Two Boogie Weekend
As I sit here and drown myself in coffee’s caffeinated goodness, I can’t help but think back to the incredible Labor Day weekend.
On Friday I was lucky enough to get out of work at 3 p.m. so I could head down to Cleveland Parachute to get in a couple jumps. It’d been forever since I was there and it was about time I got into the sky with some of my long-lost friends.
Well it turned out to be a bust, with no pilot to be found. So I made a last minute decision to head to Skydive Tecumseh for the Hellfish Boogie – knowing full well that I wouldn’t be staying for the toga party Saturday night. But the 5 jumps of the day made it worth while.
It was a day of 2-ways, 3-ways, 6-ways, and even a 10-way to end the day. Every jump had points, too. Even if it was only one! 
After the 10-way I packed up and made the two and 1/2 hour drive back home, cleaned up and drove out to meet Rick for our trip down to Start Skydiving for the Work Stinks Boogie.
A sleepless night and a four hour drive later we made it just in time for the sunrise load – can’t beat a $14 lift ticket!
There were three 2-way groups on the caravan – Rick and I were out last with a head down attempt. I really shouldn’t say attempt- it was a success. We were head down and stable almost immediately out the door. The speed of this freefly is incredible!
We broke off a little high and I decided to pull early so I could play around under canopy and be sure to find the dropzone. Of course, with me, that doesn’t mean I’m going to land on it. What can I say, the soy beans and I are becoming great friends.
The second jump of the day was our helicopter jump. A quick briefing on where not to grab and how not to fall, we were off and ready. Just as we got loaded, Norman Kent came over to us to film our ride up. I’m honored to have been filmed by him.
Here’s one of the stills he sent to us!
Helicopter jumps are amazing. The pilot took us up to 4,500 ft and hovered while we literally fell off the aircraft. My exit was incredible. I stood, facing away from the helicopter, put my arms out and just fell. Into dead air. It was the most peaceful thing I’ve ever experienced. It took only 500 ft to make one full body rotation and get back belly to Earth. I pulled by 3 grand and made a beautiful slide-in landing, on the dropzone.
After packing back up it was time to relax. We met up with a group of former Cleveland Parachute jumpers and chatted for a while. Always great to meet skydivers who grew up where I did.
30+ hours of no sleep was setting in, so a couple hours in the afternoon was spent curled up in the corner of the hangar, napping. We woke up refreshed and ready to jump.
We manifested on an Otter load – Rick’s first time jumping an Otter (BEER!) and we did another freefly. Train exit to a sit. Rick let me go after about 1,500 feet and I held my first solo sit for about 20 seconds before flipping back belly to Earth and tracking away. Another fun slide in.
Clouds started rolling in and we called it quits for the day. It was by far the best day of skydiving I’ve ever had, with two incredible freeflys and a helicopter jump.
Labor Day was rained out. We cashed out at manifest and mingled with some regulars, Norman and the DZO for a bit. The dropzone is incredible. Located at the Warren County airport, the facilities are new and modern, with a hangar just for sport jumper packing. The crew there is incredibly down-to-Earth. I’ll certainly be headed back in the near future.
Soon after we made the drive back home and back to reality.Thankfully, it’s a short week and Patriot will be back at Canton Air Sports this weekend. Y’all know where to find me!
Blue skies!
Ashley
Boogie weekend
This weekend is Labor Day, and for skydivers, that likely means attending a boogie, or three.
All around the country you’ll find some of the biggest boogies of the season.
Let me take a step back here. Boogies, for those who may not be aware, are basically big skydiving parties. Dropzones host a boogie, usually bringing in different types of aircraft, sometimes balloons and helicopters, and skydivers travel hundreds of miles with their friends to camp out for the weekend to jump and party with (after hours of course) other like-minded skydivers.
(Photo from “The Boogie” 2007 at Skydive Richmond. The official boogie has been cancelled this year, however they’re still flying an Otter if you’re planning to head that way.)
Some of these boogies have world-record attempts too! This is the case for the Labor Day boogie I’ll be attending this year.
My friend Rick, you remember, the one who hosted the amazing Jump for Diabetes a few weeks back, and I will be heading down to Start Skydiving in Lebanon, Ohio for the Work Stinks Boogie.
