Ron

Is that an attack? Really? It could also be perfectly fine. A link like "XXX.org" or "nakidchics.org" I could agree. But what in "TeenPlanet" would be a tell that it is loaded with "X" rated stuff all around it? Common courtesy seems to not be common at all. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

DROOL can make the keyboard sticky. The first pic made me drool and would not get anyone in trouble. The link can get a guy fired if his IT department is anal. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Two reasons: 1. People can't afford a new canopy if they just bought one. 2. If the person already is jumping the canopy and is not dead they might be OK. Case in point is alcohol laws in the states. If you were able to drink before they raised the law you could still drink. There was not a doubt that it would be better to raise it to 21 period. But you have to balance what is fair and equitable. Same thing here. BTW bring whatever test you want for me....I qualified for a PRO with my Stiletto 107 which is the same canopy I jump every weekend. UH I have a Master rating and it costs me NOTHING to keep it. IMO SCUBA is *much* less regulated, but common sense works much better in SCUBA than skydiving. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

How about a NSFW when you post something that can get folks fired? "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

I think that is more of the case for training the event. The focus was on 8way with a little 4way. After Nationals the focus could shift. The tunnel helps, thats pretty clear, but training for the event helps more "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Brian, I applaud you and your efforts to make the sport safer. If more people were like you, there would be less people with metal in them, or in the ground. I think its a shame that more people listen to their egos, and not listen to people like you. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Do you say "Relative Work" or "RW"? Do you say "Main Parachute", or "Main"? I use "chute"...And with my 3600 jumps I don't think I can be considered a whuffo. Being 33 I don't think I am old either. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

I'll bring my hat, a stick, and a pissed off cow. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1346362#1346362 "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

There was a person on the 300 way with 500-600 jumps. Its easier to go to a 60 way in a camp like this. It starts small and builds bigger. You get time to get used to a slot and you keep the same type of slot as it gets bigger. Before you know it you are doing 60 ways. At any rate good luck. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Boxman does camps at Zhills in Dec. Boxorg@aol.com Starts with 20 ways and ends with 60 ways. http://www.skydivecity.com/html/calendar/ "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Well the only thing about that is that is an emotionally charged subject. Lets say the interviewer was Hispanic. It could easily backfire on you. The thing is with resume's is you never know who is going to read them and be making that call. And I agree. The question is if you should put it on a resume....And I think in skydiving that answer is no in most cases. People on here have stated that personal hobbies are not a good thing to have on a resume. One of the best pieces of advice I was given for interviewing was to answer the questions in this order: 1. Experience in that field/job. 2. Experience in another field/job. 3. Experience in a hobby. I was told that is I had to dig to #3 that meant I was not qualified, only interested in that area. It may work in some fields, it may back fire in others. Most people have said it has never really been a plus and can be a negative. JMO....Others can and will disagree and thats fine. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

If you ever find out how to get someone who knows more than their experience shows to listen to those who actually have that experience....Please tell me. I have no clue. I try, but most of my efforts get met with grief. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

That was me. It is worth mentioning that: 1. It was for a position in the same company I already worked for and it was already known that I was a jumper. In fact the hiring manager and I had worked together before and a bunch of us talked about it before....So he already knew. Knowing that he knew already, it could not hurt. 2. It helped that I had been a martial arts instructor and had a medal from my Army time for being an instructor as well. In fact my skydiving instructor exp was only used to tie in the fact that I like to teach and gravitate to those positions. Even then I was hired in in the lowest Instructor position available. They didn't count one day of my Skydivng, martial arts, or Military Instruction exp when it came to pay grades. The next step up requires two years of instructing exp, and the next 5 years. I asked and the answer was that while the experience showed I liked to teach and it helped me get the job, it was not "professional" enough instructing experience to warrant a pay grade bump. Not even one level. This was his opinion, and legal agreed. Thats a 10 and 20 grand a year starting difference. I did not care since it was a raise anyway and I will get those promotions as I reach those marks automatically. So it did help, but if I had been teaching something else, even for less time, it would have helped more. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1357825#1357825 "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

You seem to have a personal problem with me....Maybe this is something you should bring up before we form a team. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

They have a negative feel as well in many positions. Also being a cop is a job, not a hobby. For example saying you were one of the folks that gaurded the border to prevent illegal immigrants from comming over would be bad to mention in an interview as well since it could backfire. Like it or not many people do in fact associate us by the movies that portray us. Is it accuarate? NOPE. But people still do it and its a bad idea to risk a job based on how a person will take your participation in a hobby. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Yep, but full face helemts also provide a benefit to saftey as well. Something an iPod does not do. Every single person who has died in this sport thought they would be ok. From the guy that failed to pull his main to the guy that hooked his canopy in....They all thought they were OK doing what they did. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

