waveoff5500

i went to paraclete wind tunnel in NC during the off season to practice all the AFF skills, did 15 mins in the tunnel and when it was jumping season again i flew through the rest of AFF. it made a big difference for me, but if you go get a coach and tell them you want to practice AFF things (turns, ups and downs, falling stable while in the pull position, etc) also save your money because it adds up quick! good luck! "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

i bought a new icon custom icon container, new reserve and aad and a used main that i got on here for a good deal. i love the set up. plenty of room to move down (apparently people have fit 135 or smaller) so im very happy with my choice in buying new because it feels awesome! "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

its pretty tough sometimes, most of them dont get why you cant hang out when its sunny and nice out, and youre trying to arrange plans to hang out when you know youre actually gonna be jumping all day/eating after the day is done. especially in ohio when we only have a certain amount of time to jump before the snow comes haha. but youll see that you will grow close with people from your dropzone and do other activities with them than just jumping. no need to get all your friends into skydiving because most likely it wont happen. "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

cool thats what i wanted to know! thanks guys! "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

thanks! im so psyched to be able to do stuff again haha its been a long road but well worth it. "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

thanks! yep i jumped it this weekend it felt great "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

i think what im trying to say is if a world class skydiver, possessing all the right skills and experience, wanted to really push hard would it be respected by the skydiving community? "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

to respond to a few of you in general: it might be hard for you to look up to someone with that many injuries as an icon, but he is the reason the x games are out, he is the reason action sports "Careers" are more acceptable now. it used to be that people could make a living as a basketball player but if some guy was good on a skateboard he was just some punk who didnt have a job. mat hoffman and tony hawk are pretty much one in the same. you dont think tony hawk has been injured numerous times? also they both pioneered the tricks that are still a big deal today. i grew up in bmx before foam pits were the norm, and there is a stark difference between people who were naturally good at what they did, and the riders of today. i go to the park to ride now and there are little kids doing back flips into foam before they even know how to do a bunny hop. foam pits have literally turned these sports into video games when you see what people are doing now. so it isnt a close comparison to skydiving these days as it was when i was growing up. we would learn tricks by just trying them, watching the others and sometimes we would get hurt. ive seen the hospital from both sides and im not trying to downplay the seriousness of skydiving. but i do agree that any injury in bmx that an experienced skydiver suffers is looked down on, while in bmx and other sports its just a part of it. lepka is right when he talks about his natural skill, but it was also creativity and the asking why cant something be done that really made hoffman successful. i am not in a rush to become a world class skydiver, and i realize that there is a lot to learn, but this isnt about me, this is about what is in the future for skydiving, and how people have broken through the "boundaries" im still new to skydiving, i dont know how its been done. please enlighten me. "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

i can truly say he is one of the inspirations in my life. all the interviews/stories ive heard about him (because bmx is a pretty tight circle of people) have only backed what your experience with him was. check out his book i think its called "the ride of my life" its awesome, some cool base and skydiving stories included in there too. he is a big reason why action sports have achieved mainstream success. "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

Thats what im talking about, without him would there be any XRW? would there be any wingsuit base? also to clarify im not saying people shouldnt heed the advice of the more experienced jumpers regardless of age, because they have earned the respect. where the line gets blurred is when people do listen to the advice, take into account what the risks are and then push the seal as hard as they can which sometimes ends in death. "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

i realize the margin for error is greater on a bmx bike, i was just using bmx as an example. but many would scoff at the statement that the boundaries are dialed in. i realize the consequences may be fatal, but that doesnt mean the boundaries have been reached. take the wingsuit landing project for example. after a certain point, there is no backing out of that, especially if you dont have a rig on, but that is pushing the boundaries. whats after that? wingsuit formations all landing without parachutes? or something more? i think what is possible is only limited to how creative someone is. it only takes one person to show that something is possible and then the fun starts and this has been shown in freeflying, swooping, downsizing etc. "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

i met a bmxer named stephen murray at dew tour one year, and he was in a fully motorized wheel chair because he had suffered a severe spinal injury at dewtour the year before doing a double backflip. he was one of the guys that was trying to push the sport and make a double flip just a normal trick, and he is now paralyzed from the neck down. its ashame that he is like that now, but that gave the entire sport a reality check, and redefined how things were learned. is that kind of thing looked down on in skydiving? putting it all on the line to push the sport? "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

