anewempire

i would definitely would not think it was worth if i got paralysed. i used to ride dirt bikes a lot and i've broken a lot of bones. i even broke my back at one point and all i wanted to do was get back on the bike. breaking my back made me see how serious the sport was but i guess it wasn't until i took a 3 story fall onto flat ground in the sand dunes that it really hit me about never being able to walk again. my legs were seriously messed up for the next 7 months as i recovered and after that it really made me think a lot about walking and being paralyzed. i've gone riding one time since then. honestly i want to get back on the bike really bad but it's still hard to gather myself up and take the risk that just doesn't seem that worth it anymore. i guess because i haven't really faced anything bad in skydiving yet it doesn't terrify me as much as riding dirt bikes again does. but i know just like how i learned the risks of riding first hand over the years i will soon learn the risks first hand of jumping as time goes on. while being caught up in what we do we can say "it would definitely be worth it," when it actually happens you will definitely think that through a little more. you may not change your answer but you might... i'm just saying you'll think about it A LOT more. but till then lets all jump and enjoy lives. killer?

when i was little my family and i took over a month long road trip all around the country in a motorhome. but that might not count since i was so young. besides that the summer that i graduated high school (1.5 years ago) 2 friends and i loaded up our dirtbikes and head to oklahoma to ride the sand dunes and that was a 16 hour drive one way just to stay there for 3 days of riding. the sucky part was i took a solid 3 story fall only 2 hours into riding and broke my foot and tore a bunch of stuff in my other leg and all through my abdomen so i was done. still fun. i don't know if anyone else on here rides but definitely go to the dunes. they're dangerous but fun. the first jump we found of the day was around 120ft table top. it's crazy out there

i was sick and extremely stopped up once a few years ago and i was down in florida but i had to get back to alabama cause high school was starting back up in a few days and my only option was to get on a plane. one of the most uncomfortable moments ever. i was literally like 95% deaf during the flight cause i couldn't pop my ears and i was in horrible pain the whole time. what sucked is when we got to altitude it hurt a lot but then when it came time to go back down to land it got even crazier. thankfully i didn't blow any ear drums or anything. i would prefer to never experience that ever again though. i jumped once when i was a little stuffed up and i remember the whole way down it sort of hurt but not too bad (i hadn't been able to pop one of my ears for like the past week) and when i pulled my chute it opened a little fast and jerked me and when i got jerked my ear popped and i was fine after that. kind of weird but i was happy cause i could now hear out of that ear ha.

to start off, i'm not gay at all. and from my point of view i basically saw it how airtwardo saw it. i thought it was a good movie and by like halfway through i didn't even feel like it was so much focused on that they were gay as to the fact that they were just living their lifes as a lie and didn't really know what they wanted in life and just used people to either cover up their affair or to try to convince themselves that they're "normal." i thought it was a good story. could have been better but nonetheless i thought it was a good movie. it was definitely awkward at times to the point where i couldn't really watch it. the girl i was with kept laughing at me whenever i would be like "aw... awwww... come on." but besides those awkward parts the story was good. its crazy cause i know there are gay people out there who actually live their lives like that and it was just an interesting movie to see from that aspect. honestly i have no earthly idea how someone could be gay but whatever. anyways... i'd say see it if you are someone who can appreciate movies and look past certain aspects of it (if you're like me and not gay that is).

doctors will always give you crap. i rode dirt bikes hardcore for 5 years. only 4 broken bones over the whole time but 3 of them were all within the same year. broken wrist... 6 months later nearly to the day i cracked a vertebre in my back... 6 months later nearly to the day after that i broke my collar bone. then about 8 months later i was back in physical theropy for my back and then 2 months later i was back there with a broken foot. my doctor gave me crap every time i went in there. they just don't understand. it's not about the risks. we have goals. our hearts are into these things the way their hearts are into working on people. how can i live without having goals and determination? i'm at that point right now where i don't really have anything to put my determination into and i'm just floating by until opportunites arise. i thank the doctors for their work and we do get crap but you can't blame them for not understanding why it is that we do the things we do

i'm about 145 pounds and 5'9 with 28 jumps and i'm on a 150. actually i trade out between renting the 170 and 150 because the 150 container fits sooo small and tight but i like how the canopy flies over the 170. the 170 container fits perfect though. right now if i had my wish i would have a 150 canopy in a 170 container if thats possible. or i'm sure they can do something about the length of those straps on the 150 container. i started off on a 240 and did my IAF on that and then for like my 2nd or 3rd solo i went to a 190. i thought that was fast at first too ha. o goodness. am i at a good canopy size on the 150? i keep feeling like i could go smaller but i don't want to rush my skills cause i know i'm still really new to the sport. but then again i don't know if i'm still a little big on the 150 or not.

i'm niave when it comes to anthing jumping as seeing that i'm pretty new to it but is there not a huge danger about the radiation put off by antennas?

