Good for you Daytona Dave. I wish you many more happy jumps. I jumped just a couple of times many years ago, and between my lack of skills, and the army surplus chutes from WWII that we were using, I pretty much hit the ground like a brick; even cracked the helmet on one landing. I have a feeling that your skills and equipment make for some much more dignified landings than mine.
I can relate to both Pat's and Danny's comments. Pat's relates to my head, and Danny's relates to my heart. I think that for many of us there is a good compromise in there somewhere that listen's to both. Experienced extreme athletes take calculated risks all the time, and the key word is "calculated". Whether the risk is getting caught in an avalanche, drilled into the reef by a 30 foot wave, or having your chute get tangled, the key for the experienced athlete is to know and account for all the risk equations, minimize the risks where possible, and then adjust his actions according to his skill and willingness to pay the costs. Do I take my hip into account as one of the risk factors in the equation; absolutely. But if the risk versus reward/costs equation balances out, it still leaves plenty of room to push the adventure boundaries for those of us that value it as a key part of our lives.
I applaud Pat for reminding us of the risk, and I applaud Daytona and Danny for taking that risk into account, and following their passions.