KillerKimmy

Thank you to everyone who replied to this post. I'm going to have to turn some tricks without my pimp finding out, but I think I'll manage a few extra bucks that way too. A most sincere thank you to everyone who offered their personal help. I'm going to take everyone's advice.

I'm writing to anyone out there that can give me information on athletic scholarships (because it is the only way I can figure I can get free money for college-I skydive through the rest of my time). If there are any scholarships out there that require an essay or something for general athletes (not specifically soccer, football and so on) so I can talk about my skydiving abilities. ANY help on this would, I guess.......help. Even if it is a $20 scholarship just for being a caring person who doesn't pick their nose.

Aside from all the political crap, and the system manifest used that made many people unhappy with the Keys boogie, I want to point out things about canopy flight there. While at the boogie I watched and waited for accidents to happen. I had made 2 jumps that weekend which added to my 270 I have now. During that time, I saw the worst canopy flying skills I've ever seen and I'm not the only one. Coming from the Ranch, we have a small drop zone to begin with, and I understand that people aren't used to the small area we had at Marathon. However, the briefings at the beginning of each day were precise (though I thought they could have done more to push that issue as the day went on). People were told to land with a right hand pattern and I saw so many people coming in from the left and crossing other people's patterns. One piece of sh*t was behind ME and I was about 30-40 feet from flaring. He was behind me in the right hand pattern just like we all were that jump, but he proceeded to hook it above me and swooped in front of me therefore landing first. His feet came no further than 20 feet from my face and I caught all his bad air and bumped and shook all the way into flare. Upon taking him aside from his friends (who followed him to listen standing literally over his shoulder) I asked him if I had come too close or if I had accidentally gotten in front of HIM!!! I always start out like that so as not to get tempers flaring. He said no with a "what are you getting at" look on his face. Then I reminded him what happened, saying he hooked in front of me eventhough he was behind, and above me. His reply was "yeah, that was probably me". Seeing I was getting nowhere I sighed before continuing, but one of his 2 friends put a hand on my shoulder and said "Hey, just keep on smiling" in the friendliest and most annoying way! I WAS DISGUSTED AND PISSED to say the least. To take something like that so lightly is quite ignorant. Talking to me like I should be happy I'm okay is even worse. And for those running that boogie to not be taking people aside whose landings were erratic and unpredictable is nonsense. I quote when I say that on Sunday, when the cops were thinking of shutting us down, the briefing ended with "We MEAN it this time". I was furious! And anyone on that first load that day would probably remember me because of that. HOW COME YOU COULDN'T MEAN IT BEFORE THE CANOPY ACCIDENT? Even though THAT was a freak incident, there were still close calls all weekend. Saying that you "mean it now" is pathetic. I think if there are requirements just to jump there, such as floatation gear, and licenses, there should be more than some briefing in the morning:a briefing which has an unspoken "listen if you want to" message dripping from it. I have felt unsafe in the air before, but this place was a CLUSTER F*CK. Needless to say I made no more jumps, jetsking was awesome! Please, don't be arrogant in a sport like this, SAFETY FIRST.

After a long break from September of 2000 until May of this year I began schooling again to go for my A license. (I had to stop in september because the weather picked up and it was too windy) But my Level 4 jump was a disaster. I lived, which was good, but I think that 4 and 5 should be switched. Before heading up to altitude, I knew what my strengths were and what my weaknesses were. I felt that if I could just reacquaint myself with jumping-for one-and practice being alert, stable, and altitude aware during the whole dive, I'd accomplish something. But instead, Level 4 has you doing turns, and getting your heading, and forward movement, bla bla bla. So, once I exited the plane, I was flopping around because I wasn't arching enough. I couldn't read my altimeter so great because my chicken wings were flapping all over. I got the sign to arch, and I did, but then I remembered I had to do my work and in the midst of getting my heading, I began de-arching, therefore flopping around again. Practice touches were terrible because the student rig was flopping so badly on me, it wasn't where I thought it would be. After the jump master helped me locate it, I had no trouble with the next two. The arch sign again-I arched-began my turn and de-arched again when I forgot to hold the arch because I was trying to remember what was next. I had to be given the pull sign because I really wasn't reading my altimeter up there, just looking at my wrist flopping around, and seeing numbers that were meaningless to me. And I NEVER had that problem through my tandems. I always pulled at the proper altitude. But that index finger in my face was enough to get me to wave off, reach, and pull. After doing your third tandem (which is basically done for you while you hang there) the next step should be making sure you were really aware, and arching correctly in the first place during the tandem. It's a big step to go from a tandem to all on your own with someone holding you. That should be enough for level 4. But to continue to add work/maneuvers at that point is ridiculous ESPECIALLY when the next level-Level 5 IS just THAT! Now I have to do 4 again with 2 jump masters again. WHich I knew was coming because I knew it was too much to handle for me at once. I'm not complaining that I was made to repeat the level, I'm glad I am because it shows how safe they want me to be. But I think I would have done a lot better if I had less to think about, and could concentrate on the basics-ARCHING-ALTITUDE AWARENESS-KNOWING WHERE MY HANDLES ARE(and oh yeah, pulling at pull time!) Level 5 and 4 should be switched!