Well, there’s not much new to talk about this week (aside from my top secret mission that’s taking place this evening, but that’s a post for another day), so I thought this would be a good time to provide an update on Jump for Diabetes.

First thing everyone wants to know about is what are we giving away at the raffle?! Well, let me tell you that this year’s prize list is more robust than ever, and I don’t even know where to begin to thank the skydiving community for their generosity. We have more than $15,000 in prizes and discounts to give away. You can find the updated list on our website, or look below.

• 1st Prize: FREE custom main (non-cross braced) or reserve canopy from Performance Designs!
• Taste of Base with Miles Daisher
• x2 – 50% Off Wings Containers
• x2 – 50% Off Cookie G3 Helmet
• FREE Helmet from Bonehead
• 20% Off Vigil
• x2 – 35% Off Vector, plus 15% options from UPT
• x2 – 40% Off Javelin container from SunPath
• Hypoxic Certificates
• Three $100+ Discounts from Ouragan Suits
• x4 – 20% Off Phoenix Fly Discount Certificates
• FREE Freak’n Suits
• FREE Reserve Repack from String Theory Productions
• 35% Off Bev Suit Voucher
• x2 – 30% Off Mirage Systems container
• x2 – 50% Off Deepseed Jumpsuits
• FREE Cypress Maintenance Certificate
• x3 Brian Germain Books
• FREE Phantom X helmet from Square1
• $100 Off SDC Rhythm Tunnel Camp
• $1400 off a complete Aerodyne system
• 2 Go Pro Hero cameras from ChutingStar
• FREE First flight course with iFlock Academy at Skydive Chicago
• 25% Off Vertical Suits
• x2 25% Off Merlin Suits
• FREE Merlin Pants
• $100 Off STF Block Party Tunnel Camp
• 15 Min Tunnel Coaching by Mickey Nuttall ($219 value, use it or lose it).
• Stay Tuned for More!!!!

We are also so incredibly thrilled with how many jumpers have come out of the woodwork to pledge their jumps for the weekend. We have some at both events (Skydive Chicago and Skydive The Farm for those who haven’t been following along) as well as from other states including California,  Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida, the Carolinas and more. This is a great way for anyone to get involved no matter where you live. Email us at JumpForDiabetes@gmail.com if you’re interested in becoming a sponsored jumper and pledging your jumps to the cause that weekend (July 6-8, 2012).

As I’ve mentioned numerous times before, all proceeds of the event go directly to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to support diabetes research. Yes, we are an incorporated not-for-profit ourselves, but partnering with the JDRF ensures that the funds go directly to research and gives us piece of mind that we’re contributing to the most ground-breaking science in the space.

If you’ll be attending the events, we’re going to have other amazing things going on as well, from local give aways to a bake sale, t-shirt sale, and more! Stay tuned on Facebook for more details.

Of course, if you’re reading this going, “I don’t skydive so I can’t participate???” well, the answer is no, you can! If you head over to our website: http://jumpfordiabetes.org, and click on the donate link across the top navigation, you can submit donations via PayPal. This is a great way to support the cause and feel good about giving back to the diabetes community.

It truly is a disease that touches so many, and every year I am blessed to be connected with so many who are affected on a daily basis. Let’s work together to find a cure, shall we?

Love and Blue Skies!

Ashley

The first time in a tunnel was humbling, to say the least. Everyone says that as a freeflyer the first hour or two you spend training in a tunnel is going to be a bit frustrating as you break bad habits you learned in the sky and learn to backfly (as most of us go straight to sit rather than learning the ever important backflying and back to sit transitions).

I learned a lot in January, don’t get me wrong, but this time around I was astonished with the learning curve.

My goal this time was to start learning the fundamentals of head down work. For someone who has only been legit head down in the sky a handful of times, mostly because someone put me in that position, it was a bit of a lofty goal to say the least. I went in knowing that I needed more work on my back and could afford to focus energy on my sit, docking and transitions as well.

