gimpboogie

hi, i do not have MS but i do have ALS. been jumping 3 yrs now. still skydive and try to keep up the spirits. these days i BASE more then i skydive though. i use an electric wheelchair and am on a feeding tube, oxygen that sort of thng now a level C4 partial quad of paralysis To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

that is the challenge, making sure that optimism does not overcome lack of experience there is a world of difference between: well I think we can do it, and no problem, we have the experience, we have special gear, we've handled this before, let me show you how it will be done sometimes it is hard to say no even when no is the correct answer so many valid points, none of which can be argued. all that can happen, is emphasizing the 'willingness' to try things. an example. the DZ jump at, the person teachng me had never taught a paraplegic to jumpp. at that tme, there was only one such person in the world -TONTO. he taught peter, and it was peter and Tonto who taught my coach. at that time, my coach, T, as well as AFF instructor, 29 yrs in the sport, world record holder, a few times over.. EXPERIENCED diver, and the specialized skydiver he was, TI etc., as well, one of the best around. yet, he had nver done this. SOMEONE HAS TO BE FIRST. but the catch s, having the combination of experience themselves as a skydiver, my coach, can fly crcles around anyone, on his belly. toss him into an artistc even, and im sure htings are dfferent. but belly is where i needed him. as Tandem progression coach, he was amazng. his ability to teach, under canopy, while in FF, give hand signals, and the finer points of flying wth your hands, and arms only, he could teach all this. he took the risk. the DZO took the risk. to teaching me. today, i am most likely ((no one has come up and proven otherwise) the only paralyzed woman n the world licensed to skydive solo. because someone who had the ability to fly well, knew it, and trusted himself, TOOK THE RISK, to TRY SOMETHING NEW. but that is where it lays. not in havng the experience, who has the experence in teaching paralyzed people to skydv? currently Dale,s nstructor, TK and Angus (and FuzzyDave). that is it. so there is not a lot of experience out there. of the these, both Canadian fellows, come from small cesna DZ's wth 30-50 divers/wkend. these are not big pperations like TK's, (Dale's DZ i do not know anything about it-how big, how experienced etc.). anyways.... keep on looking is what i would say, if one says no, try asking another. i travelled (without a car of my own) 5 hours one way to get to my DZ for 2 years, so if you want it... keep on looking. some places are small, but have gems like my coach who has the ability to teach a pig to fly, if given the opportunity to.... To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

what are you working on in the tunnel? how was your last jump, to you, never mind what anything else says, even your log book. how did it 'feel' to you? and what do you plan to work on in the tunnel? are you going in with TK, or are you going in alone, or with a tunnel coach? and how is the diving generlly for you, is it feeling comfortable, like your 'getting it' and things are feeling 'second nature' to you (like i notice once my altimeter was 'automatic for me, like 4th jump or something, i realized that during the debrief i did not focus on the fact that i saw my altimeter, i just spoke of my jump in a different way others notice. i talked about my dives like i knew what i was talking about, was what they called it... how others saw me at that point, when it happened. can you remember that, for ever. its a magical moment, when you learn, 'get it'...figure out something essential in skydiving, something that will keep you going back up for more times again and again. that is what the 'getting it' to me is, in skydiving. those moments when something essential sticks in your mind, and something happens to you or someone close to you, to remind you of how important these 'little things' are, when they become the major high speed mal etc. To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

definitely is. and typically as a helmet it sucks. its large, it does not seal at the visor to helmet junction, and Velcro keeping it on my head comes off.. sometimes in the wind tunnel, at which point, your trying to hold on to your helmet with one hand, fly to the door with the other, while trying to get the catcher to figure out what the heck your trying to do, 36 seconds into your 2 min. but it hasn't happened, since, either in tunnel or in skies. (it was not a fun 1 min. trying to hold to my helmet for life's sake... had it gone tumbling to the tunnel like a rock in a blender, i don't think i would of been too popular. that helmet is otherwise a perfectly good helmet. the lack of a seal, actually allows for some air flow, which keeps things from fogging up. even under canopy, you can fly to the ground without ever taking it off. its got a strong snap holding some riggers webbing to the shield and the bottom of chin, to keep the visor in place-that has never failed, and if it does, i loose a useless visor... so to me it was worth the 26 dollars shipping. now, on the positive note about the velcro incident,' ' i had mistakenly put the drawstring too high when i tightened it, and it became fairly loose quickly in the tunnel, would of made me deploy immediately, or accept the liability of where its going to land when i loose it,.. hope its a cow not the lady down the street with the horse field i landed on once last summer. i get to land where ever i feel like having a go look around... now that the obligatory beer is over with...wonder if they would think it was a demo if i landed in the subdivision soccer field down the street? (probably-take all the fun out of it, it feels like at times, and then your in FF, and you realize for that second, you give yourself the time to allow your mind to wander, you think...wow, THIS IS LIVING, this is what I PUT UP WITH the rest of the time, to GET THIS. and it doesn't feel anything other then 'just right' at that moment, and then the skydive continues, in sequence. that helmet now is surely put on properly,and i duct tape the velcro when i go in the tunnel. which i am going for another hour, soon. 2 hours in less then3 months, that is an accomplishment. and it shows in my flying. in tunnel, i am now stable enough in belly that i have chosen to take on the free fall progression they do at the tunnel. back flying is next i believe. what a difference that one thing can be in my life, a helmet, not of any use for snother, was so useful to me. turned me into a tunnel rat, as much as myself and the sponsors can afford. To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

thanks. that's nice of yah to notice ive workedhard over the year .... but more importantly,now i get to jump with greater confidence- that was taken before the 1 hour in the tunnel, where i learned other stuff... but this was just a boring, in your face stable short FF, the videos of the other jumps, trying to sit, and other things... well they may not end up on you tube, in my channel. To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

I did a jump with my friend Eric who came up and made a 2 camera helmet the night before (from stuff I had at home ready to sell but now decided to keep for other projects since we made it into a decent 2 camera helmet overnight). Eric tested out the stratocloud for me before i was going to jump it (it sat in a basement for 10 yrs without a jump on it, i thought it was a good idea -sometimes it happens). He jumped with me, and my stragedy was very different on this exit then in skydiving typically. I do not leave facing the relative wind, rather do my regular B.A.S.E. exit. This seems to work much better for me, except for the almost accidentally hitting Eric in the face-we were close .\ Fun times, Eric is a special friend, and our jumping relationship is real tight, we do a lot of stuff thats important together. So this jump video is perhaps one of my favorites, and will stand out long in my mind-the day, the fun we had, the night before, building, talking... good times all around. Thanks Eric! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeaeKoI9jYI To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

a very old oxygen To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

exceptional! as was said... they may think we cant, and then you show up to twin falls and find us there-kus its the only place left where we belong To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

this video i tossed up to show what i do to get across that 400yard parking lot to get to the main building (yes i really do live at the DZ and yes i really do live in a house -LOL one doctor i went to see said to me 'what are you going to do in the winter?" i asked what he meant by that?" he said "well your a squatter at an airport".. hmm i didnt bother to go back to ask him what made him think i was a squatter). but some do say, well you got it easy, yes i do! I ONLY have to travel 400 yards or so to get to the packing rooms and the main buildings but sometimes those 400 yards can be more then a 'chore' to get through -on a COLD january morning http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhdhiYH3kA8 To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

LOL it was quite the trench i plowed there. right down to the ground-my knee twisted a little and dug a fairly nice groove into the ground on that one... thats why I LIKE snow when trying out a new canopy, downsizing and going from a modern canopy to a 30 yr old 7 cell accuracy canopy.. a few steps in one jump there :) (that's the "hazard with these stiff braces-there is NO give either you make it or you end up with a tib-fib).. but all is well ... until its not To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

exceptional! while your preparing to enter the skies again, I'm preparing for my 11th (and last got to move on to other objects-but its just that there are so many sweet towers here they are hard to stay away from-had my 2nd 180 reacted fast doublerear, let one off releasing togles while turning and preparing to flare-what a rush-skydiving just can't beat that-now that i tasted it-again-that-'almost' moment)it's a nice 360 foot free stander. from now on its off to Idaho in about a month or so... to see if I ever will leave the B.A.S.E. world. FLY FREE BUDDY, YOU'VE DEFINITELY FOUND YOUR FREEDOM AGAIN To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

thanks for the visit and chat Peter, Yes you certainly ARE a skydive. ever thought of trying an RW tunnell camp. that's one my 'list' of things to do. did the basic skills RW tunnel camp & surprisingly learned RW to not be difficult andthe basic skills all tunnel time translated into ahuge learning curve, ifFF is where your heart is atmo opens up a new way of flying and the 1st para to back fly is awesome!harder then turning points on your belly ffreen fly is where is. FLY your heart away dude, life is too shorr To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