They will have a Super Skyvan, two Caravans, a PAC 750XL, two Enstrom Helicopters, a 206 for hop-n-pops and their own Hot Air Balloon.
Organizers include; 40 ways with Guy Wright. Other ways with John Woody and Niklas Hemlin. Swooping with Team Fastrax Swoop. CRW with John Hart and Travis Donley. Freeflying with Melanie Johnson and Brad Hunt.
There also will be some world record attempts going on. Follow me on Twitter to keep up on how that’s progressing.
It’s only $35 if you pre-register. Last I heard they had over 200 skydivers already registered. Should be an amazing time. Visit the Work Stinks Boogie page to register or find out more information.
Of course, if you’re not in the Midwest, or don’t feel like driving to Lebanon – but after all I just told you, there’s no excuse not to make that drive – here are some of the other Labor Day boogies that are happening.
- Deadman Boogie III. Skydive Temple. Salado, Texas. 9/4-9/7. They’ll have an Otter and a helicopter, and a can’t miss toga party on Sunday. Specials for tandems including a $180 jump special with an $80 video package. See Dropzone.com for more info.
- Tiki Bar Weekend. Skydive New England. Lebanon, Maine (not to be confused with Lebanon, OH). 9/4-9/7. With a Casa, Super Otter, and Helicopter, this boogie is not to be missed. PD and Sun Path will be there on tour this weekend for demos. Be sure to get out there and take advantage.
- 4-day Otter Weekend. Skydive Gananoque. Ontario, Canada. “Feel the Breeze” lingerie jumps, freefly, wingsuit, hoop jumps and more. Click here for more information.
- Labor Day Hellfish Boogie. Skydive Tecumseh. Tecumseh, Michigan. Between the Super Skyvan, Super Twin Otter, and C-182, there will be plenty of Freefly, RW and wingsuit organizing. Swoop competition. Come prepared for the infamous Hellfish Toga Party which is sure to please.
- Fun after Competition Boogie. Dropzone Prostejov. Czech Republic. 9/7-9/13. World class freefly coaching and load organizing for freefly and RW. Check out Dropzone.com for more information.
What boogies are you planning to attend this year?
Where ever you end up this Labor Day weekend….
Blue Skies!
Ashley
Beer tab
It seems that my beer tab is increasing exponentially every time I set foot on the dropzone.
I owe for two firsts on Sunday alone! Gotta love being a newbie.
For those who are not familiar with dropzone beer rules, let me explain.
In skydiving, it is an unwritten law that after a milestone in the sport, you are to purchase a case of beer to celebrate said milestone. This beer is typically consumed around the after-hours bonfire where skydivers reminisce about the day’s jumps and bond over the beer purchased by other skydivers.
Milestones are often the “first” experiences: first solo jump, first 4-way, first 8-way, first off-landing, first cut away (in which case you also owe a bottle of liquor to your rigger for a successful reserve ride), first time jumping a new rig, etc. The list goes on.
Some DZs take these rules more seriously than others. I’ve been to places where, if you have more than one first on a single jump, you only owe one case.
I wish that were true at Skydive Tecumseh, where I participated in my first hoop dive while jumping my brand new rig for the first time. This also was Jeromy’s 300th jump for which he owes beer, if you follow the rules outlined here.
I make it a point not to draw attention to my firsts – not that it helps much. There’s always someone paying attention somewhere.
Here’s one of the videos that was captured of the hoop dive, courtesy of Jon Morrison. There were 9 of us that participated. It’s a bit of a zoo, as you’ll notice.
I’m the one giving the exit count. See my new rig? Isn’t it pretty!
And yes, that’s a barrel roll out the door. Not quite intentional. Oops. I initially flew around to the back side of the hoop with the intent of meeting people as they came through, then flew back around and held back as an observer. It was fun to watch from afar!
It was nice that Jeromy was able to get through the hoop first, as this jump was for him. I also enjoy when he tries to make it through again, and Jon turns the hoop and denies him!
Fun weekend, with lots of firsts. Oh, and I forgot to mention water training. Not much to tell there other than being submerged in a pond with five men in 50 degree weather. I may still be hypothermic, but it was surprisingly entertaining.
So tell me, what do you still owe beer for?
Blue Skies!
Ashley
Weekend happenings
This weekend is panning out to be just as exciting as the last. As one that originally started out fairly laid-back in terms of jumping, I’ve managed to quickly load up my skydiving agenda.