To my surprise, I had my head on the net by the second rotation. Getting the feeling for head down and finding your balance takes time, patience and practice. There’s lots of muscle memory involved in this position, and (as was my case) you can expect to do it over and over again until you get the feel for it.

I was amazed how much backflying came into play during this journey, and fully understand why Mickey stresses proficiency on your back before making the transition to head down, or head up for that matter. Back is the bail out position – and if you’re anything like me, you’ll spend plenty of time there before getting your head off the net.

But, once you get there, the feeling is amazing. Pretty sure I squealed like a little girl the first time I got lift.

What was especially valuable about this camp was that most of us flying this weekend had about the same level of proficiency. We were all working to improve our backflying, finding additional comfort in our sit and putting our heads to the net in some head down work. The lessons you can learn from simply watching others in the tunnel, the corrections they make and hearing feedback in the debrief sessions while reviewing flight video is invaluable.

During the camp, our buddy Dave over at Skydive Radio decided it would be great to have a round table about the camp to hear it from the mouths of skydivers who benefit from tunnel coaching and encourage other jumpers to get themselves into the tunnel.

CHECK OUT THE SHOW HERE!

I’ve also shamelessly plugged Jump for Diabetes and the wonderful cause that we are supporting.

For those who have never been to a tunnel, get yourself there ASAP. For jumpers, a camp is extremely beneficial as you learn from everyone else and you get plenty of 1 on 1 time in the tunnel and out (read: debriefs after each session). I highly recommend Body Pilots for your training – Mickey is a spectacular coach. And I really have nothing but good things to say about the instructors and facilities at SkyVenture Colorado. They take good care of you there and even though you’re in a camp, the instructors are there to help, provide additional thoughts and give you tips to improve your flying.

What have been your experiences in the tunnel?

Blue Skies!

Ashley

This week I’m headed off to SVCO for some tunnel action. It’s Mickey’s last camp of the “winter season” so I’m going to make the most of it with an hour of freefly coaching. I have a few goals that I’m keeping under wraps at this time (I’m not one for sharing my goals in advance), but mainly I hope to come out a more competent, confident freeflyer. The rest of the weekend is going to be spent in Boulder with a friend I haven’t seen in years, exploring the area and just getting away from the norm.

Then I’m headed off to the mitten for a friend’s wedding. Part of me is excited, part is nervous. I wasn’t planning on attending my high school reunion which will take place this year, but I get the sense that this wedding will be pretty close to that. Convenient that it’s on Mother’s Day weekend and I have Sunday to spend with my family before heading back south.

The week I get back I’ve got something fun and artistic planned. That’s all I’m going to say for now…pictures and maybe even videos to come.

My birthday is in there somewhere as well, but I’m getting a little too close to 30 for my liking so I might just try to pass that one by!

And the last weekend in May is booked with a boogie over at Skydive The Farm. From what I hear it’s going to be the last Good Vibes boogie they host, so I’m excited to take part.

Of course, in the times I’m not traveling or jumping out of airplanes or doing some fun top-secret things, I’ll be planning and promoting Jump for Diabetes, as it’s right around the corner. I’m beyond stoked for what this month has in store.

What are your plans for May?

Love and blue skies!

Ashley

Transcending Fear: The Doorway to Freedom, by Brian Germain

It’s written by a skydiver and is an incredible read from the perspective of a skydiver, but even if you’re not a jumper or never plan to be, I believe you should still pick up this book.

It’s a quick read, but even if it wasn’t it would be well worth your time. I found myself reading a chapter, then re-reading it just to make sure I absorbed every last word. For anyone who finds that their actions are driven by fear from time to time (and honestly, I’m not sure anyone can say this hasn’t happened to them at least once in their life) this is a must read. Everything from starting a new chapter in your life, to taking a risk like jumping out of an airplane for the first time, or even making a simple life change can cause anxiety and fear we never knew existed inside us. Brian’s incredibly well-written text will walk you through the process for overcoming your fear by controlling what you can and deepening the connection and trust you have in yourself.

Brian shows you not how to stop your fear, but how to slow down the physiological effects of fear and to channel the energy in a positive, constructive manner. He stresses slowing down, breathing, focusing. Anyone who is active in yoga will find that this is highly relatable to the practice.

I don’t want to go too deep into it and give away too much of the book because I truly believe you should read it for yourself. You can buy it on Amazon – click this here link – and once you’re done I guarantee you’ll have a handful of people you’ll want to pass it on to so they can benefit.

Do yourself a favor and pick up this book. You might be surprised just how much it changes your outlook on fear and helps you manage your responses in daily life.

And PLEASE, if you are going to skydive, you’re a newbie jumper, or even if you’ve been in the sport for years, get this book now! Even if it doesn’t open your eyes to your fear, it will at least help you understand the inner-workings of those around you.

Love and blue skies!

Ashley

That said, something came to my attention today that brings up a similar topic.

For the month of May, I’m making it a goal not to spend any unnecessary money. Along with that comes not eating out unless I absolutely have to (you know, like a work event or if I’m traveling) but otherwise I’m keeping my debit card in my pocket and only spending at the grocery store. This brought something interesting to the surface: I have no social life.

First, I want to clarify that not eating out ≠ no social life. Not by any stretch.

Truthfully, if I look back at my life in general, my most social times were those where I was a broke college student / newbie careerist / young skydiver with a very shallow wallet. Going out to eat wasn’t an option as I barely had enough to sustain myself and those things that I didn’t consider optional in my life.

Even now, after 6+ years in my career where I’m doing fairly well for myself, I find that moneys are tight and I’d rather spend any funds that aren’t already allocated on experiences like traveling, skydiving and tunnel camps. And personally, I’m more social when indulging in these experiences than I am in daily life.

Granted, for anyone who knows me, you know I tend to be rather reserved until I get to know someone well, so I’m not sure how much that’s actually saying.

My point is this – regardless of the kind of life you want to lead, you only have so many resources (read: time, money) to go around to make that happen. There’s a priority list that each of us lives by, whether you’re actively aware of it or not, and in order to accomplish the goals you pursue, to keep the elements of your life that are closest to your heart in your life, it takes a sacrifice of some things that others might deem “necessary” in their lives.

It all comes down to this: not everyone walks the same path in life – after all, how boring would that be? Just because someone isn’t as open about their social life, because they don’t go out drinking on weekends or sit on patios each night after work with friends, doesn’t mean their life isn’t fulfilling, or social for that matter.

Personally, I would sacrifice a lot for the success of things like Jump for Diabetes because I know at the end of the day I’m making a difference in the world. But the truth is, thanks to things like Jump for Diabetes that tend to take up free time that would likely otherwise be spent out with friends, my time is spent with positive people who have entered my life in support of a great cause. And, when you get right down to it, I’d much rather have a handful of incredibly meaningful people in my life than dozens of people who are just there sometimes. I would say, even though on the surface it doesn’t appear to be, that my life is in fact highly social – and truthfully, amazingly fulfilling.

The choice is yours. It’s your life to live in whichever way is best for you. You only get one, so use it wisely, and be happy as much as you possibly can. Judging how others are living theirs will not get you there. Instead, be happy for them so long as they are happy, and support them when they are not. It will only serve to make your journey that much more worth while.

Love and blue skies!

Ashley

For about a month now I’ve been an off and on morning exerciser. At first I was absolutely dreading it, but what I found out on Day 1 is that the energy that comes from starting your day with a workout, no matter how minor, is well worth dragging yourself out a bed a half hour earlier.

Sure, there are days where I just can’t do it – hence, the on and off part above – whether it’s because I’m sore from a previous workout or I had a late night that just won’t let me have the energy to complete a workout. But I found a system that seems to work for me – I made a deal with myself. The deal is, if I get out of bed and do 100 jumping jacks and I still am too worn out, no matter the reason, to complete a full workout then I will allow myself to lay back down on the couch and cuddle with the dog in front of the TV instead. This is rare though, because by the time I’m done with 100 jumping jacks my blood is usually pumping enough to wake me up and keep me going.