you know at this stage in my life A Angus said 'go do what you want, while you can always before we have seen you, and watched you got back "up but this-time go to DO "SOMETHING"that i've wanted to do" it is time nw. so i was looking intois what there was for ii could do,,, there. and in NZ where i could and would do what i want. AU & NZ were on the list along with idaho. so do you got gimp tossing bridges over there also? _ minna To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

this is great news. i am now a C5/6 incomplete quad and been skydiving since 2007. was diving solo since 09. atmonauti was going to be my next attempt. belly flyer till now. have a different system then yours, or pookies, or dales (all para's flying dale got his A a while ago.) I think dale is a T10 andPookie?? Irecently found out my illness will not permit me to skydive solo anymore so in the high altitudes i am going backto flying with my tandem jockey on my back, but B.A.S.E.will see me me a lot more now. I've got a 'date' going to idaho in may to hang out with some fellows who are more then happy to toss gimps off the bridge. there i will spend a lot more of my time now-that i got this 'restriction' on my skydiving real. which is fine because i was going there anyways -having done now 9 jumps and wkydiving wasintense this last summer. moved to the DZ to make sure i was on every load i wasn't drying out my reserve from going in the drink (the ditch by the runway seemed to be my 'bad spot' -its tough to get out of a mddy slippery ditch without all body parts working before your container gets wet enough to have to repack the reserve). Great to see you smiling in the skies again :) now there IS enough of us who will be alive in 2016 to go do a demo jump into the paralympic ceremonies (yah a tough environment to jump into but its doable-and into the regular olympics as well-that would be the 'cats ass' having a few paralyzed guysjumping in to shatter some paradigms. to shift mind set of walking folks -we can do the 'impossible' we cant wak but we can fly'), great to see how well the back flying is working for you... \then clearly proves that atmo is more then possible for a para. too bad i cant venture there anymore but seeing you there and i will go to the base world now seems sort of... fitting somehow., i think you will do great things for para diving in the future. can i send a friend of mine=John who runs a website for para's and quads doing 'extreme sports' info on you and send him your way to show his website your flying? -minna (extremewheelchairs aka gimpboogie) To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

Hi, That's great-more of us flying the better :) There's lots of info answering all your questions in my thread -gimpboogie_ You may wish to share-are his legs amputated @ the hip level or just above te knees. It makes a difference. If he has some leg bone left below the hip-then pants like mine (except the straps attached @ above the knee instead of @ the knee like mine are) will work for the landing part quite well. Giving him the opportunity to slide in on his but like the rest of us paralyzed folks with no "leg input/movement" just like him-except we got limp useless legs hanging in the way-so in a sense his landing is easier to manage with these pants because really our worst fear is having one of my useless legs get caught under me-touching down on the ground 1st before my butt- and with my knee locked into position @ a 90 degree angle I will end up with a tib fib landing at worst or a broken ankle at the best of times-when it happens-that my leg will touch down first before the butt does. Have a look at the pictured I posted in the thread of gear for people with lower limb paralysis. Study the pants-thats perhaps the key piece of equiptment for him to have a safe landing. Pulling up what he has left for limbs below the hips up into a crouching/sitting position and that will keep those legs he has-up higher then his butt and sliding in on his butt will be possible-providing there is some bit of limbs left below the hips-from what you write it sounds like he does. Now for the other udea-yes mack straps is the key but if I was re thinking that, and if its for a person who is going to take up this sport as a hobby instead of a one time tandem situation- The pants could have a strap sewn by a rigger with 800lb dacron or other strong material that is sort of like a "loop" into which the leg straps of the container goes through so thus the leg straps will be secured doule-with a 'strap' between the leg straps like we paralyzed ones use but also a strap in the pants through which each leg strap fits one at a time-really only needing to be kept an eye on for his butt slide landings that will wear out these straps-eventually making them less & less secure on his pants. Hope that helps. To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

Thanks Ian. Would a Mod. Please move this to appropriate forum(s). I really don't know how to do that, and am not very inclined to re writing this on my phone again-tkaes me so long with these buttons 1/s the size of my fingers thanks-minna To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

