Holiday Card

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Every year when Christmas cards start arriving in the mail I get the feeling that I really should have sent some out too. Some years I do, some I don’t.

Most I don’t, really.

I did in college, but for some reason I moved away from it once I was out on my own.

And of course, now I’ve made some great skydiving friends who are sending me these wicked cool holiday cards and I’ve sent out jack squat.

So, I’m sending y’all this – consider this my Christmas card. I’m even leaving you with my two favorite skydiving photos from this year, courtesy of Norman Kent and our engagement photo shoot.

Posts might trail off a bit here in the next couple weeks, as I’m sure my readers will too as they head out to visit family or off to really cool places like Zhills (ehem Ms. Owen!) so if I don’t talk to you, hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a very safe New Year!

Love and Blue Skies!

Ashley

Work Stinks! Boogie — Recap and Engagement

Sorry it’s taken me so long to develop a recap of last weekend…life has been a bit of a whirlwind since we returned home on Monday from the Work Stinks! Boogie at Start Skydiving.

This was the second year in a row that Rick and I attended this event, and let me just tell you that it was beyond amazing. This year there were significantly more attendees than last. They also added a CASA to the mix which was a huge hit! At one point on Sunday there was about an hour and 1/2 wait just to get on this aircraft. We also heard on Sunday that they flew more than 1,200 slots between the Otter, CASA and two caravans. Not too shabby!

Let me back up a few days here. So we’d heard that on Friday jumpers were grounded for most of the day due to winds. We also heard that winds were expected to be just as high on Saturday…which stunk because we wanted to jump, damn it!

Rick had mentioned that he wanted to get in at least one jump on Saturday, high winds or not – this seemed a bit fishy to me. Typically, I’m very quick to sit out with any kind of high wind activity, especially if it’s not completely steady. I’m proud to admit that I’m a wind pussy…better to be safe than to have a canopy collapse.

Anyhow, so the winds weren’t bad on Saturday morning so we jumped on the first CASA load available. We planned a linked head down exit transitioning into sit. Lucky for us the head down stuck almost immediately and we were able to hold it longer than anticipated. It doesn’t do much for video effect, but there’s definitely some audio I recommend checking out in this one.

Yep, you heard that correctly! After a year together as freefly partners, travel buddies and best friends we’re getting married! Woohoo.

The rest of Saturday was a bit breezy for my liking, though we were still able to get in a helicopter jump from the R44 they had on hand. We did a three way with our buddy Justin. I’d show the video, but seriously, it’s not worth much. I need a wide angle bad…this camera just isn’t cutting it!

Later that evening the winds died down a bit and we were able to get in another jump with our buddy Jonathan. Our head down exit went to poo, and Jonathan and Rick had some collisions that were fun to watch.

Sunday was the day we did two jumps with Norman Kent for our engagement photo shoot. The first jump went to shit, there’s no doubt about it. We had really high expectations for the skydive, doing belly work, to freefly and deployment video. My head got the best of me.

But, on round two it worked out perfectly. Head down to sit, recreating our engagement jump…and it actually went even better than the first.

We had such a great time this weekend. We took it easy as far as jumping goes, got to hang out with some great friends, jumped the CASA and Heli, and of course spent some fun time together as a newly engaged couple. Good stuff!

Now I’ve got a lot of video editing ahead…both for Jump for Diabetes and Work Stinks! I promise, once we’re back to normal, full weeks I’ll be back on a regular posting schedule.

Have a great weekend!

Love and Blue Skies!

Ashley

Wingsuit Weekend

Between last weekend spent at the Ranch for my birthday and the long Memorial Weekend spent back at home (Skydive PA) I’ve got a lot of catching up to do – blog wise.

Today I want to touch on the event that was most exciting for me this weekend. (I promise, soon I’ll get to talking about The Ranch…but this just has to come first while it’s fresh in my mind).

Upon arrival at Skydive PA on Friday evening, I was prepared for a long weekend of freeflying, but that all changed when the beer light came on and my rigger brought out his wingsuit for me to try on.

After hooking it up to my rig and donning the suit, I’d decided that this was the weekend to give wingsuiting a whirl.

Saturday morning I went up for a solo jump to practice some head down moves, then went up again to prove to Rick that I can stick a head down out the door . Just as an aside, this was an incredible skydive. I went head down and he stood to keep relative – when I flipped out we were right there the whole time. We’re really getting it together!

So after a couple warmup jumps, it was time to get suited up for that first wingsuit flight.

Yes, for all those who are screaming “beer” in your heads, that case has already been purchased and drank.

I am extremely lucky to have Moe Viletto as my wingsuit instructor – and that he also had a wingsuit to fit me. After a few hours over the course of a couple days chatting about that first flight, the emergency procedures and how to go about find the “sweet spot,” it was time to become a bird!

