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mdrejhon

Did my 100th! (What year was the first cream pie in skydiving, anyway??)

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Yes, I did the 100. Yay!

Yes, I got the mandatory cream pie.

The 100th was a 9-way formation skydive I helped organize.

It was the best weekend ever for me at Skydive Gananoque.

(Also did several 6-ways / 7-ways / 4-way too. Finally, I feel as if I am making REAL progress in RW rather than being a bellyflopping bellyflyer.)

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Awesome... congratulations.

Isn't it nice when you start to feel like you aren't a complete fool in the sky :)


Please be specific! When does that happen?:|

"For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

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I dont know Im still waiting, and getting worse by the jump...fly my slot??? hell id rather watch you guys from 6 feet away... what do you me legs out? :|

Congrats.... you must feel so good right now, let it last
Sudsy Fist: i don't think i'd ever say this
Sudsy Fist: but you're looking damn sudsydoable in this

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Thanks!

I'm still humbled by the great instructors that were on the RW jumps, but I was glad that I was not the bottleneck on the RW jumps (at least the recent ones). While some others were flying more challenging slots than I did, I was able to fly my easy slot fast enough to warrant a few "great job!" comments from other instructors. I did some more challenging transitions that involved more flying, towards the end, and still kept up. Can't really boast my skills though. But I kept up. From the start of the weekend to the end of the weekend, I was getting much better at staying level and resisting the temptation to de-arch, especially when people grab my grips. Legs out, keep level with fallrate, and don't go low. I noticed I was rapidly getting better because I had so many consecutive RW jumps. It was spetacular to see all the people flying around me! I'm finally "good enough" to be accepted on bigger-than-2-way RW jumps which was my goal at 100th.

Tracking is the main area that needs work now before I do a 20-way. Linked exits are a big challenge too. I rememember a couple of 3-way linked exits went upsidedown (funnel!), most especially my first linked 3-way exit from a Twin Otter (as part of the 9-way), but all recovered without letting go and the jump continued with plenty of altitude. (I had some great exits too)

All in all, I had LOTS OF FUN and learned a LOT, so I am happy about that.

About two-thirds were linked (linked 3-way base on 5-way and bigger) and one-third was flying to my slot (on 4-way and smaller only). I learned to avoid going low so I am happy to say I can finally fly to my slot at the right speed (not too fast, not too slow).

Since I made some good time towards the requirements of my B-license, I am thinking of doing my B-license tests this weekend. I'll have to see... (I'll contact the dropzone to warn them as soon as I decide if I'll go for it).

Oh, and my landings are better now so I am happy about that too. Landed 4 consecutive zero-wind standups too (running, really). I think I am now used to the new lines (when I figured out I needed to pull toggles down to the point just before tail deflection, when gliding in my final - then it all made sense - I have 6 to 7 inches of extra brake line, they're brand new.)

(If any instructors from my dropzone are reading this -- A big THANK YOU to all that helped me. Lot of beer coming on my next visit...)

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Oh, and my topic title question hasn't been answered yet:

"What year was the first cream pie in skydiving, anyway?"



You might get an answer to that question in the History and Trivia forum... ;)
"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

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I'm a 1-cream-pie wonder, not a 100-jump wonder.



If there was only one pie, your DZ wasn't doing it right!
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

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I'm a 1-cream-pie wonder, not a 100-jump wonder.



If there was only one pie, your DZ wasn't doing it right!



Don't worry, we'll remedy that situation when he comes down to Lake Wales next month! >:( :D
"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

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Hey Congrats! I too did my 100th out east this weekend. Tried to rodeo a birdman.... then took it to a turbo spin. 101 was a :D night jump tho.

I wish I could say I was pied, but instead they duct taped me to a strecher and poured flour and molasses and water and a few dozen eggs and a bunch of other shit on me.... Their day will come :P

Pace!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ya we'll rape the local objects, and maybe do some jumps too!"

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Nice pictures! A little tip, Mark...

Stick your lower legs out a little more. That will keep you from sliding out, or at least keep the tension in the grips with the other base members to nothing. ;)
"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

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I figured that out, when I was doing the several 6 and 7-ways that I went on after this 100th. I was concentrating on fallrate matching and I now have an automatic instinct to stretch my legs out before letting go of grips.

When connected in the center, I kinda bent my legs in when I was trying to fall faster, but I know that it causes me to backslide when I let go. I managed to successfully no-grip fly to my slot in a couple of stars or partial stars before the last people did though! (Though I admit several had more challenging slots)

I am learing a lot, pretty FAST. The 9-way was the catalyst that got me invitations to subsequent RW, and I am looking forward to continuing to be invited. I can finally fly to my slot from an unlinked exit within seconds without going too low, though I have only done this up to a 4-way level so far. At this moment, tracking seems to be my weak link (I was doing a newbie legs-apart track, now I am trying to learn a flat track that involves legs fully together, like the pros do. It's really hard and unstable, and I am going to pratice this on several solos as I have. I am using the 2000 feet airport runway as a horizontal ruler and my altimeter as the vertical ruler, tracking cross-run from 11K down to about 5K in tracking-pratice jumps. Trying to hit the magic 1:1 angle instead of a steep angle... I once saw a good surge of horizontal motion sometimes, I need to try to reproduce that... One of the instructors have showed me how to flat track.

I had 9 RW jumps for the weekend. I did a 10-point 3-way, that was my best so far. The 9-way was 2 points, the 6-ways was 3 and 2 points respectively (for my slot, it was 2 and 2 respectively for whole formation), and the 7-way was 2 points (for my slot, 1 point for whole). So I thankfully was not the weak link, I was trying hard to not be the "slow one, the weak link, the meat missle". I was not perfect, but I am getting better. Two or three funnelled exits (but did not break up and the formation flipped back belly side up within 1000 or 2000 feet), with the rest being good exits (both diving and relative wind exits). Two instances where somebody else flew under the formation, and broke us up.

For some more pratice, I'm considering maybe trying joining the Gananoque "4-way scrambles" competition if I can find partners to do it with, for Oct 1st, depending on my licensing by then. (Have to write to the origanizer.)

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Very cool! You put yourself on a high learning curve by making so many jumps in a weekend with the right people. You can fall faster with your legs stretched out a bit, by arching your back a little more with your arms up (still in grips). Although the trick is to stay relaxed. ;)
"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

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Very cool! You put yourself on a high learning curve by making so many jumps in a weekend with the right people. You can fall faster with your legs stretched out a bit, by arching your back a little more with your arms up (still in grips). Although the trick is to stay relaxed. ;)

I think another reason why I bent my legs in is because I was floating up a few inches and had to compensate for that and the people behind me was pulling me to a potential dearch. I knew that people grabbing at me would affect my arch, and I was working to compensate that, and may have erred in bending my legs in - I'll keep working at it - but fallrate was one of my primary objectives since I was flying an easy slot on that first 9-way (For that first 9-way I didn't have to move between points, unlike for the subsequent 6-ways and 7-way jumps where I did some flying between points)

Either way, see me smiling -- I had lots of fun!

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