I hope this is woth consideribng by the USPA & CSPA. As I, started, Dale started and Pookie started within the last 2-3 yrs skydiving as people with lower limb disabilities-namely paralysis_ for the 1st time in a "larger" interest then before (my understanding is this anyways that until Tonto taught Peter, and a fellow in Qubec Canada no one has taken up skydiving without ever been a skydiver prior to paralysis (although Peter & Dale had done several dives prior but unlike Lonnie who had 1000 plus prior to his accident). I've mentioned this to Angus prwviously and also. We discussed the fact that it clearly is "up to the TM & AFF/PFF coachers if they wish to venture into this realm". Having said that, since me jumping we @ PST have had 2 other TM's jump with me and 2 more plan to give it a go this season (or was it 3?). The point being, that I would like to see USPA & CSPA SPONSOR A SMALL COURSE FOR TM's who woud like to try this out in a "safer" environment-with current paralyzed skydivers. This course should be "instructed" by very experienced TM's in this area-Angus & TK. Perhaps there should 2 paralyzed "tandem passangers" of different levels of paralysis-like Pookie and I :) (Yes I have a personal desire to see us jumping together-maybe a large company like Visa will sponsor this partially as they could use the footage (I would permit it-in exchange for Visa flying either Angus & to Zhills-perhaps best option since weather is more predictable & site is "world wide @opular_ Or TK & Pookie here to PST (e will have a special plane-i can't share what until DZO announces it but let's put it that it will be the only 1 of its kind in Canada!). This way, those who wish to try it, can do so by teachers who are highly experienced in this field, and those coming to learn would benefit other DZ's because I know two paralyzed guys in chicago area who are booking tandems for sure "come hell or high water " they said. I know some are reluctant & I understand.Also a young brave TM "chad" @ our DZ offered to do a tandem with me 2 yrs ago. Now he admitted this year he was "scared sh*tless" before we did it- but he sucked in his fear and realized we were doing fine together. Him doing it with a person who CAN SKYDIVE" but is paralyzed helped to make the decision to try it out. I would do the 2nd jump tied up in "mack straps" (we have them" and be acting like a true passanger like I had never jumped before. This way the TM truly feels what it feels like & IF ANYONE WHO ALLREADY IS EXPERIENCED AFF/PFF COACH wants to try with me & pookie they could be 'wingman' with TK with Pookie & Angus with me.Finally to please the sponsors & their video opportunity they could pay the video guys 'hansomely' to get the "progression" on video-from a basic TM jump, to an AFF jump to me finally flying solo-this would fit in with VISA'S "branding" phrase "we make your dreams possible" & play it during the Paralympics in 2012.it would be awesome to get Dale over also-have us both do a 2-way or? And both land @ same DZ after one another-2 video guys following us-this would be great commercial for VISA since they are olympic and paralympic sponsors.I know there has been other skydiving commercials but this would really show 2 things-with determination and commitment/training IT IS POSSIBLE TO DO THINGS MANY WOULD THINK IS IMPOSSIBLE.(You have no idea how much tandems we've gotten because I always in public wear skydiving clothing, have my DZ "gear" (clothing, hats, caps, stickers on my chair). It starts off with "did you skydive?", "did your accident happen during skydiving" & I tell them no not during skydiving, and that since I can't walk I decided to fly (and using Dales words about the fastest-hope you don't mind Dale) "fastest gimp in the world" type statement to "break the ice". This has led to discussion on diving & I know 7 who have come to do a tandem & more who've come to watch (one all the way from Montreal- "to see if itz's really true what they heard". The CSPA has kicked in $ for the 1sy women's tunnel camps making them over $100 cheaper & the USPA could be asked by USPA members (I was thinking of joining them just to be able to present this to them-but I think it is best told about by a USA citizen). Those who want to try 1 AFF session with a "gimp" could do so as well. Even if the outcome was to b a "no I don't like that feeling' (they could jump with me as their "student" since I won't flip, side spin, tumble etc on them-so it's the safest way to try) It is worth a try I think.I would w,t a bigger sponsor (like Visa as their advert approach and their sponsoring the olympics etc. So massively) To "foot the bill" of flying the participants into one location & to pay Angus & TK for their lost wages that weekend if they would be doing tandems.The USPA & CSPA could toss in the tickets to altitude for the participants as well as the coaaches & "gimps". I think this would advance the sport profile (if Visa did the commercials-heck we coulkd have TK & Angus flying CRW with their logo canopies or with their logo flags on their legs for their landings).I ofcourse think its worth persuing because it is something I think will be more in need. Even having more TM's having done a jump with " a gimp" may be helpful-it was @ PST. Even if they do not want to do it after the course. If it was planned around a boogie of some sort @ either DZ it would be more appealing to come to.let's see peoples ideas on it and Angus' & TK' thoughts about it-hopefully CSPA & USPA officials read this @ share their ideas-even if its a NO WAY-NEVER! At least I asked for input. To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

