mdrejhon 8 #1 March 9, 2006 I am not sure if this should go here or in the "Safety" forum, but.... As you may have heard, there is going to be a Canadian Bigway Record Attempt on June 22-25th, 2006 this year. The registration form is at www.skydiveburnaby.com (Niagara Falls). It's one of my new driving goals in skydiving this year. (Other than me being the Rainbow Boogie 2006 Organizer) This topped popped up and I do personally need a critique on my plan... I am sending an email copy of my plan to two dropzone buddies that I know (both instructors), but I thought I'd post here for further comments from you 1000-jump wonders. Quote***Where, when, what 20-way camps will you go to? What is the date for the cnd. 80-way? Skydive Burnaby website has the registration download- where can I find info on requirements to register? The largest formations I have been on are 30-ways in B.C. (otter/porter Roger Ponce color concept boogies) This summer Otter/Porter boogie Skydive Vancouver is first week in August. SMiles[/QUOTE]I am attempting to make it to a minimum THREE "bigway" camps before the Canadian 80-way: - I'm going to Skydive Burnaby on May 20-23 [Edit -- Actually it's May 19th to 21st] for their bigway camp. That's the Skydive Burnaby near Niagara Falls -- not the Burnaby near Vancouver. (There appears to be some confusion about the location of Skydive Burnaby, sometimes!) See Page 19 of Feb/March 2006 CanPara issue about this camp. - I am going to try to go to Blue Sky Ranch (6 hours away) for RW pratice. I heard they have 4 Twin otters there, and it's just only 6-7 hours drive away from Ottawa. They have busy weekends for RW too. - Then I am going to Skydive Burnaby June 19-21 for their 80-way pre-camp before the June 22-25. There will be other, additional, visits to my home dropzone and others for other things like 4-ways and other fun opportunities I might catch (non-RW jumps such as heli jump, balloon jump, water jump, maybe basic 2-way CRW, etc.) I will be going to Skyventure New Hampshire near Boston for practice (6.5 hour drive from Ottawa), once it opens in May too. If that does not open, I'll just have to make more jumps or make a spontaneous Orlando trip (which I might not be able to afford IN ADDITION to wind tunnel time... LOL) Those will cover my 3 bigway camps and the tunnel training. Anyway I'll be sending in my registration this month or next, once I confirm I do, definitely, indeed, have finances (I am currently between jobs -- see www.marky.com/resume). I expect to get a job this month, hopefully, and then if I do at the merely average salary I want, I'll definitely be able to afford to carry out my plan. Very expensive April/May/June months for sure. I hope to increase my current 142 jumps into 250 jumps by the 80-ways, and their minimum is more or less 150 skydives. Obviously, jumps isn't as important as the right kind of jumps (For a bigway, 50 RW jumps of a big variety, would do me better than 300 headdown freefly jumps). As a comparision, the Perris Big Way camps require participants have 250 skydives at participation. I figure that I *might* become good enough if I have the money to train for it -- knock on wood -- but no guarantees. I'm gonna try anyway. Wish me luck. Going from AFF to 80-way in less than 2 years is a challenge (especially financially though) as I am still a shaky bellyflyer. I can manage several 10-ways now on a regular basis (First one near that size was my 100th jump), and manage to exceed 10-12 points sometimes on 3-way jumps, but I still burble sometimes on exit and am a little unsteady at docking. I participated in approximately ten incomplete 20-way attempts at Deaf World Record (picture) before being temporarily cut when they went to a 16-way. But I think I need the equivalent of three more "Deaf World Record" sized 20-way camps, before I feel I am ready to go on to an 80-way. Definitely need to pratice with several 20-way camps. Really, I feel I really too newbie for the 80-way but there's still time for me to practice after winter ends as there are enough 20-way camps for me to go to prior to this... Some instructors who jumped with me say I *can* do it, if I make the right kinds of jumps for the next while (50-100ish jumps). 50% of my jumps have been RW (and that's despite being a challenge getting people to jump with me), and 25% of my jumps are tracking solos. So since I am sorta optimizing my jumps, I hope that's doable... I want to be a whacker at the edge of the 80way, not in the base though - I'm great at linked exits on a Cessna (never have funnelled a linked Cessna exit - front float, rear float, Vee-exit, I've done those successfully), but I'm terrible at linked Otter exits - I seem to usually funnel on those. And they're using Otters at the 80-way *gulp* -- I'd prefer to be a whacker at the periphery. Pratice, pratice, pratice makes perfect. But having fun too at low-pressure mini bigway (20-way/40-way) camps where I'm not going to be cut. And finally, my disclaimer, talk to your 1000-jump dropzone buddies and employees (or ask Skydive Burnaby directly). I'm just an overly ambitious 1-pie wonder. Mark Rejhon Opinions welcome (information about planned 20-way-ish camps anywhere in Ontario, Quebec, and Northeast USA would be welcome.