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

Stepping down

Last week I mentioned on Twitter that I’m stepping down my canopy size. As an AFF student I was jumping a 260, but as a 120 pound person that’s become too large. I’m in the air too long for my liking.

The dilemma I was running into was that the next size down at my home DZ is a 190. Upon Tweeting this, I was overwhelmed with the responses concerned for my safety.

Thanks y’all. Talk about making a newbie feel cared about! I’m all about the love.

Luckily, my presence was requested back home in Michigan this weekend, and I was able to jump at Skydive Tecumseh where the variety of student rigs was much greater.

I was able to get in a couple good jumps on smaller canopies and ended on a Pilot 210 that I loved! I’ll definitely be looking to get a Pilot when my budget allows for the purchase of my own rig. Anyone know of a 170 that’ll be going on the market this year?

This weekend I’ll be back at Canton Air Sports in Alliance, OH, jumping with some of my favorites. Fingers crossed that they have something in a comparable size. I really don’t want to jump that 290 like last time.

Oh, but wait. Just when you thought I was wrapping up. I want to back up to my time at Skydive Tecumseh. What kind of blogger would I be if I didn’t give my two cents on this DZ?

This was my 4th drop zone (Skydive Miami, Cleveland Parachute, Canton Air Sports and now Skydive Tecumseh). Other than the fact that it’s incredibly convenient when I’m headed home to see my family, it’s a great little community in itself.

In the day that I spent there, we had a few weather holds that allowed me to meet some great skydivers – and new friends. I also had the pleasure of being the very first student of a new coach on the scene.

Jeromy (check him out over at SkydiveBlog.com) did a great job and any student would be lucky to have him. He really helped me with my docking and tracking. I can’t wait to show off my new skills this weekend!

Check out my jump here!

On top of all that, the DZ is really organized. And they fly an Otter full time to 14,000 feet! Can’t beat that kind of altitude.

Needless to say, I’ll be heading back there every time I’m in Michigan. 

Blue Skies!

Ashley

Mystery Wounds

There’s a phenomenon in skydiving that I like to refer to as mystery wounds. 

Your body is in near perfect condition when you exit the plane, but 14,000 feet later you’re bruised, sore or bleeding, and you have no idea why.

You think back through the skydive, did you hit the plane on the way out? No, I don’t think so. Anything out of the ordinary in free fall? Nope, pretty routine. Hard opening perhaps? Not really.

So then why is my finger bleeding profusely?

Of course, we can’t forget about those days when we come home and see the latest bruises that mysteriously appear.

For the about three weeks another jumper and I had matching bruises on the inside of our left knee. It was a huge, deep bruise. Neither of us had any idea how we could have acquired it.

Maybe it’s a newbie thing, but I’ve ended up with multiple bumps, bruises, cuts and soreness that are a complete mystery. 

Secretly though, I kind of enjoy my little war wounds. (Shh, don’t tell.) They’re conversational pieces if nothing else. 

(#1 – Mysterious skin missing incident from this weekend. That knuckle had skin before I jumped! #2 – The not-so-mysterious elbow injury of jump 11. Canopy stall and hard landing. #3 – Bruised knees after my first AFF jump and ground school. Climbing in and out of a wooden Cessna for six hours of practice takes is toll on your knees. And those are just a few of the wounds I’ve captured on film.)

As a friend said this weekend, I don’t want to go to my grave in a perfect body. I want it to be scraped and scratched to know I lived a full, active life.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

What mystery wounds have you ended up with in the past?

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

Lucky #13

This weekend I finally got back into the sky – and it felt great!

After taking two weeks off – due to wind and a minor elbow injury, as you may recall – my level of nervousness was a little higher than usual, but as soon as that door opened at 10,000 I was right back in the game.

(That would be my nervous smile.)

I finally got to fly my new jumpsuit that came in the mail last week (and was taunting me for days as it hung from my closet door). Since I’m still new to the sport I strapped the booties to my legs rather than using them in free fall. Once I’m an expert at flying my body, you best believe I’ll be giving those booties a try!

Jump #12 – My first diving exit.

I felt like Superwoman. That is, until I was backflying – unintentionally. Oh look, there’s the plane! I stabilized belly to Earth with enough time to get in a back flip and attempt a front flip. Winds were mild, maybe 5 mph and variable. Soft landing that I rolled out but really should have stood up.

(Mid-front flip!)

Jump #13 – Lucky #13, and that it was. Our plane was full, VERY full. Clouds rolled in and we had to circle for almost an hour before the skies allowed us to jump. But it was worth the wait as we got about 1,500 feet more than we typically would. More free fall time, woot! I asked Lonnie to jump with me for some new solo pictures, video, and a little coaching. Check out his work at VelocityPhoto.com. I see now that I need to get my head up and quit looking at the ground.

(All smiles!)

You can find more pictures on my Flickr and Facebook pages.