Thanks for the encouragement Pookie. Do you go to facebook? You will see lots of me therer LOL I share with my skydiving friends about my happy days, awesome fun with skydivers I've done and even the sad stuff-like this time in hospital. I have A.L.S. (Acheck it out on google-then you know what's going on-we all eventually die from asphyxiation-unable to breathe -sucks). Yah lately I been sick a lot- and since sept-nov was in hosp. 3 or 4 times (over nights-just to get antibiotics)-been then with more serious stuff since Dec1st onward but like you also believe- I DO PICK UP MY ASS OFF THESE HOSP. BEDS & FIND MY WAY BACK TO THE SKIES. Well I said that about having given up on even looking around to date anyone because most people dontg really want to talk to me-never mind go any further with it LOL. Seriously, they do say I've got the strongest will to live they seen in anyone & I believe it-my friend Eric reminds me of it :) But I also have thought that it's tough for me to try to cosider anyone to look to date becayuse of the disability-maybe you experience it also-people not wanting to "deal" witrh the issues that come with paralysis, (but my friend wany just. Married this summer to a lady whose not ina chair! They have a good marriage :) ). Anyways then the fact that I won't live as long as "normal" but then again being involved in a way of life (B.A.S.E.) Perhaps is more dangrous then a "death sentence" by the docs. After all,they said in 2005 "60% od the people with A.L.S. Die by 3 yrs after getting it & 90% are dead by 5 yrs after getting it" grim-yah-but sept. 2010 will be my 5 year anniversary :) I think I will live to see it :) So thanks for the encouragement and send me email at. [email protected] if you want to see if a trip to do some "gimp free fall team" skydiving could be a possibility-:) I know TK & ANGUS are great friends-maybe TK can be convinced to come up north to his old roots & see Angus & bring you to jump in Canada :)email me I send you a phone # to send me text mesages-i do text messages a lot because I can't speak with my voice. To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

WOOHOO!! THAT'S WHAT I WAS HOPING TO READ SOON! Team DumbAss is gotten together again. Like you said, you've had tougher things to deal with, hurdles to drag your ass over, & this won't stop you-awesome! What it only took you 2 wks right, I'm impressed. And most of all happy. So how many jumpsa is thos now for you 3 together now 3 is it or 4? I'm sorry about sharing the not so good news in your thread- I'm using my phone to type & it's real difficult to do so with my fine motor skills deteriorating. So what used to take me 30 min. To write takes an hour n then I'm too sore to write more for a few hours. On my computer at home I have a touch sensitive screen and need obly to gently touch with hands or soft pointy object- the screen keyboard. It helps a great deal. Luckily I still have hand grip to pull my hacky and my handles-when that goes I can't skydive alone anymore. After each time I go to hosp. Or ibfeel some sttrength gone I do an emergency procedures test, and will always fly with an AAD BECAUSE MY FRIEND eric had a high speed mal that he was spinning horizontal to the ground with his canopy- the digital alti said he was falling in FF @ 42 mph during that mal. He is a rigger and a military guy for 14 yrs-no weakling and he said it was difficuklt to pull cut away and reserve with both habds! It canbe such high forces involved! So I want a good AAD & UNFORTUNATELY MY ASTRA HAS BEEN ACTING UP, I wish I had the $ for a neptune or vigil I would feel safer if such a mal occurred.BUT ALSO HIS WAS ELIPTICAL SMALL CANOPY & MINE IS SQUARE LARGE canopy so even line twists for me are not @ all like for his canopy-mine they un twist alone. But I am now flying higher wing loading "old scool" accuracy canopies-still easier on the malfunction g forces then Erics canopy. I just know Pookie that folks like us-we are pioneers of this sport with paralyzed on both sides- except for Lonnie-he is the "godfather" of this sport for paralyzed- someone should make a documentary of these people. Lonnie, as he is well above the rest of us, & always will be- he is like the lance armstrong of cycling-fr skydiving- no 1 will catch him. Then there are others. Peter. Me. Dale, uou-ALL WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF PARALYSIS, AND DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES, ABILITIES AND METHODS PF FLYING not to mention approaches to the sport- I.e. Dale has been able to use his sport for piublic speaking, hoping he will coome to international federations meetings (ie to USPA AGM to speak-he is SO GOOD & funny @ his public speaking. ) Maybe if we could get us 3 togehter before I die it would be SO GOOD FOR THE SPORT to see the different ways of flying (we all 3 have different methods & different abilities & different approaches to the sport- ie- you are a "sport" paraschutist-like it shpould be, so is Dale but he has made it a part of his career as prof. Speaker, I've become obsessed with putting all my life into this living & working @ the DZ & putting every penny I got into this to try to excell to the next level before I die, while Lonnie is a quiet presense away from the public eye doing his things and not writing about them-all so very different. Yet Lonnie is doing very important moves and work for his love pof the use of parachutes and his work towards his goals should be recognized, acknowledged. Anyways Pookie to asnswer your other questions- yes I am a woman.I'm 43 )rs old and single (going top die too soopn to be looking for anyone-besides your married LOL anyways-being ill with terminal illness is sort of a damper on the "dating" scene... "Hi I'm minna, yes I'm single and would like to have a life long partner some day but before you consider me remember I wil die on you" sort of is not a good option on a "looking" for sommeone addLOL. I live @ the paraschute school of toronto airport- its in southern ontario. About 45 min north of toronto. Hope that was all for now- sorry... I'm tired took me. 3 hrs to write this :( Lots of happy jumping to youb my friend. If it owould ever be possible to jump one after the other in the same load as another para. That would be my dream To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

