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Partorg

Tunnel as a tool

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I did 40 min this weekend in XP. My message is not to politicians from skydiving but to those like me for years trying to get to the bottom of free flying dedicating all time and recourses to it denying basic pleasures sleeping in a car and going to drop zones instead of family diners on holidays. I witness this weekend that even top level freeflyers feel a little uncomfortable to be in a tunnel first time. Ego is getting hurt. Thing that natural to them in the sky are not the same in the tunnel. I sow people would just quit after first frustration. I also understood how primitive our skydiving techniques are compare to what you can learn in the tunnel from professionals. I learn about cross control techniques witch were never mentioned in a 5 years me being at DZs. For example: I always thought that if I fall down belong formation the only things that I can do is to turn on my back immediately change heading 90 degrees, come up to formation and get back in a sit at the same time turning my face to formation. With a jumps and jumps of practicing I became really quick with it. I am a heavy dude and it happens to me a lot. So I thought I resolve a problem. Guess what. I do not have to do that. Because I learned last weekend that using cross control techniques I can slow down quick without getting out of my sit. I actually can fly as slow as 150 pound person without splitting my body on Nazi cross. It is very hard work. It is a damn hard work. But how hard is it to compare to frustration of many jumps when you trying to do something and it does not work? Time in a tunnel is golden. You have a professional coach that monitoring every move of yours and actually demonstrating to you your problems and how it have to be done. You can concentrate on your body position instead of thinking about your partners; opening altitude and many more. I believe invention of the tunnel for freeflying as big as the videos for skydiving back in the days. I think it will boost freeflying on the different level. The time will come when we will be smiling at our attempts just to hold a hands together in a head down or sit  This is unbelievable. To me personally skydiving stopped being just fall down from the airplane long time ago. I do not want skydive if I can not accomplish something or make next step in a control of my body in a freefall. It was very hard lately because progress at this stage is very minimal but price for a jumps are groing and more and more friends of mine stop skydiving or slowing down to unbearable level. Tunnel gives me opportunity to work on my techniques regardless of whether or availability of the other skydivers. But most important it illuminates slack of information and gives capabilities to monitor your body every second. I did 40 training skydives last weekend with the best coach you can wish. I did 40 skydives where every second was dedicated to my dream to learn how to fly my body. That is why I am so existed. 1st time I think I am frustrated so bad about my English because I do not think I can deliver my message to people like me, with a same goals and problems, correctly and on the motional level so they would get over any doubts and give themselves a chance. I came up with a few points that based on what I observed last weekend. Beside 40 min of time I spend full 2 days in a tunnel watching the other people to work on there techniques instructors. I tried to spin moves in my head and work it out in my mind before I actually hit the chamber. It old technique from gymnastic. Here few tips that I believe can easy up your first experience in the tunnel and make it more pleasant.

1st. If you think you are advance skydiver. Leave your ego behind doors. You will be much more relaxed and trust between you and your instructor will be much stronger. Witch is absolutely necessary for fast training. IT WILL SAVE YOU MONEY. Instead of trying useless attempts to prove that you a tuff freeflyer start working on basics you will get much faster to were you going rather then just doing nothing and burn minutes.

2nd. Do not pay attention how you look and what observers outside of chamber think about you being inside. It will release your mind and attention and dedicate it to WORK.
IT SAVES MONEY.

3rd One good advice or demonstration from your instructor will save you many minutes of trying to do it on your own. AND THAT SAVES MONEY.

4th. Give yourself about 10-30 min to adapt to new physical surrounding. Those walls do put pressure on you first time and it takes a bid to get use to it. For me it was about 20-30 min. It could be different for every person. Everything you do in the sky easy not as easy in the tunnel due to the WALL effect. So do not give up and keep working on your goals. Skipping training steps will lead you to hitting walls and I sow it last weekend. You can avoid browsers by increasing your work load and complicity of training gradually. It is boring but it must be done. Writing this message I assume you must have a basic will if you get throw years of skydiving. You going to need that will if you planning serious training in the tunnel. YOUR WILL WILL SAVE YOU MONEY :)

5th. If you only have money for 10 min this weekend it is not a problem. Sit down and watch others do things and built your mind memory on it. IT WILL SAVE YOU MONEY.

