Though I do have to admit, there have been times while freeflying where I get into this comfort zone and tend to stay there. This happened the first time when I really got my sit down and didn’t want to mess it up by trying to move. So I didn’t. I stayed. Forward penetration and sideways movement to get to the group just wasn’t a priority. I had this sit, and I knew how to make it work, and I wasn’t going to do anything that could potentially mess that up.

Then, one day I went up with Sporto and he flew circles around me (literally) as I hung out in this rigid sit. Back on the ground he was like, “breathe, relax, smile and do something.”

He went on to tell me that I’ve got the fundamentals, I just need to put them in motion, start moving, start docking, and if you cork in the process, you cork, but just hanging out doing only what works will never help you improve.

Good point, Sporto! So I took it to heart. I did a lot of zoo dives with 4-5 other freeflyers and it taught me how to move! It was no longer a knee lock exit into relative sit where Rick and I just stare at each other – it was time to stand to get down to the group, push my hips forward and get moving!

I’ve noticed this same thing with docking. There are times where, my concern of “ruining” the jump overtakes my knowledge that, if I reach forward, I should move my other arm up or back to keep balanced. These are things I know, but they’re out of that precious little comfort zone, and it can be difficult to move past it.

After jumps like this, Rick and I can’t help but laugh at each other – we should have just gone for it. And if we cork, at least my video camera can show us visual evidence of what went wrong.

I’m sure other skydivers out there have experienced this… right? I mean, in the end, we’re all working to get out of our comfort zone, whether it’s taking that first step out the door, learning another discipline, playing with front riser turns under canopy…whatever it is, aren’t we all struggling to get comfortable with the unfamiliar?

One of the things I’ve heard a lot lately is from students/recent A licensers who are having issues with landing. Whether it’s finding your flare, setting up a landing pattern, standing up landings, or even just not landing off, these issues too can stem from being outside your comfort zone, and all of these things can be perfected with practice.

I’ve come to learn that having the attitude that,”I’m going to do this for myself,” really helps you get to that point. Trying to prove something to others only puts additional pressure on the situation, but if it’s something you really want, then make it happen for you. Besides, you can’t let little slip ups be the death of you, especially in front of others. From time to time we all cork, we all have a messy landing, we all have off days – even the best skydivers out there! So if you take out a formation and it gets caught on video, or you slide in a landing and catch a dry spot only to land it on your hands and knees in front of the entire DZ (like I did this weekend…oops), not to worry, because someone else is likely to do something else stupid in the near future. Then it can be your turn to rib them for it!

My two cents – take it or leave it.

Anyway – that all leads me back to this: step out of your comfort zone. Do something that scares you (and if that means making that first skydive, then what are you waiting for?), test out those front riser turns the next time you’re under canopy with time to kill – above 2,000 feet, give those freefly skills another try. Whatever it is that makes you nervous, do it…safely.

You might just surprise yourself with what you’re capable of – and you may even learn a thing or two along the way.

Blue skies!

Ashley

That’s what I want to be one day…a good skydiver.

Over the weekend we headed down to Canton Air Sports – yep, the old stomping grounds – where Mark Vickers was flying the Skyvan for the weekend. Not only was I able to jump my new rig – Beer, yes, duly noted – but we were able to get some great jumps in!

After the sun set we all sat around the big screen to watch some of the bad ass freeflying that took place that day – and I have to admit, I was in awe for most of it.

There are a couple friends of ours who are brothers – Joe and Dave (hey guys!) – who are two of the sickest freeflyers I’ve seen. It’s not so much about the wicked things they’re able to do in the sky (there’s that too) but it’s how dynamic they are together. No matter what’s going on around them these two always seem to have it together, this rhythm with one another. It’s incredible to watch! Even better, they are some of the nicest people you’ll meet on the ground too.