100% agree its a bad idea. Some claim to be able to function just fine. Avoiding problems using "Other methods"....But why remove a very good method that may save your life? CRW folks...Whats the number ONE thing to have in a wrap? Communication. And if you do run into someone its really hard to talk when you have an iPod in your ear. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Nice way to try and avoid the very simple fact that even we skydivers encourage a reckless image. Skydivers are billed as "Daredevels" in the media. When Bush did his first AFF it was all over the place. The general feel was that it was good for him to return back to a promise he made and face his fears. When he did his second they thought the old man had lost his mind. "Why do it again?", was often heard. All things heard from the general public when they encounter a skydiver: "Only idiots and birdshit fall from the sky." "Why would you jump from a perfectly good Airplane?" "Skydivers are just Meatbombs." "Do you have a deathwish?" "Are you crazy?" "You are so Brave." Now I have heard all of these and more. I have a Pro Rating and have done over 100 demos. I see and hear how the general public reacts to skydivers. I have been teaching for 12 years and work with students and their families. I hear how even those who come out to make a jump think of the sport. Most see it as a one time adventure and to do it every weekend is nuts. So without any evidence other than personal experience, ignoring almost all evidence, you have such a strong opinion? So if you argree, why are your arguing against my advice to keep it quiet? "Wierd" can mean many different things. It can infact mean "Dangerous, Drug-using and Unreliable" depending on your view of those things. Wierd depends on the persons frame of reference. A person who's idea of a great exciting tme is watching The History Channel is going to see a guy that jumps out of airplanes for fun as a novelty, as a daredevil. When trying to get a job, it might not be the best time to risk running into a person who feels that people who skydive for fun are a little off. It can be used in some cases. For this job I have now it helped. But it was the Instruction aspect, not number of jumps, Averages at Nationals, or time in sport. And like I said, my boss still thinks its crazy and reckless. A strong point I use in my field is a Pilots License. It has a much better image than skydiving. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

YOU may not use them. But lets look at Skydiving Movies: The Skydivers 1963. Tag Lines "Thrill jumping guys... thrill seeking gals... daring death with every leap!" "First feature length motion picture showing the daredevils of the sky who free fall from heights of 20,000 feet with only a ripcord between life and death!" Gypsy Moths 1969. Tag lines from the Movie "When you turn on by falling free... when jumping is not only a way to live, but a way to die, too... you're a Gypsy Moth." "The Gypsy Moths fall fast. They can't stop risking their lives - not even for their down-to-earth women." Proof 1980 Short that inspired Fandango...Not exactly a glowing portrayal of Skydiving. Point Break A bunch of adrenalin junkies rob banks to pay for surfing. They also like to jump. DropZone 1994. "A team of skydiving crooks led by DEA-agent-turned-bad Busey specialize in landing on police roofs and breaking in so their evil computer nerd can steal undercover agents' files and sell them to drug lords. Federal Marshal Snipes lost a brother to this crew and learns skydiving with the help of tough-but-lovable instructor Butler so he can track them down" Terminal Velocity 1994. "Ditch Brodie is a maverick skydiving instructor. One day, a beautiful girl comes in, wanting to take her first jump. Up in the air, Ditch takes his eyes off her momentarily, then looks back to find out that she has fallen out, dying on impact. Ditch is suspicious that all is not as it seems, because he distinctly remembers hooking her static line on..." Cutaway 2000 "The successful undercover agent Victor Cooper (Stephen Baldwin) is assigned for his ninth mission: to find how the loadings of drug is being brought to Miami. He suspects that the drug is coming through the air and joins a team of sky diving, under the leadership of Red Line (Tom Berenger), a fanatic and considered the athlete number one in this sport in the world. Due to his profile of winner, Vic gets involved with the group and he "disconnects" from his position of infiltrated agent, "connecting" with the team." And thats not including made for skydivers movies with the nudity and low pulls and such. The realm of YOUR business contacts, family relations, and most social areas. But you also state " You say the world at large is ignorant of the negative view of skydiving"...But show me one movie other than "Ripcord" where skydiving was put into a good light. And you think that in an interview when you don't know how it will be recieved is a GOOD time to bring it up? People respect the guy that faced his fears and did one jump. They look at the guy that does it a bunch as wierd. We even encourage that view. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Just because it was not intended does not mean that someone is not culpable. Failure to pay attention when driving down the road can make you guilty of an accident. Read the FARS. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Being Prez is different than being a jumper. Did it lead to jobs? "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

I say this all the time about skydiving equipment.....It applies here as well. Never be the first on the block with the new toys. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

I used skydiving to get my current job. The new job is as an Instructor at a large company, a highly sought after position. I used the fact I was a skydiving Instructor for the last 12 years as a strong point. However, me being a skydiver was already known since it was with my current company and the interviewer and I had already talked about me being a skydiver before this job was available. In most cases, I would not risk the posibility of projecting the wrong image. My situation worked out OK, but he did in fact tell me that it was only the instructing side that helped and that he still thought it was crazy and reckless. I think in most cases its not seen as a positive, and there are plenty of horror stories about people who were good employees until the boss found out they jumped. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Ah yes, but they are not reckless and skydivers are often seen as reckless. Even when someone does a jump it is seen as a one time stunt. That kind of risk taking is different than being a skydiver in many peoples eyes. Doing a tandem is about facing fear being a skydiver is seen as reckless. Does not matter your opinion on how far they go. If they are interviewing you and they think you are reckless, your interview might as well be over. Hey, if you are interviewing with the CEO of Virgin Atlantic...Great, but most interviews will look at you as the people in the bar you are trying to impress...As a reckless dare devil...Not what you want in an interview. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334