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From: dth@reef.cis.ufl.edu (David Hightower)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: Does the terror stop?
Keywords: fear, risk
Message-ID: <28692@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU>
Date: 23 May 91 14:48:36 GMT
References: <130476@unix.cis.pitt.edu> <1991May22.152608.8297@ge-dab.GE.COM> <4541@bnr-rsc.UUCP>
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In article <4541@bnr-rsc.UUCP> lenny@bnr.ca writes:
>So, what I was wondering is if we could start a thread here with some
>of the more veteran divers explaining how they progressed, how they

I don't know if I qualify as a "veteran" skydiver, but I know just what
you are talking about.  I would actually recite the Lord's Prayer on my
way up--seems kind of comical unless you were there.  Actually, the
plane I was riding in kind of helped; The shape that it was in, I did
NOT want to risk attempting a landing in it!

Anyhow, after a while my mind started wandering into areas that it
shouldn't:  What if my parachute had been packed incorrectly? (when I go
back to skydiving, the *first* thing I'm gonna do is learn to pack my
own).  They taught us how to do a tight loop by holding down on one of
the brakes; I did this often until another thought came to mind:  How
much stress can the stitching on my harness take?  What about the leg
straps--have they begun to slip?  I had visions of myself at 800'
holding on to the risers for dear life.

Such thinking is an anathema to skydiving; it was one of the factors
that caused me to stop.  

Dave
_________________________________________________________________________
Dave Hightower		|    opinion? I'm allowed to have an opinion?
dth@cis.ufl.edu		| well, if I DID have one, it'd be mine, all mine!
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