Tunnel investment

[Jessica 0]

So today I made my first skydive since getting back from Airspeed tunnel camp. And I was pretty damn nervous -- all that money, all that work later, would any of it translate into the sky?
I have 60 jumps, and I SUCK in the air. I've always had a horrible backsliding problem I couldn't seem to solve; I was just completely unaware of my legs and what they were doing. The backsliding was so bad that it dwarfed my other problems: fallrate issues, unintentional sliding and orbiting, flying with my arms in a big ugly W, reaching for grips (on the rare occasions I was close enough to take them). Etc.
I was hopeful, after tunnel camp. You see, you can't fake fallrate in the tunnel. So I fixed that the first day. And you can't backslide in the tunnel, because you slam into the glass and the whuffos laugh. There's nothing more irksome than being laughed at by a whuffo. So I fixed that pretty quick, too. It was almost easy, with mirrors everywhere and Jack Jeffries constantly in my face. I learned to turn and fly with my legs, to keep my arms forward, to arch properly, even to stay stable and maintain altitude in a burble.
So today was the test. A guy who'd been at the same tunnel camp offered to jump with me. Cool. "If you see me backsliding," I told him, "fly up to me and scream 'YOU WASTED ELEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!!'" He laughed. I was serious.
We decided to do a sidebody exit, then just do a bunch of sidebodies alternating with docking face-to-face. Stuff we'd done in the wind tunnel. I did it fine there; I've never done anything remotely that complicated in the sky.
We manifested, got in the otter, rode it up. I was as nervous as a whore in church. Got in the door. Jumped out.
And boom. Every part of the skydive was exponentially better. My exit was the most confident it's ever been -- leaping into a wind tunnel over and over and over again will do that for you, I guess.
We didn't funnel. That's amazing right there. I'm a champion funneller. I get so overwhelmed on exit I forget to arch. Not this time.
I flew around in front of my jump partner. We docked. Again and again. I was acutely aware of my legs. I was actually flying instead of falling. Yeeha!
So, long story less long, yes, it translated. In spades. The tunnel camp was an incredible tool. I really think I learned more my first day there than I have in a year and a half of sporadic jumping. There're a lot of reasons that come to mind offhand, some of which we talked about at camp.
First, the fear and stress inherent in throwing your body from a plane is removed. Second, you're nose-to-nose with a world-champion skydiver for every moment you're in the tunnel. Third, you get about two minutes of flying time at a stretch -- that was pretty darn cool. Jump today seemed kind of short. And fourth, every moment of flying is intensely debriefed. You can't get away with anything sloppy. And that's the way to learn.
So! I recommend it, obviously, and just wanted to share my happy happy jump with y'all. I even almost stood up my landing.
Oh, and here's some proof:
Day one.
Day three.
No, it's not updated.

[bbarnhouse 0]

Good for you Jessica!
Cheers!
BB
It only takes a little pixie dust......

[prost 0]

Way to go. I am going to have to invest in some tunnel time at some point.
William