6th Ask your instructor to set you a goal for this 10 min and work on it. Do not fall short on having fun and waist golden minutes. It is only fun for reach for us it is an expensive training tool. Remember it and It SHOULD SAVE YOU MONEY.

7th Be nice and polite to instructors and stuff. They have very hard job and they do everything possible to make you feel happy. At least in XP.
THAT WILL SAVE YOU MONEY :)

8th Do not try to get more then 10 min in first 3-4 attempts. (For freeflyers only). You are going to be so tired that it should take few days to recover. So be smart and start with a small blocks. After 1st 30 min you body will adjust to that type of the work and you will be able to do more time without draining yourself out. IT WILL SAVE YOU MONEY.

9th Team up in small groups and plan your time on the 10 min block each.

And a last comment: I hear lots of rumors about how to get to the tunnel. Guys, tunnel is not officially open but any of you if you are a skydiver can call or e-mail Kirk and book yourself a time. YOU DO NOT NEED A “CONNACTIONS”. Just contact Kirk and let him know. They are way more flexible then anyone can presume. They will work with you and help you to find right time to fly tunnel.

I found a pleasure just to sit and observe how Flyboys teach the others. It is unbelievable to see how something I spend years on is getting done in a 10-20 min. I do not mention any names because it would be unfair. They all are virtuosos. I hope by writing this message I will help at least one person. I am surprised that no one (Especially wind tunnel instructors writing anything like that) Also everything I wrote is my personal point of opinion. So do not be hard on me if I am wrong or you feel different about it.

Russian Redneck :)
I'll see you when I see you and if I don't see you.........Hell with you.

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Just wanted to say that I completely agree with everything you said there. I started skydiving 4 years ago and I’ve been dedicating myself to freeflying pretty much that whole time. I live relatively far from any tunnels, but I’ve been in a few of them. And being that far from a tunnel makes you appreciate its value even more. And the more I jump and the more I fly in the wind tunnels, I feel the same way – tunnel is an amazing tool and it already has changed skydiving in a lot of ways and it will keep changing it more.> It must be great to be that close to the tunnel, especially with such a great team running it (Kirk and others)! I hope you are enjoying your time there and I wish you all the best! I might run into you some day at a DZ or in a wind tunnel. > Thanks again for an amazing post! > Take care,>
Blue skies,
Olga

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I am not al.o.o.o.o.oone (Screaming out loud) Thank you Lord :)

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Just wanted to say that I completely agree with everything you said there. I started skydiving 4 years ago and I’ve been dedicating myself to freeflying pretty much that whole time. I live relatively far from any tunnels, but I’ve been in a few of them. And being that far from a tunnel makes you appreciate its value even more. And the more I jump and the more I fly in the wind tunnels, I feel the same way – tunnel is an amazing tool and it already has changed skydiving in a lot of ways and it will keep changing it more.> It must be great to be that close to the tunnel, especially with such a great team running it (Kirk and others)! I hope you are enjoying your time there and I wish you all the best! I might run into you some day at a DZ or in a wind tunnel. > Thanks again for an amazing post! > Take care,>
Blue skies,
Olga


I'll see you when I see you and if I don't see you.........Hell with you.

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http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3007835;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread

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I am surprised that no one (Especially wind tunnel instructors writing anything like that)



It is difficult to convince people how valuable the tunnel is and that you will save money and learn faster in the long run.

Derek

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It is difficult to convince people how valuable the tunnel is and that you will save money and learn faster in the long run.

Derek



I see. Is it an expectation that things happens in the world without suffering and hard work? :) Thanks Derek.
Joe Winter did not have to convince me. I came as a jerk with an attitude and he just asked me to give him a chance. Now I am not sure if I can exist without his input onto my life. That is why I wrote this message just to help to the others make right choices.
I'll see you when I see you and if I don't see you.........Hell with you.

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Yes Eugene your English sucks but your message is clear.

I agree the Tunnel will be an invaluable tool. I plan on spending my winter in the tunnel and hanging up my skydiving gear until spring. If you can freefly well in the Tunnel, than you can Freefly well.

If folks can put aside their egos, experience levels, world record experience, pre-conceptions and start over in the tunnel they will do nothing but benefit from it.

I have no problems reverting back to a student when I show up. I have no problems with letting a tunnel rat coach me on freeflying. I have no problems following the SkyVenture process for freeflying in a tunnel (belly, back, sit, HD, Transtitions, 2 Way). I have no problems checking my ego at the door and learning something new. I hope everyone else can, becuase then we can fly some tight shit in the tunnel and out of the tunnel.

I see great things coming for Freeflying in North Carolina. It would be great to see some old friends come back to the sport, and work on some cool shit in the tunnel.

Look Folks this new Tunnel (Paraclete XP) is awesome. I'm so excited I live an hour away. It is expensive, but worth it. Expensive because you can go through an hour pretty quickly but what you can learn in an hour would take months in the air.

Great Post Eugene............

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Thanks Harry. I am glad you posted. And I am very-very thankful for you complement about my English. You know I am not going to make you wait :) Ax.a.xa.xa
Harry, tell me. What is happening? This situation reminds me about Soviet Crowd. Someone made a statement and everyone is waiting if he is going to get arrested or not. They are quiet. No comments, no personal assaults (Except yours indeed:). Are they all afraid or just do not want to get started with Russians? :) Tell them, Harry. We lost “Cold war”. They do not have to be afraid :) On Friday 5:30 Leroy and I. Last Friday it was empty at 5:30.Very good time to concentrate on what you doing. Because crowd around the glass is intimidating, you want it or not. Think about Friday 10 min. At 5:30? Do not try to build fucking socialism at your firm in a one day. Especially on Friday evening. :) Lets go and fly on Friday night. “Friday Night Fever” :)
Anyone…..Anyone? Friday night? SOLD….
I'll see you when I see you and if I don't see you.........Hell with you.

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I have replied. You are more then welcome to join us at 5 PM on Sut. I know your situation, just teasing you :) Sut are fine with me, because I have only one problem in this country, actually two. 1st: I have nobody to drink vodka with and my sweethart do not want to have any more babys :) I know you can not drink, but may be your wife can help me with a second ?;)

I'll see you when I see you and if I don't see you.........Hell with you.

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It is difficult to convince people how valuable the tunnel is and that you will save money and learn faster in the long run.
Derek



Unfortunately, it remains a scarce resource. There are still precious few tunnels close enough to be a driving day trip for a huge segment of the skydiving population. Hopefully, that will improve over the next 10 years; but with the current snail's pace of new tunnel construction (especially outside of California and Florida), I don't know...

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Thanks to "Old Dogs" from South Carolina for comming this weekend and making it spacial. Was lots of fun to see us all together again. I hope now we are going to kick ass next spring after everybody "Push" a tunnel this winter. You guys and girls are rock. It was olso very pleasent to see old freeflyers from Orange. It kind of make me feel that we are not "Dead" yet......Not yet :)
Joe and Rick. I am very greatful for your hard work. Too bad I did not have a chance to "Kick" Joe in the face, but my head down is comming :) xa.xa.xa.B|

I'll see you when I see you and if I don't see you.........Hell with you.

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Partorg,

My Russian FreeFly Mexican Brother, It was wonderful to see u and all the old "Jive Jam" crew. Our Tunnel Group rocked, was so cool to have cheering crowd while getting adjusted to the tunnel. I see many more hours to come for me and the mrs. Vivo loved and had such a good time we r coming back up in a couple of weeks.

As far a tool to develop your skills, OMG, what a tool, but more than that What alot of FUN!! Joe and Rick r great coaches, I cannot believe I got off the grate in a sit 1st day, could not have done without these guys, I am coming back for some more education and again WHAT ALOT OF FUUUUNNN!!

I will touch base when we decide to do more, will not be long, I can promise u that, Until,

Tear it up and save some for ME..

Blue Skies or Tunnel Time
Carumba Rodriguez

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Good to see you there Benji.............

Eugene.....We (You, Justin, and Me), are booked for two 30 Min Blocks on Saturday Dec 1, at 12PM and 2PM.

Leroy may join us. If anyone else wants in get with Leroy and schedule the 30 Minute Blocks at 12:30 and 2:30. That way we could have 6-8 in the tunnel with an hour rest between blocks.

Later,

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I am in. But this weekend I might (May be) skip due to the slack of resources and my oldest daughter back from college for Thanksgiving brake. I have to remember that I am a still a father and take all three of them for snowboarding :)
I'll see you when I see you and if I don't see you.........Hell with you.

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