So what is it that I like so much about morning workout? Well, let me tell you the benefits, my friends.

Increased energy throughout the day

This is the first thing that I noticed. Day 1, so much more energy. I only drank half of my morning cup of coffee and come 3pm I wasn’t crashing at my desk. When I got home from work I could sit down without falling asleep and was much more productive in the evening. Of course, working out at 6am does cause you to want to go to bed at 9pm, but if you take advantage of it and start winding down and head to bed shortly thereafter you can still get your needed 8 hours before doing it all over again the next day.

You eat better

It’s not that just that you want to eat healthier so your early workout doesn’t go to waste, but you tend to crave healthier food. Your body is working and wants food that will help it work more efficiently. It’s a known fact that people who are slothy tend to be gluttonous as well, and I’ve proven in my own life that if you stay active your sweet cravings tend to be oranges and bananas rather than cookies and Laffy Taffy. Of course, I do indulge in the occasional piece of dark chocolate, but that just makes me human.

The workout is out of the way

How many times have you planned to workout after work and an excuse comes up? Your friend wants to meet for dinner, you’re too tired and stressed, a work project is keeping you at the office late…you name it, it’s an excuse not to exercise. But, if you complete that task in the morning, you don’t need to worry about fitting it into your schedule. And it’s rare that something else is going to come up at 6am and derail your workout plans – no, hitting snooze doesn’t count.

You feel the burn all day

Maybe it’s just me, but I love how my muscles feel after a good workout. Exercising late in the day means I only get to relish that feeling for a short while before heading to bed. Morning workouts allow me to feel the burn all day long and remind me of the good I did for myself that day. It’s added motivation to treat myself right.

Are you are morning, evening or just occasional exerciser?

Blue ones!

Ashley

That said, I’ve done a lot of thinking about it, and the lessons you learn in the tunnel are actually quite easily translatable…let’s start at the beginning.

In January Rick and I took at trip to Raeford for our first tunnel camp with Mickey Nuttall (Body Pilots, look ‘em up, can’t recommend him more). Anyway, given that I’d never been in a tunnel before, I wanted to get my feet wet before diving into a freefly camp, so a few days prior we each did 15 minutes of coached time. It was very beneficial to say the least. It’s definitely a different experience than flying in the sky.

For one thing, you are limited on your range of motion. You’re working in this 16 foot (or 12 depending on the tunnel) tube rather than having the open skies to work with. It comes in handy though, as you work to perfect your skills in a static location – after all, that’s what you want to do in sky so you’re not chasing others, or they’re not chasing you, around the sky.

For another thing, when you’re jumping from airplanes, you really are falling through the air. I know this seems like an obvious statement, but sometimes you’re fighting the winds so much that it doesn’t always feel like it. But, for me anyway, I became acutely aware of this fact during tunnel time, because in the tunnel you really are working to stay up off the net – something that just doesn’t happen in free fall.

But, even though I’ve heard people say it hundreds of times, I was still surprised at how humbling your first time in the wind tunnel is. Essentially, it’s like starting over. Okay, so not really, but you have to take some steps back, break the bad habits you learned in the sky, before you can step forward. First, you gotta get good (or at least competent) on your belly. Surprisingly, belly was the easiest part for me. I spent maybe three rotations there before flipping over to my back. As someone who doesn’t do much RW work, I wasn’t expecting to have so much control. It gave me a boost of confidence in my skills.

Which was good, because as soon as I flipped to my back all hell broke loose.

So for those who are not freeflyers – those who are will probably appreciate this tidbit – but most of us who joined the dark side via the sky didn’t learn to backfly first, we went straight to sit. For me, I stuck my sit on my first try, so when people kept telling me that the tunnel would humble me, I didn’t fully understand the extent to which this was true until it was time to flip over on my back.

