I am going to go ahead and commit myself to my vision and write this down. I have learned, and taught, that to make your dreams a reality, there is a process.
Thought, Action, Commitment, Reward!
However, many people feel that action has to be the actual process of the doing and miss a portion that part of the doing and the commitment is writing down your vision…It as a vital part of the puzzle… In all reality, without the writing, it is a piece that is missed and therefore, many times results in the puzzle never being completed.
THOUGHTS ARE CREATIVE!!
To make your dreams happen, you have to be able to see it, hear it, taste it and feel it. When that happens, your dreams become tangible and real…No longer is it just a thought (which I believe thoughts are things) but is actually PROCESSS… So, to make your dreams a reality, start early in the process of creating it so you can have it in your hands!
So, my New Years resolution and long time dream is to get certified to skydive. I have been blessed with two tandem jumps on my 35th birthday and still can feel the butterflies and excitement of that experience today. This weekend, I stated the process of making this a reality.
As I tell people, that “House on the Hill” you want is a great dream but part of making it a reality is a process... Looking for the house, finding the right price, getting an agent (or builder), Actually going to the houses that fits your dream, talking to a mortgage broker, getting pre approved for a loan, making the deal, signing the paperwork, getting a moving van, loading your stuff in it, taking it to the house and unloading it and eventually sitting on YOUR couch, in YOUR house and watching the hummingbirds at the feeders on your front porch (my vision anyway). WISHING things to be “so” is not a progressive way of creating reality.
The closest place to get certified to skydive in my area is in San Marcos (about an hour and a half or two hours away)…The place I did my tandem jumps… Skydive San Marcos (http://www.skydivesanmarcos.com/)… They have a package deal of 1860.00 for your jumps 1-14. To get your USPA Class A license, you must complete 25 jumps. The 1860.00 price covers all the expenses of the jumps 1-14…Gear, instruction, log, etc… After that you have to pay 23.00 per jump and a 30.00 rental fee of the equipment per jump or a 60.00 a day rate for the equipment plus the 23.00 per jump fee. However, it was explained to me that realistically its two jumps a day and no more than three.
I also found out that you have to be UNDER 130lbs to be certified and go through the course…Wouldn’t have happened a year ago!! LOL!! I am at 195-200 regularly now so maybe this is another message that “its time!” ;)
Skydiving is a sport that has to be “weather friendly” and your jumps are going to be dependant on the weather so clear, sunny days, with minimal wind is the ideal jumping conditions.
You are limited, as a beginner; to 3 jumps a day…You can’t jump more than three times a day until you get certified….Ideally, as it was explained, is 2 jumps a day with various instructions so it is full days. The drop zone in San Marcos has bunkhouses so if you are really driven, you can stay there for 10.00 a night and jump twice a day and get your certification in a short amount of time. Come Spring time, you can jump any day of the week…Before then, all you can jump “instructed” is Fri, Sat, Sun and Mon.
It was also explained to me that “jumping” is draining and can be exhausting. You also HAVE to pass each jump based on standards from your instructor and any failed jumps must be repeated. As Sarah, with her English accent stated on the phone to me today….
“If you are good, you can get it done quickly.”
I have no other intention but to be excellent and am dedicated to making myself be very proficient at this extreme sport. I am also quite confident that with any other new thing in life, I DON’T see the bigger picture and am sure there are many details to make this happen and to make it happen in EXCELLENCE!
I asked her about simply paying the 1860.00 up front and getting on with it and she stated…
“I would advise you to come and do your ground school, do your first jump and see if it is really for you before committing the money to further your goal towards your license… Many people come out, do the ground school, take their first jump and never come back”
To me, that is insane!! Why would I commit that much only to do it once…But we will see!!
The next ground school is Jan 22nd and I see that as “possible” but am looking to get this started after getting my next job and having the income to make it happen…However, money is just a conversation and I am sure if this is truly supposed to happen, I will be in San Marcos before too long!
So here is the breakdown…
· Jumps 1-14 with everything included is 1860.00
· Jumps 15-25 are 53.00 per jump and will total 530.00 (gear and jump fee).
· Ideally it will cost me 2390.00 to get my USPA Class A license.
· I am going to take into consideration the “possibility” of having to take a few extra jumps and plan on spending 2550.00 for my total instruction to get my license.
· 2 jumps per weekend will have me attaining my license in 13 weeks (weather permitting).
· If I decide to buy my own gear, it looks like I can make that happen for about 3000.00.
· To be a skydiver, certified, with my own gear and able to jump at my leisure will be 5550.00…
Some will say that this cost is insane to go jump out of a perfectly good airplane (which no airplanes are “perfectly good”) but when I consider the other hobbies I have had in my life, this is not unreasonable, and in all reality even safer than some of my other adventures.
Skiing
Police Work
Scuba Diving
Hunting
Guns
Fishing
Travel
Harley Davidson’s
All of these hobbies have resulted in THOUSANDS of dollars spent over the years….Why would this hobby be any different huh?
To hold your certification, you must jump once every 60 days or you will have to be re-tested on your skills and abilities. As I read and research this hobby, it is generally very safe and most times accidents that happen are from human error and an inability to adhere to the safety protocols of this extreme sport.
Apparently the key to this sport is practice, listening to experienced jumpers and making sure you follow all the safety procedures to have a long and happy life as a skydiver. I have researched experienced jumpers and found that one guy who has 22 years in the sport, over 3300 jumps and only had to “cut away” 4 times in his time skydiving. He is into many extended extremities of this sport and has/does many risky extensions of the sport (Sky Surfing, Swooping, Wing-suits, Group Dives, Night Dives, etc….).
So, now I have created a thought into something more tangible and making this more of a reality. Part of the “process” and I STILL trust the process. I will update the blog as it progresses!!
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