Overall my jumps went well and more importantly I had a blast! My AFF friends graduated on to solo this weekend too. It’s always great to hear their stories. And I even got to watch my friend Jessica come down from her first tandem – which she loved, naturally. I left the drop zone feeling pretty great last night. Can’t wait till next weekend!

Blue Skies!

Ashley

Knowing Your Limits

This weekend was another skydiving lesson learned – this time, from the comfort of the ground.

Or really, I should say the uncomfort of the ground. As anyone who’s engrossed in any sport knows, having to sit on the sidelines while fellow athletes are out doing what they love has a tendency to make you quite antsy.

At one point, one of the jump masters asked me “are you okay, or is this killing you?”

Sure, I wanted to be jumping, but I was not about to enter into the risks under canopy yesterday.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Cleveland Parachute is a place where friends gather every weekend, and we’re getting a great core group of jumpers. We’re out there supporting each other, giving each other a hard time when our landings are sub-par, and learning from one another.

It’s great to have other jumpers with similar experience, and those with significantly more experience to provide pointers. And although skydiving is one of those sports where you have to learn the little tricks that work for you, it never hurts to hear and see what the experienced jumpers are doing.

This weekend was a great learning experience for us all. 

Winds were high – higher than normal anyhow – and there was lots of discussion on canopy control and staying West of the drop zone as long as possible.

Unfortunately, for us students, with larger canopies and less experience, the winds were very much against us. As I watched two of my friends who are current AFF students get pushed backwards into fields far past the drop zone I quickly decided that jumping was not a smart idea. And given that I jump a ‘chute the same size as these guys (who are both 40 pounds heavier), who knows where that wind would have pushed me.

So, to save myself from ending up in Pennsylvania, I stayed grounded.

In hindsight, it probably didn’t hurt to give my elbow an extra week to rest from last week’s fall. 

Regardless, it was a great day spent at the DZ with my weekend family. And if the weather stays true to the forecast, we’ll be headed back out this coming weekend for some more jumping.

Blues Skies!

-A

Lessons from Under the Canopy

The more I participate in skydiving the more I realize that it’s numerous sports wrapped up in one. For those of us who are drawn to the thrill of free fall, we’re also forced to become sports parachutists as well.

At least, if we want to do it more than once, that is.

Canopy skills are imperative to a successful skydive. You have to learn how to check the parachute upon opening to make sure it’s safe to land, maneuver with toggles and flare for landing. On top of that, you need to learn how to spot and navigate properly for a safe landing.

These skills are learned and perfected over time, but it’s important to start early. From my first AFF jump my instructors were talking over the winds with me and teaching me how to spot. At first I thought, “this is so foreign to me, I’ll never get it.” But once you’re jumping regularly and on your own, it forces you to focus and learn quickly.

This weekend I made it my goal to maintain a heading in free fall to drop nearly straight down. When my ‘chute opened I was directly overhead the drop zone and in good position.

I was feeling great about my navigation skills and at 800 feet started heading toward the target. It looked great, so I made it my goal to land in the middle of the target. There was no wind that day, I could tell it was going to be close. Coming in a 1/4 brakes to slow forward motion then letting up toward the end so I had a good flare.

One thing to remember when you’re under canopy is that you’re moving 10 mph forward. This can seem pretty quick when you’re getting close to the ground. This became apparent when I let up on the brakes. In turn, I flared a little soon and stalled my canopy about 5 feet above the ground.

Yep, you guessed it, no where to go but straight down.

This is why PLF (parachute landing falls) are so important. I rolled it out and walked away, ankles in tact. Though I do have a sore elbow as I didn’t keep my arms in flare position during the roll out.

Oops! Looks like there are two lessons here:

1) Don’t flare too soon, and if you do, be prepared to roll it out and,

2) Keep your elbows in!

Precision will only come with time and experience. But on the plus side, I landed about 10 feet from the target and felt pretty great about it.

(Feeling pretty great about my landing!)

Do any of y’all have tricks you learned to help with canopy control?

Blue Skies!

Ashley

DZ Friends

The importance of drop zone friends is highly underrated.

These last couple months at my home drop zone I have had the pleasure of meeting not only some great skydivers, but some wonderful friends as well.

It’s a great feeling when you head out to the DZ on a busy weekend and are welcomed by all the regulars. It’s like a little skydiving family out there. Everyone is cheering on everyone else, excited to see the reactions from the first timers, enjoying the crazy parachuting tricks of the veterans.

It’s comforting to know that, for me at least, everyone is looking out for me. It is not uncommon to be headed out to the plane and get stopped two or three times by different jump masters who want to look over my equipment one more time. This, of course, is welcomed. You can never be too careful.

I’m still meeting new faces every weekend, but the more regulars I meet, the more I feel like Cleveland Parachute is a home.

Do y’all feel this way about your home DZ too?

Blue Skies!

Ashley