That aside, I love watching videos with these guys, and people like them, who are such good skydivers. The greatest part is that it’s not with envy that I watch these freeflyers, it’s with admiration and sometimes complete awe. In all reality, “good” isn’t the best descriptor here, pretty f-ing phenomenal is more like it . “Good” is what I aspire to be some day!

I like to think that watching videos of those people who are incredibly proficient can only help me learn – take away some of the little body adjustments and things of that nature and apply them to my own skydiving. Of course, time in the sky (and hopefully one day soon in a tunnel) is essential, but I can’t help think that I’m soaking up a little knowledge simply by watching the best of the best.

I’m always entertained by the days where I think I’ve picked up some of the smartest tricks in the book and when I get out the door and test them out it doesn’t go quite as planned. Sky -1, Ashley -0. A good laugh is always had! But what’s even better is when I’m able to apply even the smallest trick to make my sitfly just that much better.

The learning curve in skydiving is incredible. Each and every jump I’m amazed at how much Rick and I have improved. Relativity is rarely an issue these days, and docking has become common-place. We’re spending time in the sky with people who really know their shit, and I like to think we’re able to absorb a little of that knowledge through the sky – osmosis of sorts . Now, head down is a different story – I’ve spent so much time on my feet there hasn’t been a lot of time to get proficient, and clearly I’m just not picking it up as fast as I did sit. Rick on the other hand, he sticks some mad head downs…hoping some of that can rub off on me over time!

Anyhow, enough of my rambling – here’s a few YouTube videos that prove my point. God I love watching sick freeflyers!

Gotta love the song and the pink skyvan in this last video!

Blue skies!

Ashley

So clearly you can see why I love her….she compliments me! Ha, obviously it goes way beyond just that. She’s a badass skydive chick, what’s not to love, right?! Be sure to check out her blog over at Sydney: Unfiltered. What, you didn’t think I came up with that catchy title all on my own, did you?

And as a little update since the last time I posted this interview, Syd and some of her pals from CSC will be headed out  for Jump for Diabetes weekend, in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS! Woot!

In case you hadn’t heard, we’re planning high altitude jumps from the King Air that will be coming in to support that weekend. It’s going to be EPIC .

Love and Blue Skies!

Ashley

So that’s what’s brought me to this post – which is more of a life lesson that I’d like to share. There are some people out there who I’m sure could benefit from this more than others, but it’s a good read none the less.


This week I spent a few days at home with my family during a time of loss, and a poem surfaced. It struck a lot of us hard at the time, and since, it’s been something I haven’t been able to get out of my head:


I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend

He referred to the dates on her tombstone from the beginning to the end

He noted that first came the date of her birth, and spoke the following date with tears

But he said what mattered most of all, was the dash BETWEEN those years.


For that dash represents all the time that she spent alive on Earth

And now only those who loved her know what that little line is worth

For it matters not how much we own; the cars, the house, the cash

What matters is how we live and love, and how we spend our dash.


So think about this long and hard, are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged

If we could just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real

And always try to understand the way other people feel

And be less quick to anger, and show appreciation more

And love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.


If we treat each other with respect, and more often wear a smile

Remembering that this special dash might only last a little while

So when YOUR eulogy is being read with your life’s actions to rehash

Would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash?


Deep stuff huh? Actually, not really. It’s pretty simple. Live your life how you want to be remembered. Find time for those things that are most important to you, and the people who matter most. Where I really learned a lesson in this one – stop wasting time on those who really don’t give a shit. Trusting your instincts when it comes to character judgement – it’s usually pretty accurate.

My family recently lost one of the most selfless people I’ve ever met. It was always about her family. We can all take a lesson from someone like that…especially in sports like skydiving where it’s not uncommon that people are trying to bring the focus to themselves.

That’s all fine and great, but in the end, is that how you want to be remembered?

A little food for thought from wise poet Linda Ellis.

Love and blue skies!

Ashley

This is one of those “learn from my mistakes” kind of posts. Don’t let this happen to you!

Remember growing up and having your mother preach to you about staying hydrated on those long, hot summer days?