The 1st thing - lesrned ws thst thus csmp ws split into 4 10 min sessions-with s "bonus round" of 6 min. @ the end to do the 4 way. Till the it was sectioned so that the 1st 20 min were individual sessions with a coach. For them to gauge what we"ve learned, who we fly with the best-similsr fsll rstes (or tunnel wind speeds) (I still don't get it-my #'s were 168 to 172 Ipropablt km/hr? But then there was a number 64 & at times 65 beside it-what that means? I forgot to ask and still don't know-maybe its a % of their max speed-because that's the [ they grouped people with- they would say "so & so is a 64 so they will fly with so& so" etc. The 2nd day was getting into doing variuos 4way formations but 1st starting with 2 way doing the box and the 360's so we can learn to turn our heads andd always watch the other person as well as learn to keep levels which turns out to be so important(and no I didn't take anyone out, no I didn't flip upside down _although someone else did-so their flip actually left me feeling good knowing I was more stable then others without flipping-may be bad to be happy to see someone else flip but I'm being honest that I felt a certain element of happiness knowing that I didn't flip-or crash into anyone-never did I crash into someone while coming up to dock-infact it was more the opposite-i was so careful to come in to dock that I would so slowly come to them, that I would fly n front of them for a few seconds before I dared to dock-i was so scared to loose my level with them-slide right past them and scrape their face with my hard knee braces-the coach said it would not be a problem even if I did because my braces are under my pants and wrapped yp with tensor bandages (to keep the angle- I still have bnot had the $ to make myself the fibre glass braces that Peter used to fly with and Dale made-nor do I have anyone to help me make them-that belongs in my other thread:) ) The 2nd day we were flying the 2nd 10 min with the 3 way doing the "cat" and other formations which I don't remember because I wasn't ready to do them-we focussed on the basic skills (I also bought an extra 10 min one on one with my coach so I could work on fine tuning the skills I learned- the tunnel is such a good learning place it honestly does cost me less then skydiving with a coach because; 1-there it is a confined space so if I started to bacslide-which I did once when - docked (and pulled her with me-my biggest "oops" in there-i just hit the opposite wall with my feet instead of in the air we would have wasted the rest of that dive because I would of had to let go and who knows how far I could of backslid so. Coming back to the coach is taking up altitude which means if I went far I may not have been able to get back before deployment altitude-thus a cost of 2 slots to top floor ($60 total) would of been that mistake but in the tunnel it took only a few seconds to correct it and move on- even though 10 min witha coach cost me $1c0 with taxes that still comes to only $19/ minute! What I learned: 1- to move forward and back all I need to do is use my palms- turn my palms down with top of palm. Facing forward to go forward. To go backward the opposite- put my bottom of palms facing forward as if in a "stop" signal to go backward. To stop each mulovement I quickly turn my palms the opposite direction of which I'm gpoing in and the back to flying neutral (pals facing down to the ground) 2- to turn 360's (or less) I just use my palms again. I turn my palms so they are facing the direction I want to turn in. If I want to turn left, I face my hands side ways (only hands not arms) so that both pals are facin the left. To stop I bring them back to neutral-palms caing the earth. I keep my head statiobary (in the horizontal axis) but turn it to look @ the other person at all times-half way around my turn I switch sides that I look at them. Since I hate eye contact I was worried about this (autistics generally all hate eye contact-it is painful!) But I learned to look at their head and hands for their head shows where they are going and hands give signals. 3- I learned to side slide by putting one arm close to my body from the elbow to the wrist (and palm along with it) and the other hand I turned my palm in the direction that I wanted to side slide in! Of all the skills actually I learned that one the fastest! Which shocked mne-(not to mentiom the shocked happy suprised looks on the faces of Angus when he saw my video, Derek our most advanced 4 way guy @ our DZ who doesn't pass out praise easily @ all-he said he was thinking it was "exceptional" when he watched my video, Chad-our FF king-who is a TM and was on the Can. Head down record last summer-he coaches and said he would fly with me any day now after seeing this video-not to mention the poraise I got from Mario and Olga my teachers @ the tunnel who are exceptional teachersmActually Mario is a guy Angus consulted with before I started flying-he coaches the Lemay brothers-Canadas 4 way team who were exceptionally good @ thr worlds... Angus said I CAN FLY 4 WAY after seeing the final 10 min session - did- none of these people toss out praise like its candy on halloween so I have confidence they are genuine in their words to me. 4- I learned to fly levels with my head. Olga said don't cup because that amount of body movement was grastic and brought me up and down too much for a 4 sway session. So I just looked up as much as I could to go downwards ,d lookedbdown to the ground to go upwardd. This brought me up and down in small increments such as a few feet-which is all that is needed to correct levels in a 4 way. Ofcourse this movement was easy to stop by just looking the opposite direction once I was at the level I wanted to be @-face to face with my partner. 4- I learned to combine these movements-which was the hardest (which is when I @ times could not dock and it was easier to start from the beginning). What I needed to do was. Keep my levels with my elbows since I needed my hands to dock with so my hands were sort of "out of commission" for flying because the needed to be "neutral rerady for the dock- which ofcourse had to be a gentle "pinch"-like touch rsther the a "grip"... Because using a "grip" would teach me to hold on to people which is wrong-which could lead to the next bad habit of holding on to someone if I felt unstable- which would send us both tumbling. It is one thing if the dive is some "fuster cluck" which the purpose is to hold onto any doby part and tumble together, or a cartwheel etc. But its most important to learn first how to fly with others in closr proximity to keep level with them, to gently dock as if to barely pinch their clothing and let go (which is where our "simon says" comes into play-but more on that later :) So I noticed that I fly sort of with a profile like a bird of prey. My arms are straight parallel from my shoulders to my elbows at all other times except when I try to keep levels to dock. Then my elbows control the forward and backward movement-lifting my arms at the elbows up higher then the shoulders are keeps me stationary in front of my partner so I do not backslide away from them. My head is what keeps me level to them so I need to keep my chin up. When I moved my head down to look at where I was gripping I would end uploosing level and sinking on them. So it was important that I only looked down with my eyes for the grip-this was now putting two things togehter but also changing how I moved forward and back-from using my hands to my elbows once I got close enough to dock-so if I didn't get close enough to dock before I switched to the elbows it was more difficult to get the grip for the dock because it was not nearly as effective to move forward with my elbows as it was with my palms. Once I got it correctly I would dock and she'd signal me to go backwards and to come do it again. Finally we played simon says while staying in my quadrant (no captain Pcard didn't show up). So Olga would switch to. One quadrant by side sliding or turning a 90 degree angle to get ther & I would have to do the same. There she woukd touch her head or nose and I would have to floow. We'd move to another quadrant and there she would come touch. My head and go back to her spot-i would follow and come to her to touch her hear. On we went sometimes folding our arms under our bellies-which I could do for a short time but learned to accept the potato chipping and wouldn't male it worse or flip etc. Somehoe controlled it while even "swimming with my arms while flying fairly stable and not backsliding. Angus watched the video with great concentration and figures my braces should be changed angle by about 2 or 3 degrees. Which I really hope I can get fiber glass braces made for myself-gettimg the casting material is difficult. I saw it on sale in one shop but I would of had to buy the whole box-$62 worth for 6 rolls-have no idea if need that much.Newxt don't know how to keep my legs in exactly the same angle I need them to be to make the cast and how to keep them there while making this c*st. I don't have family or friends who would do this for me/with me. Then the fibre glasss. I have two 'kits' for repairing fibre glass bo*ts- there is lots of some fliud but small amounts of the patching material. And don't know where to get more and by Dale's estimate of it costing him $200± to make them I don't know when I could make them. I paid about $900 for the tunnel trip for which I will be paying months for-as my income after expenses of living is about slightly less then $300/month (so without spending a dime on anything I will have my tunnel trip paid off in April & in May I'm going to Idaho because I doubt next year I will have the strength (or maybe be alive since I've spent a months worth of days in hospital in the last 2 1/2 months)To go B.A.S.E. Jumping & this year I have the possibility to get a ride from Manitoba to Idaho - so MUST GO like I've said before I want my B.A.S.E.# before anything else before I die... I need a bridge and an earth in Idaho & with offers to stay with jumpers there who said they would love to rig up gimps into death defying contraptions and toss them off the bridge- then I want to do everything including hitchike to get there. Meaning I think I will be jumping with these steel contraptions tied to my legs with tensor bandages till I can't jump alone. Last season they left permanent open sores in my legs where the stteel rods pressed into my legs because I jumped so much and wore them all day long @ the DZ waiting for a load I can squeeze myself into.I never told this to anyone because I don't want some to tell me to stop jumping till they healed- I got a friend with pressure sores for 5 yrs on his heels-so it won't kill me but hurts an awful lot. The one brace was more expensive and softer material but the left leg brace is hasrd steel rods with just a 1/8 inch piece of sponge which has long since fallen off so its just hard steel with sharp angles agaisnt my leg. I use lon underwear underneath and added a srcond pair once the open wound came but the steel just makes a hole in my pants I got under neath-its all to do with the forces against then in free fall. Oohh well when I dive I don't focfus on the pain I just focus on the gain! :) To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

