Weekend happenings

Though I am on a non-skydiving vacation this week, I didn’t forget that all y’all might be wondering what’s happening in the world of skydiving this weekend.

So, I’m here to tell you.

• 8/8 – 8/10. British National 4-way Championship. Hosted by Target Skysports.
• 8/8. Brian Germain Canopy Course at CSC. A can’t miss opportunity for canopy pilots of all skill levels. For more information email manifest at customercare@skydivecsc.com or Brian Germain at bgermain@bigairsportz.com.
• 8/12-8/16 Tony Suits Tour at Casa Boogie. Hosted by Pepperell Skydiving Center. See Dropzone.com listing for more information.

Hope everyone can get out and enjoy these events this weekend. Or do like me and wait until Monday. I’ll be jumping at Skydive Tecumseh if the weather cooperates – c’mon out and jump with me!

Next weekend is a big one at Canton Air Sports where we’ll be hosting the inaugural Jump for Diabetes, August 15-16. Even if you’re not planning to jump for this great cause, you should come out for some great music, food and a chance to win some fantastic skydiving packages.

Check out our Facebook page for more details.

Blue Skies!

Ashley

An Educational Sport

(A shot from a demo I worked this weekend. One of my favorites!)

Skydiving is a sport of learning. Each time you exit the airplane 12,000 feet up and plummet to the Earth at 120 mph you learn something new. Whether it’s about the sport or just yourself.

This is especially true as a newbie. Everyday is a learning experience – and retention is key. This is exactly why things like safety (look, grab, look, pull, pull) are drilled into your head from day one.

As you progress in the sport and muscle memory is built, additional pieces are added. First with starting and stopping turns, maintaining headings, tracking, docking…you get the idea. Not to mention all the work on the ground, like packing a parachute.

Of course, with each new lesson there comes a time where it sticks and you just ‘get it.’ These are the ultimate victories because you did it yourself. That’s the great thing with skydiving, no one can do it for you, but once you’ve nailed something down, the credit is all yours.

This is how I felt with my first couple of docking skydives. I was lucky enough to get in the air with a great new coach over at Skydive Tecumseh in Michigan. After walking through the skydive on the ground, Jeromy and I were able to execute the jump at 14,000. Twice. 

Watching this video for the first time I felt so proud that I was able to adjust my fall rate so easily. Who knew I could arch like that! It’ll sure come in handy when I’m jumping in 3, 4, and 8-ways one day!

I’ve since been able to take advice that I was given on the ground that day and clean up my tracking too.

But the lesson I’ve learned lately is this: patience. Not all skydives are going to go well, and you learn best from the ones that don’t. Reflect on what happened and take away lessons from those who were in the air with you that day. Next time, fix it.

Most importantly, take your time, learn, absorb, and be safe. In this sport, you’re always a student – whether you have 5 jumps or 500 – so it’s important to always keep learning. Besides, isn’t that half the fun of it, anyway?

Blue Skies!

Ashley

Weekend happenings

This week I’m posting the events that are taking place in the skydiving community a little earlier that usual. It’s going to be a great weekend and there are lots of things going on. So take a look at your calendars now and plan for your trip to the nearest drop zone for some fun events and jumping, of course!

This weekend I’m headed up to Michigan and will be stopping into Skydive Tecumseh to take advantage of of Girl’s Weekend. Who can pass up $18 rides up in an Otter, right?

Fingers crossed that the weather holds out!

For all y’all who aren’t in the Midwest to take advantage of this great deal, see below for some more skydive happenings:

• 7/17-7/19, Skydive Milwaukee. Brian Germain’s canopy control course. More information here.
• 7/17-7/19, Skydive Moncton. They have a twin otter for the weekend, live music Friday, toga party Saturday, world class organizer onsite all weekend. Will be working on a regional pops record, 20-way sequentials. 
• 7/17-7/19, Skydive Midwest. The 2nd annual Tandems for Troops Boogie.providing free tandems to disabled veterans and raising money to support veterans charities. There will be raffles throughout the day, live radio broadcasts, and the DeLand SKYVAN. 
• And much more. Find out what’s going on near you at Dropzone.com.

