (like 500 feet higher). Of course it opened without a hitch, and now he packs very confidently. It's the first time you get ready to jump it, you worry: did I do everything right? You don't actually realize that packing is pretty forgiving, if you stow the brakes, get all the lines in the middle and the material on the outside... then they learn, and then they like it. Same thing with looking around in freefall. I told a student he would need to find the runway and track perpendicular to it. "Find the runway in FREEFALL?" he exclaimed. Looking down, it turns out, was way beyond what he felt he could do. Horizon, yes; heading, yes. But looking DOWN? He (of course) did fine, but it's just that stretching of the boundaries that we as experienced jumpers forget must be made by every single one of us, and those boundaries are different depending on who we are. Packing is not only fun, but it adds another dimension to the skydive that should not be missed. I usually pay for a packer if I'm working, but I only use packers I trust, not just anybody, because I want to have a predictable opening. *** DJan

Ya know, I went over and read about the guy at Perris who is now maybe going to walk in 6 months, then came over here to read about WL restrictions. I will be going to the USPA BOD next month, and I would really like to take something there that makes sense about this WL discussion. But first, let me post my impressions: Everywhere I look (that's Parachutist, Skydiving, and these threads) the glamour of swooping and high WL and awesome and beautiful feats of derring-do are shown in 3-D and color as being absolutely the Wave of the Future and anybody who doesn't understand this is Old School. The daring and talented among us will try to do these things because they *are* daring and awesome and all those things, and nothing that I or any other conservative Old School person says will make the slightest difference to them. They say, and they are right, that I don't understand. What can USPA do to change things? Is there *anything* that will stop mindless downsizing when it is glamorized the way it is? I am unconvinced that USPA is the arena to make change here. It must come from the caring grassroots skydivers who don't want to see their friends kill themselves. Am I wrong about this? *** DJan

If I was one of your instructors, and I pretty much know what to expect (i.e., you're solid and have been at the DZ although you couldn't jump and have been hanging around), then I am happy to make the jump for slot. But if I don't know you, and your oral review shows you haven't thought much about jumping for the last six weeks, then I'll want my slot plus my instructor fee for retraining you and possibly having to save your life out there. It all depends and there is no easy and quick solution to retraining. Skydivers just dont fit into easy boxes usually. *** DJan

Three weeks ago on Saturday, I taught a First Jump Course to 8 students. One person, Sarah, wanted to pay for everything right then, and we encouraged her to wait until she had made a jump or two. Well, this weekend, I went out of a CASA with Sarah on her 16th jump, quite a few past her graduation off AFF, and she shined, as usual! She swooped for a long time and almost made it to me before she broke off on her own awareness and tracked away. Sarah has become an integral part of the Drop Zone in three weeks, and it's kind of hard to remember what it was like around the DZ without her... I expect her to be counseling others before the summer is over, about how to integrate into the scene and how to exploit the available resources. Sarah Gjertson is my pick of the week. *** DJan

Years ago I also needed a suit that would allow me to stay up with anybody and ordered a Bev Suit with a loose fit, 3-in wings under the arm, double lined, poly cotton, cordura booties. And yes, it worked! I also asked for spandex on the forearms so that I wouldn't float up when grabbing a student (even Bev thought it was a bit weird) instead of cotton, and I've been very happy with it. I can pop my arms out in front of me and de-arch and stay with anybody, even if they weigh 20 lbs less than me and de-arch to boot. The really only downside is that it's pretty hot in the summertime. It has also turned out to be my favorite suit for tracking dives because I can really track and also stay up as well. The booties have just about worn out and I've thought about sending it back in for some repair (it's about 7 years old), but I hesitate to be without it. *** DJan

Hey Phree, I can' tell you Glenn's take on mandatory AADs or Mike's on wingloading, and I've been on the board for a year and a half now! I can tell you what each one of the S&T members think about these things, because we discuss them in committee. And I can't tell you a thing about Competition, because I don't go to their committee meetings. But the ISP: I think it's a big step ahead of what was there prior to it: not much. It's not perfect, but I am really glad we have something to perfect -- it was wanting to have a say in the direction of safety and training that caused me to decide to run for the BOD. One thing more: I think the A license proficiency card, which came out of the ISP, is teaching people how to be better skydivers earlier. I sure wish I had something like that 13 years ago, maybe I wouldn't have busted myself up so bad on landing in 2000. Anyway, there needs to be more people interested in running for the BOD and getting involved. Otherwise nothing will change. It's sad that we have so few skydivers who even bother to vote for NDs and their RD. Apathy rules, but it doesn't have to continue. *** DJan