Bungee Jumping Culture

Bungee Jumping Culture

There is something about an individual that is willing to jump from a high place, attached to a rubber band. This modern extreme sport, known as bungee jumping, seems to have it's own culture attached to it. It's almost ethereal, hard to put your finger on it, but it is there. Perhaps it comes from the past, or is a morphing into a new spiritual experience, but the bungee jumping culture can be seen and felt.

So what is the bungee jumping culture? Where did it come from? Where is it going? The origins of the sport itself gives us a clue as to where the bungee jumping culture came from. Originally a religious ritual used on the South Pacific island of Pentecost to appease mother earth, it was supposed to proved for a good yam crop. It was also a demarcation, a rite of passage, for young boys to become known as men. Since as long as anybody can tell, these natives have conducted this ritual every spring, literally for thousands of years. The prevailing culture of the original land divers was definitely a spiritual one.

Re-discovered in the 1950s and promoted heavily in the modern world during the 1980s, bungee jumping has grown by leaps and bounds. The modern bungee jumping culture doesn't consist of primitive natives trying to appease the mother earth. However, there is a back-to-earth element to this extreme death defying outdoor sport. It provides a thrilling adrenaline rush that is next to nothing else on earth. Perhaps space travel could rival this effect, but I doubt it. The bungee jump goes beyond the limited religious and cultural conflicts of our modern day, and appeals to something more primitive, more basic. The modern bungee jumping culture is a multi-ethnic, multi-generational, and multi-socio-economic group, all looking for the thrill of their lives.

So what does the modern bungee jumping culture look like? It defies logic. Both young and old alike flock to bungee jumping events. There is simply a mystique that permeates this sporting event like no other. Back to mother earth, defying death, and telling the tale - all of these are the bragging rights of successful bungee jumpers. They all share in common this aspect of the sport - survival. Jumpers face a primeval fear, the ultimate loss - death, and overcoming that fear to complete a jump. There is a sense of accomplishment and victory that goes beyond mountain climbing and other extreme sports.

Taking the back-to-nature theme to the extreme, there is a new movement within bungee jumping called nude bungee jumping. It typically appeals to the green back-to-earth movement, as well as the frugal bungee jumpers. Commercial bungee jumping outfitters usually provide a discount, or even a free jump, if someone decides to go the full monty. This type of jump is usually done with a partner, for a spiritual bonding that goes beyond the everyday realm. This is yet another evidence that the bungee jumping culture is evolving beyond normal boundaries, and we have yet to truly see what it will become.

Bungee Jumping Clubs

Bungee Jumping Clubs

So you want to go bungee jumping, and you are trying to figure out where to get started. Or, perhaps you are a seasoned jump veteran, and you are looking for others to start a jumping group together. Either way, you are really looking for the same thing: a bungee club. Bungee jumping clubs have come into existence over the last few decades as a result of the prominence and massive expansion of the bungee jumping industry.

A group called the Dangerous Sports Club could be considered to be the first bungee jumping club. This group, from Oxford and London, were active in a variety of extreme sports adventures from the late 1970s through the 1980s. The club is credited with the invention of the modern bungee jumping craze. Their first jump took place on April 1st, 1979. The club was very active during their heyday in the early 1980s. Easily the most famous member of the Dangerous Sports Club was Graham Chapman, of Monty Python fame.

Since that time, bungee jumping clubs have grown in popularity as well as quantity. There are bungee jumping clubs on virtually every inhabited continent of the globe. The fact that this extreme sport has taken such strides in popularity is evident from the number of clubs and the amount of jumpers who make the plunge every year. There are two primary bungee jumping safety organizations that operate as certification entities today. One is the United States Bungee Association (USBA), the other is the British Elastic Sports Association (BERSA). These organizations would be a good starting place to find a bungee jumping club, because they keep track of who is certified by their respective organizations. This is good, because you can be assured that the club is operating with safety procedures strictly enforced.

Some experienced bungee jumpers may want to start their own club. However, this is a big endeavor, and they should consider all of the steps necessary to start a club before they get started. Just a few of the things needed will be considered here.

First, in order to start a bungee jumping club, you would want to write and document your 'business plan', so-to-speak. This would document your project and would provide something for you to give out to prospective investors and concerned government agencies. You will need to acquire financing in order to pay for equipment, insurance, experienced crew, jump location, etc. Once contracts are in place for the crew, location, etc., you will want to get any needed governmental permits. Once all the paperwork is in place, you can begin construction of your jump site. After testing with sandbags, and your crew, you will finally be ready to start promoting your bungee jumping club. As you can see, these are only an overview of the steps required. Even this short list presents a formidable task to starting a club.

It is probably best to start by joining an existing bungee jumping club, and drawing from their experience while you grow your own experience. This would provide the springboard needed to launch your own bungee jumping club in the future.

Bungee Jumping Accidents

Bungee Jumping Accidents

Bungee jumping is, by it's nature, a dangerous sport. There is no denying that fact. However, modern manufacturing methods and safety practices have made the sport much safer over the past decade. It is certainly safer than the land diving of the South Pacific natives. Unfortunately, even with all of these advances in the sport, bungee jumping accidents still occur. In this article we will examine what can happen as a result of bungee jumping.

The most severe bungee jumping accidents can actually be fatal. Most of the fatalities that have occurred in bungee jumping occur as a result of head trauma. Miscalculation of the length of bungee cord necessary to complete the jump safely has resulted in several deaths since the sport became a public phenomenon in the late 1970s. One of the most infamous deaths from bungee jumping occurred during practice for the half-time show of Superbowl XXXI, in 1997. Laura Patterson, who was practicing with members of her professional team, died upon impact when she jumped from the top level of the Louisianna Superdome. The accident was blamed on the bungee cords being handled incorrectly. The half-time show was subsequently cancelled, and a tribute to Laura was performed instead. Other deaths have resulted from people actually coming loose from the ankle harness. This has led to the common practice of using a body harness as a back-up safety precaution.

Bungee jumping enthusiasts will be quick to point out, however, that there are only a handful of deaths from among millions of jumps that have been performed over the last few decades. Even though this is true, there are many other types of bungee jumping accidents that can occur if strict safety guidelines are not followed. Rope burn, pinched fingers and bruises are among the most common injuries suffered from bungee jumping. While these may not be attributable to actual bungee jumping accidents, they can be considered an adverse side-effect by most people.

More serious than sprains and bruises are the possibilities of other bungee jumping accidents, such as severe eye trauma, dislocation, back injury, and even broken bones. These are not highly publicized events, but they do occur nonetheless. In the case of the eye trauma, increased pressure in the eye an cause a blood vessel to burst near the retina. This results in blurred vision or loss of eyesight completely. Although it sounds horrific, this is only temporary, until the body repairs the damage done. Of more concern would be back injuries and broken bones. In the case of back injuries, a dislocation or strain on the spine can cause a lifetime of pain and suffering. That is something to take into account when weighing the risks of bungee jumping.

Bungee jumping accidents do occur, but they can be minimized by following established safety procedures. It is up to you to ask the right questions. It is up to the commercial company or club to ensure they have the right equipment and trained operators. Bungee jumping can be fun, and does not have to involve serious injury if done correctly by trained operators and jumpers.