Yeah, so do I. And I wish I would have listened closer.

This weekend was a busy one at the dropzone – between milestone celebrations, demos and packing in the heat, there were enough distractions to make me forget about eating and drinking properly.

And I paid for it dearly yesterday with a trip to the emergency room. Chills, muscle spasms, dizziness, increased heart rate and chest pains – not a good combination! I wasn’t about to wait the 4+ hours they were anticipating to get me in, so after speaking to a nurse who suggested I was “just” extremely dehydrated, I took her advice, bought some Gatorade and headed home.

Sure enough within a few hours of guzzling the electrolyte-enhanced sports drink my symptoms were starting to subside.

So after a miserable day yesterday I’m doing my best to quench my thirst before it arrives.

Lesson learned: sometime you just need to stop and take care of yourself – especially on hot days at the dropzone. Proper nutrition and hydration are extremely important – not just in sports, but in life. If you’re not consistently careful, it’ll catch up with you…trust me!

From now on, I’ll be sure to have extra sports drinks on hand….you should too!

Blue skies!


Ashley

If you’rve heard of BASE, you’ve heard of this guy. That’s right kids, it’s Miles Daisher!

*Photo credit unavailable as I borrowed this from his Facebook page. Hope that’s alright. But this is one wicked picture!

I feel so honored to have the chance to chat with Miles and find out more about what makes him tick. So let’s have at it shall we?

SDC: So let’s dive right in with the standard first question: how and when did you get your start in skydiving? Tell us your story…

MD: I became addicted to skydiving September 6, 1995.  I’d always wanted to try it and when my roommate Frank “The Gambler” Gambalie (skydiver, BASE jumper and hero) told me where to go, I booked an AFF (Accelerated Free Fall) course at Skydance Skydiving center in Davis, California. Three days of classroom and coached jumping while passing all of my 7 level jumps to begin hucking my monkey from scareplanes on my own.  Since then I’ve quit all previous jobs I’ve had (a variety of all types) and focused on keeping myself in the parachuting world.

SDC: That’s pretty incredible! I’m a huge believer in following your passions and doing what you love, all the time. Your story is a great example of that. I’m sure a lot of people out there envy that – and I’m sure you hear that all the time

SDC: So when and how did you transition to BASE?

MD: Watching Frank’s BASE videos was always really cool.  When I saw one in particular of a jump from the Troll Spire on the Great Troll wall in Norway where Frank jumped and tracked away from the wall for 26 second before pulling his pilot chute to open his parachute.  He was flying his body away from the wall and this sparked my interest to get involved with fixed object parachuting.  From the EARTH!  I’ve lived my dream and have had the opportunity to jump the Troll wall from Frank’s exit point, the Troll Spire.  This was one of the pinnacle jumps that I’ve ever done!

I started on bridges that were the safest things to jump in case your opening faces a direction other than the heading that you choose.  If you have a 180 degree off heading opening on a cliff or a building you will have only an instant to correct the direction your parachute is flying before you strike or hit the object you jumped from.  With a 20 MPH forward speed on these canopies we fly, things can happen fast and usually do.  Bridges are the safest way to start.  I take baby steps with every goal I have so I may enjoy the ride to conquer each challenge as safe as possible.

SDC: Do you frequently get to skydive these days or are you all BASE all the time?

MD: I still Skydive quite a bit.  I LOVE it.  Compared to BASE jumping, Skydiving is a fun time, walk in the park where you get to dance in the sky with your friends.  Also you can train to do many things for BASE jumping while having a safe amount of time in the air as well as more time to dial in tricks and ways to fly your body more proficiently while skydiving.  I also perform Demonstration jumps with the Red Bull Air Force from aircraft.  I’ve even started a new sport called Skyaking (see picture above) that involves skydiving while in a kayak.  The freefall can be tricky but I think I’ve got a good handle on this now and the landings are really fun.  Swooping into a lake, river or even a ditch while strapped in a Skayak is always a great time!