Exiting last was strange. I’m used to seeing the tandems on my way out the door, not watching them go before me. It is nice, however, not to have to stress about the spot so much. When you’re a bird, especially one who is pulling a little high, making it back isn’t much of an issue.

Anyway – back to the first flight. So I’m crouched at the door, wings all tucked in and I huck myself out. That first jump I was nervous about opening up too soon and hitting the tail, so I stayed balled up a little longer than necessary, but when I came out of it and caught that first lift, I couldn’t believe what I was experiencing. The forward speed is incredible.

I had a flight path figured out and after doing my practice touches to make sure I could find my hackey with my new set of wings, I looked to my right to see him gliding next to me. What an incredible sight! For once I’m flying next to someone instead of looking down, hoping to get my speed up enough to catch the group.

Wingsuiting is an entirely different experience than a typical skydive…you’re actually going somewhere other than just down.

One of the things I’ve always said I love about freeflying is the speed, and that’s no exception with a wingsuit; difference being, the speed is horizontal, rather than vertical.

The rest of the weekend was spent obsessing over the wingsuit jumps. A couple sunset loads made me realize just how much my eyes have been missing during freefly. The sky is so beautiful, and the clouds are your friends. This is definitely something I want to continue experiencing.

Hopefully in the not so distant future I’ll feel comfortable enough to strap my camera back on my head and give you a little perspective of what it’s like to be a bird!

Until then, here are some pictures from the ground, captured by the lovely Sandy Weltman – love having you out at SPA Sandy!!

(Suiting up for the first jump)

(Sipping up our legs and getting to booties situated.)

(Beyond pumped from that flight…amazing!)

(Running it out with wings is a little more challenging!)

(Coming down from a beautiful sunset flight)

(If I look exhausted it’s because I am…but it’s worth every second!)

Blue skies!

Ashley

Home Away from Home

Over the course of the summer, Canton Air Sports has quickly become my home away from home – as is the case for most skydivers and their home DZ.

It’s a place that you look forward to visiting after a long week. A place where you find peace, tranquility, and happiness. A place where you’re all family – an often crazy, dysfunctional family that likes to throw themselves out of airplanes at 13,000 feet and marvel at the video footage after – but a supportive one none the less.

I cherish my home dropzone just as much as my real home. Between the bonfires, stories and advice shared, and great memories built in freefall with like-minded people, who wouldn’t look forward to a weekend at the DZ?

The friends I’ve made this season alone are some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met – and this weekend, I was lucky enough to celebrate the 35th anniversary of our home DZ with most of them.

It was a 5-jump weekend for me, four on Saturday – starting with a dead sprint to make the first load – and one on Sunday. What can I say, it was a long night and a very cold day at altitude. So, I might just be a freeze baby. What of it?

The weekend was filled with freefly jumps, lots of sit practice with my freefly partner and some excellent coaching opportunities with one of the most incredible freeflyers around. I feel more than fortunate to have been in the air with him and learned so much just from one-off conversations on the ground. Thanks, Joe!

Throughout the weekend we got to jump, eat, drink, and chat with those skydivers who share in the love of a great dropzone. The cookout was delicious, and after a long day of jumping, cracking open that first beer around the bonfire made for the perfect transition to a night of debauchery. I’ll spare you the details. What happens at the bonfire, stays at the bonfire.

(Diane and Rodger, Rick and myself hanging out with the rest of the crew at the bonfire.)

Though it’s all in good fun. Work hard, play hard. Right?

Come Sunday most of the experienced jumpers were moving a little slower than usual, but what’s a better hangover cure than a brisk 60 seconds in freefall?

This was one of the best jumps of the weekend for me. Two-man rolling train into a sit. I held a pretty decent sitfly – enough to participate in a two-man freefly with Joe as he went head down. This was also, by far, the best landing I’ve had with my canopy yet. Perfect braked approach into a landing where I wouldn’t have cracked an egg shell – and perfectly on target. Looks like I’m starting to get this 7-cell thing down. About time!

Due to the cold winds at altitude and the caravan having to leave earlier than expected, I called it a day after one jump. The rest of the afternoon was spent cleaning up from the night before and reminiscing over the hundreds of pictures that Sandy took over the weekend.

She was even nice enough to burn some onto a CD for me. Here’s a small blip of the events from the 35th anniversary celebration of Canton Air Sports. (Big thanks to Sandy and Lonnie Kirk for these amazing photos.)

(Dirt diving the 6-way hybrid. I was part of the 4-man base with Rick and Joe as hangers.)

(Sandy took lots of great shots of the sport jumpers under canopy!)

(Couple of freeflyers, always wanting to ‘hang’ around.)

(Now that’s what I call dirt dive concentration.)

Blue Skies!

Ashley

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