Of course, I’m not complaining.
Saturday, Aerodyne will be at Skydive Tecumseh for a demo tour. This is a great chance for anyone who is thinking about getting a Pilot or Triathlon (read: me) to head on out and test their canopies and complete rigs at no cost.
You better believe I jumped at this opportunity! (cheesy pun not intended)
Sunday I’ll be headed back to Canton Air Sports to jump with my friend Rick on his 200th and maybe even dabble with some free fly. I’ve been dreaming of giving my free fly skills a test for a while and now seems like an ideal time.
If you’re not near Tecumseh or Canton, below are a few other events around the world I recommend checking out. Oh, and if you are in the area, why don’t you come out and jump with me!
- 8/22 – Target Skysports, UK. 50-way formation skydiving and Skyvan weekend event. Click here for more details.
- 8/22 – 8/23 – Skydive City, Zephyrhills. PD demo weekend. Performance Designs will be setting up camp in Z-hills this weekend. Demo canopies and PD swag as expected. Check out Dropzone.com for more information.
- 8/25 - Cross Keys & Freefall Adventures. Swoop club for all canopy pilots. More details at Dropzone.com.
Where ever you end up this weekend…
Blue Skies!
Ashley
Jump for Diabetes
As many of you who follow me on Twitter are probably aware – more like irritated, as I’ve crammed this announcement into your TweetDecks everyday – this weekend is the inaugural Jump for Diabetes at Canton Air Sports.
Organized by skydiver, and good friend, Richard Simenc, this event supports a great cause. With a goal of raising $20,000, all proceeds will benefit the American Diabetes Association to promote awareness and find a cure.
This event is more than just jumping from airplanes. We’ll be having bands, raffles, auctions and giveaways including a free skydive or airplane ride every three hours from 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15 through 10 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16.
If you have interest in helping support the ADA by pledging jumps or buying raffle tickets (you don’t need to be present to win the grand prizes that include a free A-license package, jump credit, and cold hard cash to name a few) e-mail me: theskydivechick {at} gmail {dot} com.
For more details on the event, visit http://www.jumpfordiabetes.com.
Better yet, come on our to Canton Air Sports this weekend and support this great cause in person, meet some amazing skydivers, and jump with me!
Blue Skies!
Ashley
It's Official
The events of this weekend were so amazing, I don’t even know where to begin.
How about at the beginning?
Friday was a beautiful day and I had a work event to attend that took me well past sunset. At first this seemed like a real bummer, but the event turned out rather fabulous, what with all the drag queens and everything.
Guess you had to be there.
Saturday wasn’t an early a start as usual. I slept in a little, actually ate breakfast, and headed to the drop zone early afternoon to get in a couple hop ‘n pops that I needed checked off my list.
I was lucky enough to be accompanied by Jeromy Alexander – check him out over at Skydive Blog – who decided to come down my way for a weekend. And what a great weekend he picked.
Saturday night we headed to Canton Air Sports to hang out with the crew there and spend the remainder of Sunday jumping, packing and learning. After the hop ‘n pops I had two more jumps before earning that good ole A-license.
So in the cloudy morning I packed parachutes and Jeromy jumped my pack on the first load while I took pictures on the ground. I can’t tell you how happy I was to see his main flying perfectly through the sky!
Second load we hopped back on and chased a group out the door, and did a couple manuvers in preparation for my check dive.
I sat out the third and fourth loads, doing more on-the-ground work – changing a main closing loop and all that – then I met with Tom before my check jump. We walked through the dive and he signed off on the rest of my card. At this point I could barely contain my self.
The jump went well with docking and tracking successes and a beautiful stand-up landing. By the time I was back to the hanger my proficiency card was complete and I became an A-licensed skydiver.
After this I was completely drained, but when the offer of heading up on the last load came my way I couldn’t pass it up. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being a licensed skydiver on a sunset load.
With a couple of docks and a couple spins with Jeromy it was a great jump to end the weekend.
Sunday was by far the best day I’ve had this summer. The DZ was filled with all the people I love to jump with most and spirits were high. One more reminder why I love this sport and the community of jumpers that come with it.
Blue Skies!
Ashley
Skydiving: A global community
One aspect of skydiving that I have come to realize, is that it’s a global community. It’s one of the things I’ve come to love most about the sport.