SDC: That’s incredible – I’ve seen some of the videos of this and you can’t help but smile while watching you having a blast up there, in a kayak! Where do you do most of your skydiving these days – where do you consider your “home DZ” I suppose?

MD: I’ve had a few different home DZs.  I started in Skydance Skydiving then moved to Lodi for years.  Then I learned to do tandems and packed a bunch at Skydive Lake Tahoe when I became a professional parachutist. It is hard for me to call one place my home DZ.  Nowadays I’ll call the Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls Idaho my home DZ as I do more BASE jumps than anything else.  Or anyone else, because I can here in this BASE jumping friendly environment.  At 2,669 BASE jumps I’m catching up to the 3,100 skydives I’ve done. Last spring I’d call Sebastian Florida my home DZ.  I must say that I’ve been SUPER fortunate to be able to call Lauterbrunnen Switzerland my home DZ last summer as we’ve (Red Bull Air Force) been shooting a 3D movie called Human Flight for a few months.  Check out humanflight3dmovie.com to see some of what we were up to.  Mostly big wall proximity flying with squirrel suits. I’d have to say it is tough to point a finger at one DZ to call home when I love to visit them all.

SDC: We’ve all seen at least one Miles D video and there’s always one common denominator – you are very high energy! What’s your secret?

MD: The secret to the high energy I have while skydiving and BASE jumping is this . . . When you do things you are passionate about, you do them 115%, or put everything into them.  When you love what you do, you get excited about it.  For me and this instance, I find it really easy to get excited about flying parachutes and my body through the air.  It is super sensory overload for me.  I love it!  Then there is the rest of my life where my mom would always tell me to settle down and stay still which I’m still not truly understanding why and what she really means by this.  As well as the fact that I love the Red Bull energy drink that keeps my vitamin B levels up to where I enjoy them.  Caffeine is good for you too if you like to get after stuff.  I guess the ADD in me is a good thing and I’ve harnessed the power of it and sustained for life with some help drinking the right stuff.

SDC: What is one of the most memorable experiences you’ve had in this sport?

MD: I’ve had many super memorable moments in the air with my friends.  One that really let’s me feel that I can conquer anything and do anything if I put my mind to it as well as enjoy each moment to the fullest, is when I did a 2 way with Shane McConkey (my best friend and BASE partner) from the Troll wall in our squirrel suits to actually live the dream and experience the reason I’ve been driving so hard and learning so much to safely get to where I am today.  We jumped together at sunset after our Norwegian friends showed us the way to the top and flew for what seemed like forever.  Shane shot video of me and I just looked around and soaked it all in.  I didn’t even fly well and wasn’t really trying to.  I was enjoying the moment the entire day!  Shane was yelling at me to Go man Go! and was buzzing around me like a bee trying to get me to fly faster but I just smiled and thought about The Gambler and the good times we’ve all had together.  Then after we landed in a field by the road, I hid behind a hay stack because the jump we did wasn’t exactly legal.  Shane made fun of me and did the most hilarious John Belushi impersonation while in the wide open field, running side to side and diving on the ground to hide.  Then he’d get up again and run side to side and dive on the ground to make fun of how stupidly paranoid I was of getting caught. We laughed for hours on this while we had pizza in the landing area with our Norwegian BASE tour guides toasting a few beers as the sun disappeared on us.

Ahhhhhh the stuff dreams are made of. That’s for sure.

SDC: That sounds amazing. That’s one thing about parachuting I’ve come to love the most – experiencing these moments with good friends. There’s nothing quite like it! Aside from Bridge Day, what are some of the must-attend boogies and events in the skydiving and BASE world?

MD: If you ever get a chance to go to Malaysia to jump the KL Tower, DO IT!  To me this event is the funnest.  That is a word too. It’s a multi day BASE boogie with cultural celebrations and all the jumps you can handle off the 1,000 ft tower.  There is an organized multi week tour that travels the country and has demonstration jumps at many different buildings.  I’d like to have enough time to do this someday but the KL Tower is the crowned jewel of the trip from what I hear.  I’m trying to get myself organized up on this adventure again this year.

