I thought what peek wrote is very interesting. I started in the sport in 1984, and bad weather in the UK as well as starting my own business in '86 brought it all to an end. I always wanted to get back into skydiving and at last in 2005 I had the time and money to start again, and did AFF in the USA. I still only have a low jump total due to a biking injury but I hope to be jumping again soon.
Anyway, my experience of the sport is that the people I have met in the UK and USA have, on the whole, been a pretty friendly bunch who are keen to help. As with any sport, there is an element of poseurs/know alls/snobs/legends, but they are to be found in all walks of life, and they're best ignored. Compared to a sport like dirt biking, which is another sport I love, I think the factors in attracting and retaining new participants are the same - time, money and maintaining the thrill. (And in the UK, our weather is a problem)
Without wanting to sound negative, I think that once a 'natural' level of participants is reached in any sport, there is very little that can be done to attract thousands of newcomers without spending a fortune. And also, the very exclusivity of these sports is perhaps what makes them attractive to the relative few who do them.