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #2 March 9, 2006 Quotebut I still burble sometimes on exit and am a little unsteady at docking. The exit is only the beginning of the skydive. As long as you aren't taking anyone else out as you "burble", it's not that big of a deal. You will want to be better at it but it's not something that you're likely to be cut for as long as you're performing well on the rest of the skydive. Being unsteady on docking is an issue. One of the keys to building a large RW formation is that everyone must dock with no momentum. Docking with any momentum at all can send a wave through the formation which as you can imagine can be a very very bad thing. Happily, both of these issues can be dealt with on any skydive, even a two way. For the exits, concentrate on presenting your hips to the relative wind as you leave the door. For the docking, don't be in a hurry. Fly to your slot, fly your slot and then pick up the grips. Make a clean stable exit and a soft and smooth dock your personal goals on every jump you make - even if the rest of the skydive goes to shit you can be happy that you achieved your goals. Visualize yourself doing both perfectly before each skydive. QuoteI want to be a whacker at the edge of the 80way I'm assuming you'll be jumping with one or more of the organizers prior to the record attempts. They'll slot you based on where they think you'll perform the best. Trust them. QuoteAs a comparision, the Perris Big Way camps require 250 skydives If you can swing it financially, I'd highly recommend one of those camps. Contact Kate, Tony and/or Dan BC. Let them know your situation, your goal and if possible give them a reference or two (experienced people who have jumped with you in the past). It's quite possible that they'll relax that minimum jump number for you. The big advantages to doing one of their camps are 1) you'll get a chance to fly a number of different slots (base, short diver, short floater, long diver, long floater), 2) you'll learn the mechanics of doing bigways from people with shitloads of experience at them and 3) you'll get some exposure to being in the air with 40, 50, 60 or more canopies at once before doing it with 80+ people under the pressure of a record attempt. And don't give up if you don't make the team this time. There will always be another record attempt to be on. The journey alone is, imho, well worth the effort. Good luck! edit to add - check out the attachment on katecooper's post in this thread While much of it is World Team 400 way specific there's some great info in there for anybody who wants to do big ways. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thechutist 0 #3 March 9, 2006 Consider hiring Guy Wright [www.guywright.com] for some coaching. Since he's organizing the Canadian record attempt, he would likely give you a candid assessment of your readiness, and some good advice on how to develop the skills you need to reach your goal. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DeNReN 0 #4 March 9, 2006 Dude...keep at it..go for the gold..yada yada....I remember less than a year ago you were posting about doing your 1st jump and having concerns about the money you would be spending...how would you get to the DZ etc..now look where you are... Your plan is good...any plan is good...you have a plan..that is the main thing..screw what others think and do what you need to do... My only advice is to keep going at it with all your effort as you have been doing. Cudo's to you Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mdrejhon 8 #5 March 9, 2006 Thanks for the tips... I think you more or less hit the nail of what I'm already concerned about about myself -- flying steadily to my slot without hurry and gently. I'm told I'm already "almost there" for simple 0-point 20-way, need more pratice. I sure learned a lot about what I did well and what I did NOT do well at the Deaf World Record... QuoteI'm assuming you'll be jumping with one or more of the organizers prior to the record attempts. They'll slot you based on where they think you'll perform the best. Trust them.You're right. My concern really, more-or-less, stems from my experiences at the only "20-way camp" I have been to, and the camps are different. BillyVance admitted that a lot of people made mistakes and that they moved my slot around too much. That I could have possibly done it if things were organized a little