SDC: Malaysia has always been a place I’ve wanted to visit. Maybe now there’s another reason…What’s the best piece of advice (related to skydiving/BASE jumping or not) that you’ve ever been given?

MD: The best advice I’ve gotten in my life is “Pay Attention!”  You can learn a lot by observing.  Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut.  Unless you have a question of course.  Many people want to get into BASE and start hucking flips and do cool tricks right away.  Best thing you can do is to get your FUNdamentals dialed in and perfected before starting to get rad.  When you do want to learn something new, break it down into pieces and practice each part so that your motor muscle memory can save you when your brain doesn’t.  Baby steps take longer to do but will get you to your goals safer than going full tilt taking chances and missing out on the Journey that is ever so important and a big part of the whole big picture.

SDC: With the amount you have on your plate you must have a very supportive family?

MD: I gotta give huge props to my wife Nikki and children.  I don’t know where I’d be without their support and trust and faith in me and what I do.  My lifestyle is kinda crazy in the (not so) real world of normalcy.  I have a crazy schedule that is subject to change at a few days notice.  Hard to make every soccer game, gymnastics meet and even birthday party.  We all support each other like a team.  I’m super blessed to have such an understanding and helpful family who has my back no matter what.  The same thing said for me to them.  I don’t take unnecessary risks even when I’m doing the “crazy” stuff I do. There is a method to my madness. I plan on sticking around for years and years to be able to brag up the good times with great friends and give my kids as much grief as possible unless they remain the almost perfect angels that they are for the rest of their lives.  I try to surround myself with good people and abide by the great words of Bill and Ted on their adventures “Be excellent to each other.”  This would be the one moment where my wife would not support me in my cheesiness as she thinks I’m a dork sometimes.  The thing is, she is right and I’m glad she can keep it real too.  I can handle it when I’m right and she can’t seem to appreciate the goodness of a quality movie I believe in.

SDC: So for all those aspiring BASE jumpers out there here’s one you’ll appreciate: If you could give one piece of advice to newbie BASE jumpers, what would it be?

MD: If you would like to learn to BASE jump, come check me out at Miles D’s BASE Camp and learn a safe approach to a dangerous sport. Or at least take your time while you PAY ATTENTION to the do’s more than the don’ts of the sport.  Know what can go wrong and be ready for anything but plant the super positive seed in your head to ready yourself for the perfect outcome of every jump.  Not false confidence but know what you have to do to make the perfect landing happen every time you step off the Earth.  The biggest thing is to know your gear, it’s tendencies and how to make it do the right thing . . . land safe.

Blue skies!  Rock On!

Thanks Miles! This was a treat!

I highly recommend checking out any and all of Miles’ videos – it’s some good stuff.

Blue ones!

Ashley

So we all know the obvious answer to this – if you’re a belly flyer or free flyer, swooper or camera flyer – but what I’m referring to here is more about your involvement in the sport.

Sure, the great majority of us would prefer to have the ability to make a skydive anytime the urge hits us – which, let’s be honest here, is practically every hour of every day – but due to things like careers, obligations or even just personal choice, we become a certain type of skydiver.

Based on my experiences at a number of different dropzones are the country, I came up with a list of categories. Of course, this is intended to be a fun list of very subjective classifications based on my observations as a fairly new skydiver, so please take it as such. I’m interested to see where people think they fall!

Some of these overlap a little, and there is a possibility to be in more than one category in some instances (in my case, I fall into two of these classifications). If there’s anything I’m overlooking or you have a category you’d like to add, please chime in with a comment! Now onto the list!

