Building Community With Skydiving

Skydiving is more than just an adrenaline-pumping sport; it’s a powerful way to build unbreakable bonds and discover a new community that will always have your back! 

At Start Skydiving, our mission is not only to provide a safety-conscious and thrilling skydiving experience but also to foster a vibrant, inclusive community where everyone from all walks of life feel a sense of belonging.

Let’s explore how to bring people who skydive together, create lifelong connections, and nurture personal growth through shared experiences, special events, traditions, and mentorship.

The Skydiving Community

The skydiving community is a unique and diverse group of individuals united by their passion for adventure and jumping out of airplanes, of course. It is a tight-knit network that stretches across the globe, where each person supports others, celebrates achievements and shares the highs and lows of the sport of skydiving.

This community offers numerous benefits, including emotional support, shared knowledge, and opportunities for personal and professional growth. 

Whether it’s the thrill of a first jump or the celebration of a milestone jump with a pie in the face, these shared experiences create strong bonds and often breed friendships that last a lifetime! Skydivers frequently form friendships that extend beyond the dropzone, providing a support system that enhances the overall experience of the sport – it becomes a way of living for most. 

Many have found their spouses, best friends, and family within our sport. Being part of a supportive community helps individuals navigate skydiving challenges, offering encouragement and advice from those who have been there before. We all work together to support a common goal: get better and be as safe as possible!

Building Community

One of the most compelling aspects of skydiving is the profound, life-changing experiences that forge connections that last a lifetime. The joy of achieving a personal best, overcoming a fear, or completing a challenging jump is made even more special when shared with others who understand the journey.

Skydiving Events

Skydiving events – called skydiving boogies – offer a fun and unique way for skydivers to come together and celebrate the freedom of flight and the skydiving lifestyle. At these events, we celebrate our achievements, share stories, make new connections within the sport, enjoy the camaraderie of fellow jumpers, and make new memories to be talked about for years to come! Boogies include jumping, partying, and various “festival-style” themed activities for the community to enjoy.

Other skydiving events include training camps, scrambles, and even competitions – where skydivers come together to show off their skills and learn something new! There are plenty of training programs and mentorships available for new skydivers or anyone navigating the complexities of the sport to seek guidance from seasoned jumpers. Mentorship provides valuable support, helping each other develop skills and gain confidence.

Skydiving Traditions

The skydiving culture has been around for a while and has developed fun traditions. Safety is taken very seriously in our sport, but we tend not to take ourselves too seriously. We like to think up many fun and humorous things to do while skydiving. From freefall “fights” with pool noodles, and riding inflatables out of the airplane, to putting together a Mr. Potato Head freefall – we find many ways to keep things interesting while in freefall (and maybe even try to set a new, silly record).

• The forehead stamp is one of the most monumental traditions that welcomes newly licensed skydivers into our community. Becoming a skydiver ain’t easy – you work hard to complete and pass 25 jumps, develop freefall skills, learn to pack a parachute and pass an oral and written exam. Once your United States Parachute Association (USPA) A License Proficiency Card is complete, you’ll receive the official USPA A license stamp on your forehead – crowning your grand achievement! This is a signature experience that highlights you the whole day, surrounded by other licensed skydivers within the community, cheering you on.

• Milestone jumps – like your 100th, 200th, or 1,000th jump – are all celebrated in a big way. All of the skydivers on the dropzone make it a huge deal to pull off your dream milestone jump. Whether you want to jump in cow onesies, do a wingsuit rodeo, or just want to jump with as many friends as possible – a skydiver will drop everything to make your dream come true! As tradition, the skydiver will get a pie in the face after their jump is over (when they least expect it, of course). Getting pied can be a messy experience, but we all wear it as a badge of honor!

• The pre-jump handshake is something that is shared amongst all skydivers whether it is your first tandem skydive or your 1,000th skydive. Before exiting the airplane, each jumper will give a pre-exit handshake to those around them. Most skydivers have developed some type of pre-jump handshake with their friends but the traditional slap and dap is our go-to. This is a way to show love to everyone who has chosen to go on this adventure together. So get ready to give your fellow jumps a high-five followed by a fist bump before you jump out!

• The beer line is house – or dropzone – rules for anyone who dares to cross an invisible line designated in the landing area while under canopy. One of the most known traditions at the dropzone is to end a great day of jumping by grabbing a cold one from the communal beer fridge with your buddies. How does the beer fridge stay stocked? Well, some jumpers bring beer to celebrate milestone achievements, or as a ‘thank you’ to the instructors, but some have a debt to pay for passing the beer line (or no-go zone). If you cross the line, you’ll hear a triumphant “BEER!” amongst all of the skydivers who caught you! It’s a little teasing in good taste, of course – but if you get caught passing the beer line, we expect you to bring the good stuff.

Want to be a part of the skydiving community? It all starts with your first jump – book your tandem skydive with Start Skydiving and join our awesome community! Blue skies.