Needless to say, a good portion on my first hour was spent perfecting my backfly skills, figuring out steering, direction and being capable and comfortable on my back. Come to find out, this is the go-to rest position when you either cork out or are just thoroughly exhausted from hours in the tunnel.

Moving on to sitfly was incredibly rewarding, I was not only doing things I could do in the sky, but was surpassing them. I thought about where I wanted to go, and went. By the end of the first hour I was working on transitions that I see are going to come in handy with getting to and staying on my head. It makes me so excited to get back there in a couple weeks!

So aside from the humbling aspect, what lessons do you learn in the tunnel? Well, let me tell you, you learn to trust yourself for one. Especially with freeflying, one misplaced input and your ass is hitting that wall, and it’s not comfortable. But, if you don’t trust yourself to do it you’ll never progress and get comfortable with those transitions that will make your progress soar.

You also learn to overcome your fear. Why is the top of the tunnel so scary? It’s really not, it’s just you’re more comfortable closer to the net when you first start out. But, once you come crashing down you realize it’s not so bad.

So how on Earth does any of this translate to “real life?” Well, I’m glad you asked!

It comes down to personal growth. The wind tunnel is known to be one of those skydiver training tools that helps jumpers progress in their discipline faster than they would in the sky. It gives us the opportunity to communicate with the coach “in freefall” and to have more time to hone skills. A 60 minute block of time is the equivalent of 60 skydives, without all the packing, waiting to get on a load, and weather holds.

There are times in life where you are presented opportunities for accelerated personal growth. Often they come in the form of a challenge, so it’s up to you whether you’re willing to dive in and give it your all or not. Sometimes, you don’t even know when these challenges will offer that type of personal growth, you just have to trust your gut. Don’t be surprised when you are completely humbled by the situation, even when you go in balls to the wall, guns ablazin’ and all those other metaphors for giving it your all. Your confidence might wane, but unless you keep plugging along to reach your goals, you may never know how much you’re truly capable of accomplishing.

Have your experiences in the tunnel been similar to mine?

Love and blue skies!

Ashley

Normally I pimp out Jump for Diabetes, after all, that is an event that I help coordinate every year – can you blame me? But there’s another cause I’d like to talk about for a moment.

Fellow skydiver and all around awesome chick Alisha is coordinating the Jump for the Rose, a non-profit breast cancer organization. She’s currently selling some bad ass skydiving glassware to help with this cause along with proceeds going to the Leukemia Foundation. Both great causes and something that touches many lives.

When I saw the Fly Free glasses and shot glasses, I just couldn’t pass ‘em up. And knowing they were for a good cause really swayed me into purchasing.

I personally bought two of the larger glasses and two of the shot glasses and gave one of each away as a gift. To me, that’s the best way to help out a cause, you get to donate and you get to spread the love by gift giving.

If you haven’t already, be sure to contact Alisha today to get your glasses and help out some great causes!

Love and blue skies!

Ashley

That said, I tend to have rather strong opinions when it comes to books. I’m a love ‘em or hate ‘em kinda reader and it’s usually based completely on how I feel when I’m reading the book – not on the technical aspects of the writing. So this was a bit out of my comfort zone, to say the least, so I hope I can get across what I’m trying to say in this review.

From the beginning I have to say that it didn’t grip me like other books of it’s nature – I would compare the premise to that of Twlight or Hunger Games books, where the leading lady is struggling with the love and affection of two men of interest – however I found myself wanting to continue on to see where it would lead.

The voice of the author was hard to distinguish. The words read as if they were forced at times, making the read much less natural. There were moments in the book where dialogue between Ima and her companions wasn’t as intense in emotion as the surrounding context led me to believe it should be been. Emotions change quickly from paragraph to paragraph, and sometimes even sentence to sentence, moving from anger to passionate lust within moments. Drawing out the emotions tends to keep readers on the edge of their seat, truly wondering what will happen next. Personally, I would like to read this book from the perspective of one of the characters, rather than as a narrated text. I think it would make the story more compelling.

