11th jump - (late) weekend report

[PalmettoTiger 1]

Hiya folks. I've spent a few hours rehashing the weekend and writing it up. The result is a very long but thorough description. Here's the summary:
What I learned this weekend:
1. It's good to be cautious. But don't let your fears get the best of you. Get out there and skydive!
2. Mals can strike anyone, anytime.*
3. How to do riser turns.
4. How to deal with a stuck slider.*
5. I need to lay off the cheeseburgers. (of course, I had pizza, beer, peanuts, nachos, and some fries at the ballpark tonight. Whoops.)
What I remembered to do:
1. Get my hands onto the risers during deployment.
2. Reach for ROL instead of BOC.
3. Keep good track of my altitude.
What I forgot about:
1. Arching more at the hips and less at the torso.
2. Keeping my legs even, and pushing them way out and holding them there in order to dock.
3. Get my arms and legs out there so my fellow jumpers can keep up.
4. Getting the toggles all the way down for a full flare.
TLOs for my next jump:
1. Better exit awareness - don't just tumble and wait to stabilize, but actually try and fly myself into a stable exit.
2. Better leg positioning - maybe a practice tracking dive?
3. More traffic awareness under canopy, especially under 1000 feet. I knew there was a tandem waaaaaay above me somewhere, but I still should have looked beside and behind me just to be sure - shit happens.
4. Full flare and hopefully a standup landing on the fair side of the beer line.
*I didn't have a mal, and no one else at the DZ did either. Read the whole story to find out why I included these.
The full story is at http://www.princeton.edu/~dankorn/11thjump.html. Check it out, and feel free to e-mail me and tell me how cool I am and how that page changes your life. Also feel free to point out how dumb I am and any typos I've made.
Blues, Squares,
PTiger
*insert sub-100 character sig here*

[DZBone 0]

Nice post, dude. You seem to have a lot of insight into what you are/aren't doing. Very cool.
So, when is 12?
Carl

[RemiAndKaren 0]

You might wanna think about getting that rig modified to BOC if you already are confortable with that location (its probably possible on that particular rig, but not knowing what it is, you may need to check with a rigger).

[PalmettoTiger 1]

Jump 12 will be Saturday, weather permitting. I'll probably also try to do 13, and since that's a number to be avoided, I might as well go on to get #14 as well.
As for moving the rig from ROL to BOC, we're going to do that as soon as it's officially mine. The owner has asked that we give him a few more days to think about the offer. But I agree that it needs to be done ASAP.
Blues, Squares,
PTiger
*insert sub-100 character sig here*

[cloud9 0]

Great Skydives PT!! You jumped, you lived, you learned you ate, you drank. Does it get any better then that?
More Bleau Skies

[PalmettoTiger 1]

Quote

Great Skydives PT!! You jumped, you lived, you learned you ate, you drank. Does it get any better then that?

Getting laid would have been a nice way to "top" off the day.
Blues, Squares,
PTiger
*insert sub-100 character sig here*

[wingnut 0]

Quote

Getting laid would have been a nice

no words could be more true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"if dreams are like movies, then memories are like films about ghosts"-counting crows

[mouth 0]

PT...sounds like you had a blast and learned something so I'm proud of you. Keep at it...I still sometimes brain lock and always goof up and I have 150+ jumps so just stick with it. Jump because you love it and forget the rest of the stuff.
Too bad you couldn't "Top" off your day. Better luck next time!