The letter arrived, "Congratulations as you are the first to participate in a training camp organized specifically for women skydivers and tunnel-flyers." Although I am still in great flying shape-since falling out of the door-less 206 3 times this month. I had decided to apply and can see how lucky I am to get to. I hope my personal coach is a 30 something tunnel wizard who's also got a brain for complex math, physics, decent photo skills and ooh a great knowledge of vintage canopies -so we got something to talk about once were done all the learning stuff. They went on to say "We are certain that you are going to have a lot of fun during this camp as well as broaden your experience and refine your flying techniques"-AWESOME! I WILL have fun (they are certain of it) hhmm... wonder what experiences I wil get to broaden, because it seems to be asides from the flying techniques They attached some document and suggested that I "take a quick look at it before you arrive so that you have a better idea of what we will be working on".... but they came in French with the promise that the English version will follow in a few hours (wonder if we will fly in French and follow up in English a few hours later giving us TWICE the tunnel time-THIS place sounds better by the minute-well by the hour at this point still..) I been practicing, dirty diving in front of the blow dryer for a few hours now, and although my skin got a little chaffed this letter is encouraging and this will be an awesome weekend! *AND I'm going to have fun, fly my body (although the side slide will be an exciting adventure-hhmmm... ok so if i cant move the legs with the arms-might it work if I just try putting one hand well back towards the feet and tuck the other one in real tight ....now I might need a camp for that alone ! To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

