![[Two skydivers freefly in red suits.] Blue Skies Magazine i113: May 2019 | On the cover: French freefly Team AirWax members Greg Crozier and Karine Joly photographed above Skydive Sebastian in Florida. Photo by Norman Kent normankent.com](/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/i113_May2019-244x300.jpg)
This month we want to know if you think our sports should be recruiting more members or not. Should we bring in more skydivers? More BASE jumpers? More paragliders? Or are there too many, coming in too fast right now?
Should we be growing the sport(s)?
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Selected responses will be printed in the September 2016 issue (i81) of Blue Skies Mag. We edit lightly for clarity and/or style. You can also email responses to me, lara@blueskiesmag.com. Respond with the exact name you’d like us to use in print please.
If you have a good question for our readers to answer, send that in as well!
There will always be attrition in the sport due to real life getting in the way of fun, money concerns, boredom, etc., so we should bolster our numbers; however, there needs to be quality instruction at all levels to continually up the level of safety and quality of skydives going on.
Absolutely, bringing more skydivers into the sport is better for everyone and the business. The better the business becomes the more successful the DZ operator’s and others involved in the business of the sport will do. Profits bring capital investment for R&D, facilities and aircraft improvements, a stronger USPA with a louder voice in Washington. If you think of an analogy look at the ski resort industry. This is what brought about more trails, high speed chairlifts, safer ski runs, etc. Plus more skydivers means more wingsuiters or freeflyers or FS’ to fly with!
I’d like to see many,many,many new jumpers and flyers of all ages getting to know the sky. The only way it can happen safely is if it is regulated properly and efficiently. Risk mitigation and all that….sheer numbers don’t matter; only sound training does.
We can handle more, at least in my area (Midwest, primarily Michigan). I don’t know if you could hit a point of saturation where it would be bad, without making skydiving *perfectly* safe. And if that was possible it just wouldn’t be as much fun anymore. We don’t like to admit that part because the flipside of that coin is the loss of people I love, but it’s pretty true regardless.
[…] This month we want to know if you think our sports should be recruiting more members or not. Should we bring in more skydivers? More BASE jumpers? More paragliders? Or are there too many, coming in too fast right now? Should we be growing the sport(s)? Selected responses will be printed in the September 2016 […]This month we want to know if you think our sports should be recruiting more members or not. Should we bring in more skydivers? More BASE jumpers? More paragliders? Or are there too many, coming in too fast right now? Should we be growing the sport(s)? Selected responses will be printed in the September 2016 […] Source from.. […]