The Careerist – these are the DZOs, the tandem instructors, the full-time videographers and riggers of the world – the people who have made skydiving their career. I’ve seen this in a number of lights: some do it to make $ to jump more and then fun jumps become few and far between, others make it work for themselves and they still take time to fun jump with their pals and of course there are variations in between. But either way, most of your time is spent at the DZ, if you’re not living there

The Frequenter – these are the people who have the ability to carve out lots of time (and money) for skydiving. Whether they have unusual work schedules, own their own businesses, or they’re the type you always wonder exactly what it is they do, they’re always up for a jump, no matter when or where. These are the go-tos when it comes to organizing mid-week jumps – you can always count them in for a random day of skydiving.

The Organizer – these are the people who frequently organize the jumping days. There could be sub-categories here, like the travelers who are always organizing groups to go to a bigger DZ or boogies, the mid-week jumpers who are trying to fill loads so they can get up, or even the dirt dive kings of the world who decide exactly what point will be turned on the next skydive. Regardless of how, these people get things done, they get people to jump.

The Weekend Warrior - most often these are the people with day jobs who work pretty typical hours and are available to skydive on the weekends. This is me in a nutshell. I can get the occasional day or afternoon off to make a few jumps, but for the most part weekends are committed to skydiving so long as long as the weather plays nice. I’m also one of those people who doesn’t quite know what to do when it rains on a Saturday afternoon.

The Weekday Warrior – reverse of the Weekend Warrior, these are people who tend to work more on weekends and have random week days free. They’re also usually the organizers of the mid-week jumps.

The Traveler – the person who doesn’t necessarily have a “home” dropzone and spends lots of time traveling to other DZ, events and boogies. This also includes those jumpers who fly their personal aircraft into whatever DZ they feel like jumping at that weekend (oh to be a pilot, I’d love to take advantage of that!). I definitely consider myself a traveler, I love visiting new DZs, jumping new aircraft and meeting lots of great skydivers along the way.

(Still from one of David Schwartz’s videos last weekend at Skydive Carolina – freefly with Rick and Justin)

The Occasionalist - from my experience, these are the people who busy day jobs, families and lots of personal obligations on the table. They are busy people, juggling lots of activities. They make it to the dropzone when they can, but it’s not the top priority. Someone with a life outside of skydiving…you’ve gotta respect that!

The Groupie - at first this term sounds negative, but I promise it’s not. These are the people who really fit in at the dropzone, the people you look forward to seeing when you’re skydiving, but that may not jump that often, if at all, for one reason or another. These are the jumpers that make the after-hours bonfire  just that much more fun! They get the sport, they’ve jumped, but they’re mostly there for the community and/or to support someone who falls into one of the above categories. It takes a very patient and understanding soul to be able to put up with all the type As at a dropzone

So, that’s what I’ve got. What’ve I missed? Any categories you’d like to add?

Taking words from my interview with Norman Kent, no matter which group(s) you fall into, embrace it!

As a pretty typical Weekend Warrior, I’ll be the first to admit that I had higher expectations for myself than is actually possible, but then again I’m the type of person who thinks she can do it all and punishes herself (and sometimes those around her) when she can’t.* I’d love to be able to set my own schedule and make jumps at my leisure, but of course, who wouldn’t? Sure, I envy those jumpers who can head out on a sunny day mid-week to make some jumps together, but then again, I’m blessed to have enough vacation time to travel to different dropzones and meet some great people along the way. And during the week, I do have a day job I enjoy, so really, how can I complain too much?

In the end, it balances out. That’s the take-away message here. Be proud of the type of skydiver you are! In the end, we’re all skydivers who enjoy the time we spend together in the air and on the ground, and that’s what really matters.

Blue skies!

Ashley

*this is my way of publicly apologizing for being a douche. Sometimes my words get the best of me – I’m only human.

I’ve been saying it for months, and it’s so true – skydiving is all about the little victories. Some of the best jumps I’ve had are those where we come down talking about the small improvements we’re seeing.

The past couple weeks I’ve really seen improvement with me and my freefly partner. We’ve been lucky enough to jump with some incredible freeflyers on random skydives that were not only incredibly fun, but very helpful to the learning curve!