Hey Granny, I just noticed-you got freakn a C licence! get your coach ratings so you can teach me how to fly when I COME to Idaho -I should have myself registered with USPA temporary licence anyways and jump where you can show me where to go... then i can try to NOT take you out in FF To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

That's something awesome about skydiving=the people. Really there are some true gems to be found in skydiving circles and as you said, its a hidden treasure no one knows until you get into the sport. People are real tight, and i think it has to do with the fact that we are trusting each other with our lives. Right from the rigger, to the packer-whom many of us may not know who they are if were renting student gear... to the fellow skydiver who gives us our final pin check in the plane-I trust the one after me to give me the seperation I need and not jump on me, while the one before me trusts that i am not going to take them out in freefall to trusting complete strangers to do as they say-depoy when they say etc. It's trusting complete strangers with our lives-that is a big part of it=i think... what other sport is it that things are that serious yet we trust each other without our lives and not having know that person? so what are you up to these days? jumping? still waiting for the weather to warm up= dude- we jump here in weather that will freeze any exposed skin in free fall before your canopy ride starts but then again, when i was a kid we would wait till the ice was thin enough in the lakes that when we jumped in we'd make a big enough hole that we could get out and not get sucked under the ice glad to see that your enjoying the skydivng environment, and that your sharing your joy with us. Keep it up dude, who knows what the future brings