Thanks, Thanks and Thanks Again.

I have my "A" licence in skydiving, but that's like saying I can ride my kiddie bike without training wheels. I have a long way to go.
I do what I can.  I read the "Skydivers Information Manuel."  I spend time at the drop zone. 

Each night I practice a arching pose I've been taught*.  The idea is to keep your knees just slightly off the floor.  It's easy to do do for a few seconds.  Five or six minutes is much harder.
Then there's  my solo jumps.
 "No more solos!" people warned.  "You'll learn more if you jump in groups."  This made sense.  I'd have to leave the plane with others if I was going to learn to control my fall rate. 
But why would someone want to jump with me?

Not that people dislike me, but I bring  very little to the jump.  I ooze "Noob" like an aura..

I'm the jumper who's still freaked about sitting by the open door.  Especially when it's "only" 1000+ feet  and everyone else wants me to scoot closer to it.** 
In  freefall  I slide all over the place. 

When I get into (beginner) group events, the coach often has big plans. 

Guess who botches these plans?
Everyone has been super nice to me, so I feel bad about being the troublemaker.   Then again, if this is what it takes to get better, I'll be making more trouble.  

So thanks, thanks and thanks again to the jumpers, coaches and organizers who have helped me so far!

*This is supposed to improve my body position in free fall.


*We have to wear seat belts for the first 1000 feet of the plane ride.  Then they come off and people spread out.  This means whomever is near the door is going to be getting closer to it. Yikes!

To Three or Not to Three

The plan was simple.  I'd exit with one jumper, we'd catch up with the second.   If altitude permitted, we'd do some simple moves.  I was excited.  My first three way! 

There was a problem with this plan:  I was one of the jumpers. 

Sure, I'd rehearsed on the ground with the others.  In the plane, I rehearsed it in my head...

...but the exit shouldn't have looked like this:

and the "fall down to meet the other jumper" part shouldn't have played like this:

Spinning away like a Chinese star wasn't part of the plan either...

I got stable, and got out of there...

...because I didn't want to put anyone else in danger*..

My inner critic was so mad!

He says I'm clumsy and stupid.  I maintain that I "only" need more practice. Lots of practice.   Especially on altering my fall rate. Gotta be able to keep up with my sky neighbors.
That being said, I think I'll stick to solos and two ways for awhile...

*I did have the sense to track in a safe direction this wasn't a random dash.


Just added- here's a video of the jump.  That's me in the yellow helmet: