back2nature

In a previous thread I wrote about my first jump (tandem) a couple days ago. It was the greatest dayof my life and now I want to experience more and see what I am capable of achieving. I have decided to make it a goal to earn my license. I have a problem though and I feel that my work situation could possibly hold me back. I travel with the disney ice shows as a crew member. So basically I am in a different city every week, and sometimes in other countries for extended periods of time. I would have no problem having every jump in a different place but I dont know what the rules are when it comes to training. Do I need to stay with a specific school or can I still make this happen? I dont plan on traveling like this forever but I can't exactly quit my job anytime soon. I don't really know what to do. Skydiving has all of a sudden become very important to me (and I've only made 1 jump) and I think the whole thing can be nothing but therapeutic for me in so many ways. Thanks for any advice you could give.. Your friend, Shawn

Thanks you guys for the kind welcome. Like I said before, this is something that has been a long time coming and has taken considerable time learning about myself just to get to the point of making my first jump. I really think that this is something I want to move forward with and get to the point of jumping on my own. I really think that this could be nothing but a good thing for me in so many different ways. I recently read a book called Transcending fear by Brian Germain. I didn't read it just because it was written by a skydiver but because fear is something that has held me back in a lot of situations in life. I feel like i am now finally steering towards looking it in the face and seeing fear for what it really is.

Hi everyone. I just thought I would drop by and say hello. I didn't really know where I could find others to talk to about my experience. I figured this is probably the best place. Today I made my first jump(tandem). I have been wanting to go skydiving for a long time(I'm 29 now) and the opportunity presented itself to me recently. In the past I thought I wanted to jump simply because it seemed like a fun thrill I could embark on. Over the last few years I have become more and more aware of my mortality and I think that as I'm getting older I'm becoming more reserved in my thinking. So the jump I made today was more than just a thrill seeking adventure, it was a means for me to break through fears... I guess you could call it therapy. It was not easy for me to do and I would be lying if I said I wasn't afraid. Well, I made the jump... words will never be able to describe the feeling. It was amazing, I would call it a religious experience. Freefall was incredible and I felt nothing but contentment. It was amazing how focused my mind became, i didnt expect that.I want to thank the guys in at Skydive Arizona for giving me such a great gift. I can fly! The weirdest thing is that it all seems so sureal..almost like it never happened... Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself and say hello. I should stop now or I will probably keep rambling. All I can say is---- I dont think I will be able to stop now that I crossed that threshhold.