Blue Skies!

Ashley

Relative Work

As I’ve grown into the sport of skydiving, I’ve come to realize how much I enjoy being in the sky with other jumpers.

This weekend was filled with new skydiving experiences, starting on Friday with my first solo jump out of a caravan.

Let me just say this, there’s nothing like a plane that can take 17 jumpers to 13,500 in 10 minutes to get skydivers excited. You should have heard the cheering and hollering at wheels up.

Given that this was my first time at a new drop zone and with a different rig I was a little nervous. But once I was free falling my head was right back in the game. 

I jumped with an experienced skydiver (and base jumper, I found out) who showed me the ropes of a caravan exit. Once I was under canopy I looked around and saw 10 others in the air with me and it was a beautiful site.

The second jump of the day was from 8,000 feet since it was so close to dark. But I had fun with barrel rolls and turns before dumping.

And that’s when I got into a little trouble. 

Flying a 290, I had lots of time to mess around under canopy, but apparently not enough. I ran with the wind a little too long and ended up taking a little trip off the DZ to a nearby field. I landed a few feet from the tree line.

No big deal. But I do owe a case of beer the next time I’m in Canton.

Sunday included more fun jumping, where one of my girlfriends and I performed a couple linked exits and face-to-face flying. It was nice to jump with someone who has a similar fall rate for a change. We’re both fairly new to the sport so we were testing this out together.

Both our skydives were on fun jump loads, so we had some other jumpers flying around the skies, watching us chase each other down, tracking, attempting to dock – it was great fun.

We both felt really great about what we learned and I’m pumped to get out there and jump with her again soon.

And, given that this was my first two-way, it looks like I’ll be buying beer for my home DZ too.

Too bad it’s only Monday. I can’t wait to get back into the sky.

Blue Skies!

Ashley

Pure Addiction

This week more than others, I have become acutely aware of the fact that I’m completely addicted to skydiving. Not only does it consume my conscious thought, all day every day, but my subconscious and even my unconscious, are constantly reliving experiences in the sky.

There’s no doubt that the adrenaline rush is highly addictive – this is something you’d know even if you’d never jumped from an airplane. But for me, there are so many elements of the sport that have me dreaming about my next jump.

As I’ve mentioned before, the camaraderie of the drop zone is a huge draw for me. This is by far the number one reason I’m so loyal to Cleveland Parachute. We’ve got a great group of solo jumpers now, so the weekends are consumed with story swapping and learning lessons from one another. And I’m convinced that our coaches and jumpmasters are the best around.

Jumping just wouldn’t be the same without this guy!

Or these guys!

Of course, we can’t forget about the challenge that’s involved with skydiving. Each and every time I dive head first from that airplane and save my life 5,000 feet above the Earth I learn something new about myself and my abilities. 

Skydiving has pushed me to become a better person. I challenge myself every day knowing that, come the weekend, I will face even greater challenges. When I approach a problem now, I just think to myself, “I jump out of airplanes. I can handle this!”

All these elements combine to make for one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my life. Hard as I try to explain it, the feeling of taking that 10,000 foot leap is nearly impossible to describe other than pure, raw, adrenaline – and in my case, addiction.

This is what passion feels like.

Are you other skydivers just as addicted? What else are you passionate about?

Blue Skies!

Ashley

Yoga and Skydiving

As a former competitive runner, I always felt that yoga complemented the sport so well. It helps elongate and strengthen muscles to help prevent injuries. Which is ultimately the reason I slowed down my running in the first place.

I’ve kept practicing yoga ever since and have found that it’s the perfect complement to skydiving.

Yoga involves not only strength but focus and body awareness. It forces you to pay close attention to your body, how it feels in certain positions, all the while strengthening your mind and your muscles.

As any skydiver knows, free fall takes body awareness. Strengthening this focus during yoga can be highly beneficial to any skydiver.

Of course, we can’t forget that stronger, leaner muscles will only help protect us during hard openings and landing falls.

But don’t take my word for it. Check out this article on Dropzone.com for a similar opinion and tips on how and when to practice.

Blue Skies!

Ashley