Gearing Up
February 2008
by Ed Scott, Executive Director

What a year 2007 was—for skydiving and USPA. The greatest news is that skydiving experienced its lowest number of jump-related fatalities (18) since 1961. This is huge, especially given the disparity between the number of members in 1961 (3,353) and the end of 2007 (31,264). Each skydiver, jump pilot, loader, manifestor, rigger and DZO can take credit for applying the knowledge and judgment necessary to keep ourselves and others safe. This safety trend is also a tribute to the dedication of your board of directors, which has continuously addressed the prevailing reasons behind skydiving accidents, and our USPA Coaches, instructors and Safety & Training Advisors, who have consistently passed along that guidance to novices and experienced jumpers worldwide. (We will not ignore the five people we lost on a Cessna jump flight crash and the 10 who died while flying back from a boogie. You’ll read what we can learn from their passing and how we can work to prevent similar tragedies in USPA’s annual fatality summary in an upcoming issue of Parachutist.)

The good news doesn’t end with the reduction in skydiving fatalities. USPA ended 2007 with an increase in membership (up to 31,264) for the first time in five years. And the total of new members (4,900) reverses a five-year downward trend and is the highest since 2003. The number of A licenses USPA issued (2,019) tops those in 2006 and ends a six-year decline. B-, C- and D-license issuances are all higher than in recent years too.

USPA issued more tandem instructor ratings (203) than in the past two years, more AFF instructor ratings (266) than in any year since 1997, and the most coach ratings (662) since the program’s inception in 2001.

So, lots of good news from 2007, but that’s history now. What does 2008 have in store for skydiving? Isn’t that up to each of us? Why don’t we each set some skydiving goals for this year?

• Start by committing to attend a DZ’s Safety Day next month.
  
  
• Go for your next license if you don’t yet have your D.
  
  
• Take a canopy piloting course after reviewing Sections 6-10 and 6-11 of the Skydiver’s Information Manual.
  
  
• Achieve a USPA Coach or Instructor rating, or add to your existing rating or renew a lapsed one; many DZs could use the help.
  
  
• Earn your PRO rating, jump into high-profile venues, and make some extra coin while you’re at it.
  
  
• If you’re a college student, let us help you start a college skydiving club and leave a legacy when you graduate. (E-mail groupmbrs@uspa.org.)
  
  
• Talk up a 4- or 8-way team—vertical or flat, serious or fun—at your local DZ.
  
  
• Or simply make some jumps with newly licensed skydivers—just for the fun of it.

Let’s also not let the majority of first-jump customers walk off the DZ with only a memory and a video, never to return. They’ve just displayed a commonality with you and me. Something brought us back after our first jump—maybe just a warm smile, a handshake, an offered beer or a shared laugh. Let’s let them know they’ll be welcomed back when they decide to return.

The successes of 2007 are to be celebrated. Now, they become the challenges for 2008, because we should never be satisfied with what was, but instead constantly work for what could be. Will 2008 be the year you challenge yourself to meet a skydiving goal or earn a new jumping credential? Will it be the year you decide to give back to the sport by bringing in and encouraging others to join us? Let your actions be your response, and we’ll know by the numbers we see at the end of 2008.

What do you think? Click here to send USPA your comments.

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