differently. (Interestingly, at World Team, they put very experienced skydivers in the base and the less experienced ones on the outer edges. But it seems for low-jump-numbers, less experienced skydivers often go in the base, because they can't fly too well at the periphery at their newbie experience levels.) The problem is it appears that some load organizers seem too ambitious with inexperienced skydivers in a large base -- at Deaf World Record, they admitted the base was too big (chunking a 6-way out of a Casa, containing a whopping 4 relatively inexperienced and uncurrent skydivers, caused them to almost always funnel -- and in all of them someone else funneled way before I got pulled into it). I feel chunking a 6-way star containing inexperienced skydivers, is too big a chunk for a 20-way, especially if it contains inexperienced skydivers. In fact we even had to change load organizers in the middle of the Deaf World Record attempts. So they "de facto" agreed with me at the end even though I'm relatively newbie. And once the base was reduced in size, the launches became very reliable, but by then, I was cut -- it was too late -- I was moved in position in the formation way too much and the base funneled too often (I was told that none of the funnels were my fault, since another guy fell before I did, and subsequently pulled me down, funneling me, say, 2 seconds later. Anyway, I can handle being cut and it will not stop me from attending the bigway camps... Anyway - Deaf World Record was still fun and I learned a lot about how a 20-way camp works (including the dissapointed people that got cut, frustrated people because of a cancelled load due to clouds, hair pulling, improvisations to the jump design, someone missing in action, the odd reserve canopy, all-day weather holds, etc.) But bottom line, you're right: However, I bet Guy Wright will be able to identify the best skills for me - since he's doing it all the time! I hear such GREAT THINGS about Guy Wright and I'll definitely trust him if he says I fly better in the base. I realize I have to flow with the politics of a bigway... You're definitely right that I should fly in a variety of ways. I'll work on my linked Twin Otter exits, although I really want to fly unlinked too -- It's just I'm currently much more relaxed flying unlinked. That may change... QuoteIf you can swing it financially, I'd highly recommend one of those camps. Contact Kate, Tony and/or Dan BC. Let them know your situationAlready did. Wasn't able to get any exceptions since I am just a merely relatively unknown jumper that needs to fight his way into bigway camps. Also can't swing it financially right now. Also, Guy Wright will probably be doing 40-ways-plus at the May 20-23 camps and the June 19-21 camps, so at least I'll get biggerway experience too... I'm going to try to get RW-current before then (4ways in April and whatever...) I know there will be other record attempts but if I don't have goals I get bored of skydiving. I don't want to jump solos since so many seems to freefly so I have to travel to camps anyway, and I have fun at the camps anyway Now, I just have to get rid of the fly in the ointment... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mdrejhon 8 #6 March 9, 2006 QuoteConsider hiring Guy Wright [www.guywright.com] for some coaching. Since he's organizing the Canadian record attempt, he would likely give you a candid assessment of your readiness, and some good advice on how to develop the skills you need to reach your goal.It's my understanding he's at Skydive Burnaby for the pre-80-way camps (20-ways 40-ways etc) for May 19-21, right? Problem solved maybe? I thought it was May 20-23, but I checked again -- It's really May 19-21. I'll contact him later this month, I just need to concentrate on finding a job -- that's the main fly in the ointment to my plans for world domination... um... just kidding... I got a PM suggesting I should spread out financially... But if I get a job, I'm still going to spend a lot less money training for this 80-way, than I spent last year as a first-time skydiver (freefall lessons, skydiving gear, etc). So even if I get a crappy job, the $3.5K for 100 more jumps should be no problem... (Plus any fees, reserve repack, membership renewal, gas costs that I may have to pay, of course...) I get bored very easily and need a new challenge. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mdrejhon 8 #7 March 9, 2006 Strange.... CanPara says May 19th to 21st, "Canadian Record Camp - Guy Wright" on page 19 of CanPara magazine. Website says May 20-21st, 2006 "May 20-21, 2006 - 20 Way Record Warm Ups with Plane Captain Jeff Gemmell." There's an inconsistency. Which one is correct? I guess I have to send an email to ask. Either way, I've still got it pencilled in my Calendar... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