when i got certified this summer i wasn't even really told what an RSL was. they gave me a basic overview of it but they really wanted to push into my brain that the only way to save myself was to pull the reserve handle. i feel that was a pretty good way of teaching it, by basically just leaving it out so that i will naturally perform my EP instead of having in my head that something else will save me. but whatever. i have 27 jumps and don't know what i'm talking about

i'm only 20 and i know i'm already screwed for life. when i was 17 i overshot the landing to a jump on my dirt bike and the hospital told me i just compressed my back. 2 weeks later i get back on the bike cause i'm feeling a little better and figure trail riding would be alright because there's not really impact. well i hit a tree going really fast and got flipped over the bars and landed right on my back where i hurt it. i rode for the next year thinking i was fine and then one day at school i could barely breathe, barely walk, and my back was killing me. turns out i cracked a vertebre. retarded doctors never even saw it. and it's started hurting a lot again lately so who knows what i should do. sometimes i think doctors are just to careless and want to say you're fine before they say you're actually hurt. i broke my foot a year ago and i went to 4 different doctors before they finally found the break. they kept telling me it was fine and i kept telling them it was definitely broken. carelessness is unacceptable in the medical world

the first thing i was told when i started to skydive was that "panicking is a choice. don't do it. panicking is how you will get killed." whenever something happens in the sky and i feel myself start to panic that just shoots into my mind and i automatically keep cool and think about what i'm doing and what's going on. that guy was freaking out on the radio

yeah, flip exits are fun. i started doing gainers out of the plane. just jump out and throw your body back and tuck into a ball and you will just keep rotating till you open up. so far my most is like 4 flips. it's nice not having to try to get stable right away too cause when you open up you're at terminal velocity so if you're on your back or something all you have to do is flip over. i can't wait for my A license either. i waited at the dropzone for like 5 hours yesterday but the clouds just didn't want to move out of the way

i've heard of people using their car headlights to make like a landing strip to land it. sounds like a really good idea to me after hearing these stories of people getting freaked out by their shadows

night jumps seem so ridiculously awesome. do you just need an A license to be able to do them or do you have to have your B license?

speaking of downsizing... i only have 18 jumps and have moved down to a 170 already. sounds like a lot of people are really hesitant to people moving down and this makes me wonder if this was a good move or not. i did like 3 jumps with a 190 from a 220 and then the 190 was in use at the dz so i used a 170 and loved it. i felt in so much more control and did a stand up landing. the 190 i was having problems and would come in hard and the flares never really seemed to work too good and i would have to sprint off the landings. but the 170 felt incredible in every way. do you more experienced guys think i'm moving too fast for the few amount of jumps i have? i feel extremely comfortable under canopy now. i don't do anything stupid on landings since i'm so inexperienced. well just wondering if you guys would recommend my progression or not.

hey dude. i saw your profile and saw you're in the coast guard. if you're who i think you are then i was there for your very first tandem too. the last time i was down there we were waiting for clouds to pass and they never did so i left. i'm back in alabama now though. ok well anyways... that's awesome you graduated. i'm only at 18 jumps now (i got certified at skydive miami this summer too) and i don't even have to attempt to stay table anymore. it's just natural and now it's just all fun. keep at it man. from as far as i know it just keeps getting better

i like it there but i totally don't agree with skyride. but like i said i can't afford to go some place else. i'm in college and i'm pushing it just being able to jump let alone driving just the 1:15 minutes. i just dont' have the money to drive that extra hour there and back

what sucks is i have no choice but to support skyride. i can't afford to drive 2.5 hours away just to go to a different drop zone. gas is expensive and i have very little money. the closest dropzone to me is only like 1:15 away but is a part of skyride. i think they work in connection with the cedartown dz. everyone there is super nice and awesome but i too still disagree with the way they do business. but what can i do? some people just don't have a choice

if you need to take time off then take time off. different situations come about in everything that will eventually change how you see things. i rode dirt bikes for 5 years. i got into freestyle for the last year. last summer i got hurt really bad again and thought i was going to die and that changed my whole perspective on the sport. i've been riding one time since and it just wasn't the same. sometimes there's other things that are more important in life than the rushes we get. for me that happened to be my mentality that i'll always be ok when riding but now i really want to be able to walk when i'm older and the reality of injuries hit me full on (i even cracked a vertebre when i over shot a jump about 3 years ago). you just got to do what you got to do. it's all relative. i just started skydiving this summer and have 18 jumps in so far. i've thought about what i'd do if i ever had a family and when it comes down to it i think i'll probably quit. maybe for good, maybe for just a little while. it's your call dude

this summer i got certified at skydive miami. everything about this place is good. the entire staff is super friendly and they are all incredibly cool people. they are also ridiculously professional and have the best rigs i've run across... easily! the landing area is huge! i've been to 2 drop zones in GA and everytime i've mentioned where i got certified everyone automatically just talks nothing but good things about their professionalism and how much the love the guys that work there. i can't wait to make my way back down to florida again to jump there