(It’s like a bunch of wingsuits, holding hands!)
At every drop zone where I’ve jumped, there have been a number of people visiting from different countries. Here in Ohio, we have a couple guys who are originally from Russia. They’re two of the nicest guys around and will sit and have exchanges in Russian between jumps.
In Florida I met a couple guys who were traveling together from Sweden on a skydiving vacation. Again, great guys.
Regardless of gender, age, race or cultural background, almost everyone I’ve met so far has been quick to welcome me into the world of skydiving. I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of this world-wide community.
No matter where a drop zone is located, once that airplane door opens and you’re out in the open air, skydiving is a universal language. And so is the fun that comes along with it.
If you’re not a part of it already, I highly recommend taking a leap into the skydiving community. You won’t regret it.
Blue Skies!
Ashley
Weekend happenings
All week I’ve been nervously watching the weather forecasts, hoping the rain would let up just in time for some Friday afternoon jumps. It looks like my wish came true!
Today I’ll be using some of my vacation time to head down to Canton Air Sports and take advantage of the Caravan they are flying.
Saturday in Cleveland looks pretty miserable, but Sunday might be a perfect day for a couple hop & pops that I need for my license.
As always, if you’re in NE Ohio, come jump with me! If not, here are some fun skydiving activities happening this weekend.
- 7/24 – 8/2; Skydive Chicago‘s Summerfest Boogie – They have it all. RW 100 ways, Freefly 100 way record attempts, Bigway Birdman, Great Night Life. Don’t miss out!
- 7/25-7/26; London Parachute School – Come on out on Saturday for BBQ and Beer. Then jumps on Sunday!
- Of course, I can’t recommend Skydive Tecumseh highly enough if you’re in Michigan, or Skydive Miami if you’re in Florida.
Where ever you end up -
Blue Skies!
Ashley
Down to Earth
Speaking literally and figuratively, actually.
The one thing I love most about the drop zones that I’ve been to is that the people, for the most part, are extremely down to Earth, even the experts.
It’s been rare that I’ve encountered elitist attitudes from even the most talented skydivers. As my experience has shown, these jumpers are not only willing, but happy to jump with you, provide advice, or just talk you through an area where you might be struggling.
(With Tom and Bob. The two best AFF instructors and skydivers I will always look up to.)
As someone who’s not the most confident canopy pilot, I’ve been given a lot great advice from jumpers with years of experience that has helped me get safely to the ground.
In fact, I have Larry and Dan at Cleveland Parachute to thank for teaching me the spotting and landing skills I have today. If there’s one skill I’ve acquired, it’s landing close to my target.
These experts just love talking about the sport, recounting memories of their best and worst jumps, and teaching newbies the tricks of the trade.
Of course we all know how much I love talking about it – I have a blog devoted to it, after all. I’m thankful that I have great mentors that will help keep me level-headed as I progress in the sport.
(My mentor, coach and friend, Lonnie!)
In my short time as a part of the skydiving community, I’ve come to cherish this attribute and I gravitate toward the experienced skydivers who welcome me with open arms. One day I hope to be as skilled and just as humble as they are.
Blue Skies!
Ashley
Weekend Happenings
This weekend will be filled with skydiving adventures, if I have anything to say about it.
Tonight I’ll be headed over to Canton Air Sports for a ride up to 13,500 in the caravan they have on loan. If you can’t make it out today, don’t worry, the caravan will be around through August.
Sunday will be another day at my home DZ, Cleveland Parachute Center, working and jumping with my skydiving friends.
For those of you outside of the Northeast Ohio region, here’s what’s going on in the skydiving community elsewhere:
- 7/11 – Skydive Burnaby, Ontario. High altitude jumps from 20,000 feet. Come out and add a new altitude to your log book. Click here for more information.
- 7/11 – Skydive The Farm, Georgia. Georgia Skydiving League 4-way Competition. More information on Dropzone.com.
- 7/11 – CSC, Hinckley, Illinois. Sunrise balloon jumps. Come out at 5:15 a.m. for pre-manifesting and jump at sunrise.
- 7/11 – Connecticut Parachutists, Inc – Helicopter jumps from 4,500 and 5,000. More information on Dropzone.com.
Blue Skies!
Ashley