It’s a very Chicago-centric book, and I believe anyone who has or does live in the city would appreciate references to landmarks and streets. Sometimes these references seemed a bit obscure – even awkward at times.

Though I wouldn’t categorize the book as a favorite of mine, I do think it would be popular among a young adult crowd. I tend to think the premise of the book is more suited to a teenage audience, unlike the trilogies mentioned earlier, that appealed to an adult audience as well. Of course, if you couldn’t get enough of the Twilight and Hunger Games books because of their love triangles, this just might be the next best read for you.

About the Author

Monica Leonelle is a well-known digital media strategist and the author of 3 novels. She blogs at Prose on Fire (http://proseonfire.com) and shares her writing and social media knowledge with other bloggers and authors through her Free Writer Toolkit.

Cheers!

Ashley

Hard to believe that the 4th Annual Jump for Diabetes is right around the corner. This will be my 3rd year coordinating the event and I am proud to say that it’s going to be bigger and better than the last!

We recently launched our website http://jumpfordiabetes.org (thanks to our friends over at nDevix), where you can keep up on the latest raffle items as they come in (we all know that’s what skydivers are interested in, free shit, right?), get the latest information on sponsors and participating dropzones, and you can even donate online!

We are so blessed to have both Skydive Chicago and Skydive The Farm on board this year. We’ll be hosting two events, in tandem on July 6-8th to raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. If you’re on Facebook and haven’t already be sure to RSVP to our event. You can keep up with the latest updates there as well.

So let’s get to what everyone wants to know about – those gear donations. We’re still over two months out and already we have seen more generosity from this community than ever. It warms my heart to see all the manufacturers who are standing behind us to help find a cure for diabetes. This year we have Deepseed on board with us and they are eyeballs deep in supporting this cause. Huge thanks to Liam and his crew for all they’ve already done! Check out their website and Facebook page. They’ve got some great stuff going on and they’re just plain fun!

Once again PD is all in and the first ticket drawn on Saturday, July 7th after the fireworks at SDC will be the lucky recipient of a free custom main (non-cross braced) or reserve canopy from Performance Designs. Bad ass! And of course, there’s thousands of dollars in free gear and discounts:

• FREE Taste of Base with Miles Daisher
• 2 – 50% Off Wings Containers
• 2 – 50% Off Cookie G3 Helmet
• Bonehead Discount Certificates
• 20% Off Vigil
• 2 – 35% Off Vector, plus 15% options from UPT
• 2 – 40% Off Javelin container from SunPath
• Hypoxic Certificates
• 3- $100+ Discounts from Ouragan Suits
• 4 – 20% Off Phoenix Fly Discount Certificates
• FREE Freak’n Suits
• FREE Reserve Repack from String Theory Productions
• FREE Phantom X Helmet from Square1
• 35% Off Bev Suit Voucher
• 2 – 30% Off Mirage Systems container
• 2 – 50% Off Deepseed Jumpsuits
• FREE Cypress Maintenance Certificate
• 3 Brian Germain Books
• $100 Off SDC Rhythm Tunnel Camp
• And MORE

Donations are still coming in and we will keep you posted on our website as we get more.

If you want to purchase tickets, see Rick or myself at Skydive The Farm, Morgan at Skydive Chicago, or email us at JumpForDiabetes@gmail.com. You do NOT have to be present to win, so please feel free to purchase remotely!

I will be managing the event at Skydive Chicago this year, so if you want to find me the day of the event to purchase, please feel free. If you’re planning to head to The Farm for the event, don’t worry, Rick will be on the ground there, and on the phone with me so all winners will be announced immediately after the drawing.

Oh, and if you want to be a sponsored jumper and pledge your jumps for the weekend to the cause, you can do that from anywhere too! Just shoot me a comment, Facebook message or email and we’ll get you the sheet so you can get pledges.

Thanks to all who are working so hard to make this a great success! We couldn’t do any of it without the unwavering support of this community.

Love and blue skies!

Ashley