We’ve been working for months on our relativity and forward movement / side sliding in sit. Our last few skydives have shown incredible improvement in this. It’s like, all of a sudden, something clicked!

There’s something to be said for jumping in groups of 3, 4 and 5, where there’s always someone to dock on. You’re also forced to make it to the low man or you’re going to be watching that skydive from the outside. Now who wants that?!

(Fun three-way with Susie. I bailed out of the dock because I had too much forward speed.)

(This 5-way campfire turned into a couple of two-ways, but there was a lot of penetration going on up there! – Now would be a good time to remove your head from the gutter. Thanks ).

This weekend at Skydive PA I finally nailed a controlled stand to make it down to the group. What an incredible feeling! Standing had always been my weakness, but as a smaller jumper it’s a critical skill in freefly. So I’m pumped for this success.

Wishing I had the video to share from that 4-way freefly, but my camera died so you’ll just have to take my word for it .

On top of that, you can’t forget about the head downs, transitions, forward and side movement that were accomplished in the sky this weekend. Not only does it feel great to have these successes yourself, but when you’re able to witness someone else’s victories, it’s just as rewarding!

(Rick showing us what it’s all about! We had some fun under canopy. I’m loving the Sabre 1)

This is one thing I truly love about the sport – there’s so much to learn and there are always new ways to improve. It’s the ultimate self-improvement activity! And in the end, you have plenty of reasons to celebrate around the bonfire with a cold beer.

What areas have you seen yourself progressing lately – in and out of skydiving?

Blue skies!

Ashley

It’s hard to believe how much my life has changed since that day. I make it a point not to discuss my life in too much depth, after all, you’re not here to listen to me talk about myself. It’s about the sport!

But given that I’ve been blogging about it for nearly a year, and I’ve politely avoided the personal inquiries along the way, I thought it might be time to provide a little insight into the author of this little corner of the universe I like to call my blog

This is a combination of a meme and the type of questions I’d ask the Experts in the Friday column – though oddly enough most of it relates to skydiving in some way. Since I’m far from being an expert in anything, especially skydiving, I certainly don’t see this worthy of a Friday post.

So for those who have inquired, or those who may be mildy interested (why, what’s wrong with you?) here’s a little about me and my experiences.

Do you think relationships are ever really worth it? Of course! Relationships are what life is all about.

Well kids, that’s enough about me for this year. Next post will be back to skydiving – I promise it’ll be much more interesting

Blue skies!

Ashley

*Photo by Nancy Mellish


As you probably guessed by the title of today’s post, Safety Day this year was weathered out as far as actual skydiving was concerned, but we had a great turnout at Skydive PA!

This was Cecil’s first Safety Day as DZO, and he made it look easy! The day started with general refreshers like malfunctions, safety in freefall, on the ground preparations…you get the idea. Then we broke off into groups based on ability level. I sat with the group that discussed camera flying and what to do at the scene of an accident.

All very good stuff. Then there was the presenting of the Ches Judy Award, which went to one of the most helpful instructors I’ve ever met – John Ellison!

*Photo by Nancy Mellish

The rest of the evening was spent mingling, chatting with staff, and getting reacquainted with the local skydiving community. I really enjoyed the time I spent with the freeflyers and soaking up knowledge from the rigger on staff. Good stuff!

It just so happens that while discussing some things with one of the students, she seemed very interested when I’d mentioned selling off my triathlon to downsize. Further discussion led to her trying on my entire rig, which she instantly fell in love with.

So what does this mean? Well, looks like I’m in the market for some new gear!

I’m already planning to order a custom Infinity rig from Velocity Sports – what can I say, I fell in love, there’s no turning back now!

I’m also in the market for an AAD and a used 150 until I order a custom 135…I’m a slow downsizer. Know of any 150s that need a temporary home?

So how was your Safety Day?

Blue skies!

-Ashley