have you guys ever had a dream where you quit skydiving and start golfing? shits scary! "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

just an update! it seems that my sciatica is just getting better everyday. i had a bit of a flare up during the summer, but my surgeon said that he was happy with how everything looked, and that he had a feeling it was just taking me longer to heal because of the size/duration of the herniation that i had. ive been jumping a lot and it feels great, a little sore after the weekend, but nothing compared to what i was dealing with before. it feels great to be able to finally be as active as i was if not more! "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

yes he definitely has, ive read his book twice (ride of my life) and its seriously insane. the guy has had over 100 unconscious concussions, has synthetic ACLs, broken everything, no spleen, etc. He really is an icon, and a legend and i hope to meet him one day soon. he has come to the skatepark that i work at but i was out of town that day! thats what im saying though, he has given everything to progress a sport beyond what people thought was possible and set a foundation for new riders to build on that these days is ridiculously impressive to say the least. but at what price has he done this? as he gets older his quality of life will no doubt degrade quickly. so has there been any people like this in skydiving? that without them it would be a drastically different sport? also does progression have to be done with that much risk where the envelope is truly being pushed? it seems that ignorance of the dangers or full acceptance of the risks might be a key component in the progression of a sport. "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

i feel like you kind of hit the nail on the head. its hard to explain why we do it to people who have never done it and i feel like thats a big reason the as you progress through your skydiving career you taper down how much you initiate talk about skydiving. i know from my experiences that if asked i will elaborate on skydiving, but as silly as it sounds i think people do get jealous because it is a pretty badass sport. especially if your friends participate in sports like skateboarding or bmx. lets face it, most girls will want to hear about skydiving before they want to hear about skateboarding because they dont even compare haha. there are so many unanswered questions to a whuffo because our sport takes place in an environment that no one can regularly be in. on another note, my current roommate is a skydiver, and we jump regularly together. its nice because we appreciate each others gear, and have a special bond in this sport that maybe another roommate would be able to have. i know that his last roommates wouldnt respect his gear and always shoot packing rubber bands everywhere etc, but its cool to be able to leave my rig at home and know its going to be respected. also, if i ever need a packjob from my trunk packing, i have a licensed skydiver to help me out! "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

im talking in general, when it comes to risky sports, can there be "safe" progression? are there "safe" ways to push the envelope, and who should be the people pushing the sport? newer people who have the gungho attitude? or experienced people who have the knowledge to aid them in their goal of progression? my argument would be that there is always a component of risk in progression because by the very nature of it people are touching the unknown, and with the unknown could be dangers that there are no ways to prepare for. in BMX for example, the person who really stands out as pushing the sport would be mat hoffman, also a skydiver/base jumper, but he has paid for it dearly with damage to his body. nowadays the progression of bmx/skateboarding etc is aided by foam pits and training ramps which give a somewhat forgiving environment for learning. that said, i broke my back on a "training ramp" haha. just thought this could be a cool conversation, what limits do you see on skydiving in general, and who really pushes the envelope to the point where its hard to watch, but exciting to see? thanks! "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTDy3565t0Y this might help! "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

its always impressive to see how well it works! glad youre alright "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

Skyhook http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v727/adamgyo/photo5.jpg back http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v727/adamgyo/photo4.jpg side http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v727/adamgyo/photo3.jpg front http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v727/adamgyo/photo2.jpg "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

hahahahaha i hate both of you "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

i will when i get home ive been at school all day haha "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

mentioning tunnel time i need to get my jump numbers in there up as well "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

thats understood, and i didnt mean to call you out in that way, i just remember that when i had issues, people would be like "oh well you need more jumps" but youre so amped up about skydiving at 4 jumps that its hard to take a step back and see that. im not undermining your ratings or experience, i just feel like people do better when they have a "hey it happens to everyone" response. no hard feelings and im not pretending to know oodles of info, i still learn every time i jump and ask questions of the instructors and other jumpers that have more experience. so no need to exert your obvious dominance haha i understand i have 15 times less years experience than you and im not trying to pretend i do. blue skies! "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653

got my icon in, the safire2 169 fits perfect, although i cant wait to get a 150 in there "its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653