I keep tricking myself into thinking I’ve finally hit the seasonal lull, the respite from skydiving when it all slows down and I get a chance to play catch-up. However, I live in California now; when the rest of the country cools down and skydiving calms down, California keeps jumping. The days get shorter, but the props still spin (because the weather finally abates a googly-eyed tit [a bit] and the temperature backs off to something below blistering). So, while I’m telling myself that it’s the season for rest and other hobbies, I’m still not there yet.
I used to be pretty adamant about having a theme for my blog, every blog. I would talk about an event, or try to add a thoughtful take to some topic. However, I’m kidding myself when I say I have that much focus or introspection to apply to my blog these days. For now, you’ll have to just tolerate the medley blogs you’ve been getting full of tidbits and updates.
LB Altimeters Sponsorship
Dudettes and Dudes! I’m so stoked to say I’m part of the LB Altimeter family! Earlier this summer, my wrist mount for my Viso II slowly started unraveling so I joked that I should get sponsored by LB to get a new one. However, after joking about it, I realized I’d love to partner with LB. I’ve jumped LB altis ever since I upgraded from an analog. They’re reliable. They’re durable. They have long battery life and they’re just rad. I’ve bought two wrist mounds (I lost one many moons ago. womp womp) and a Quattro in my time as a skydiver and they’re great. So, I reached out. Now I’m part of the family! This finally lit a fire under my ass to make a gear page for my website. I’m not sure who is curious about what gear I like and dislike, but if you are- I have a page for that. (It’s currently mostly blank. But it exists, so telling y’all about it will give me an incentive to finish it.)
Watching Canopy Worlds
I spent the end of last week and the weekend in Eloy watching Canopy Worlds. I’m becoming quite the Swoop Girlfriend… (Actually, that’s not true. I’m terrible at being a Swoop Girlfriend. I almost never video Richo’s swoops. I don’t pay attention to the scores. I forget to remember to watch the judges to see if he verted any of the gates. I sometimes bring him snacks, but sometimes when I wander to the van to get the snacks, I get distracted and don’t remember to bring them back. I do have a Go Richo shirt and Richo sock puppet for cheering him on, so that’s something.)
Anyway, World Competitions are neat! Everyone from everywhere showing up. I plan to attend as a competitor, not a spectator, in the future.
Saying No
On that note, I did something incredibly hard for me this week. I chose a less hectic schedule next year. I chose more time at home and at my home DZ. I chose trying to carve out a little more time for things I’ve been putting off: Getting my pilot’s license and my paragliding license. I chose giving my wallet a break and a cease-fire on my melting credit cards after this year of VWR-chasing. But it was really, really, really hard because I said No to a Big Opportunity. I really huge opportunity (and a flattering opportunity, I might add).
I got invited to be on Prison 9
For y’all who don’t know: Prison 9 is Doug’s 8way team that’s going to the World Cup in Norway next year. I was offered a slot to just get on a team, train my butt off, then go to Norway. Even as I write this, I feel my throat kinda constrict at the disappointment I feel in myself for saying no. How do you pass up an opportunity like that? I anticipate a lot of times over the next year where I wonder if I made the right choice. But here’s where I’m at: I’ve been hitting it hard for a while now. I think I need to slow down so I don’t wash out. In the last calendar year, I’ve done 450 jumps. I don’t even work in the sport. Many, many of those weekends were away from home, traveling for events and competitions and camps. I’m pretty tired. The last thing I want to do is say Yes to a team and then spend the next year, panicked about how much I’m spending and how much time I’m away from home. I’ve done that. And when you’re in that place, you don’t give every last ounce of effort to your team. And when I commit to a team, I want to commit.
Maybe, I’ll regret this. But if I regret saying no, then I’ll have learned something. I’ll have learned where my heart lies. So that’ll be something too. I used to approach all skydiving opportunities with the mentality: “What if this is the best opportunity I get? What if I never get an opportunity like this again?” That scarcity mindset led me to say yes to XPG4, which turned out to be a trash-fire (but it did put me on the Open-level belly stage, and I learned a lot about some of the big players in the belly game, so that was worthwhile). But, recently, my eyes have been opened.
I’m good enough that I will have more opportunities. And if they don’t fall in my lap, I can go search them out. I finally realized that I have the talent to essentially take 6 months off of belly flying and then fly well enough to do my part in winning an 8way Advanced Gold. I have the reputation as a motivated flyer and teammate that, if I dug around, I could find some people willing to be my teammates and train hard. I have the confidence that even if I’m out of belly-shape, I can put in the time and effort to get physically and mentally back into shape to be competitive. So, I’m trying to give myself some grace for choosing a slower pace and a breather of a season for next year.
But my heart still breaks walking away from this kind of opportunity. It’s both good and hard and bad and probably the right decision.
Giving Back
So, with some of that time I won’t be traveling for 8way, I want to start giving back again. When I lived in Colorado, I worked very hard to give back. Lori Conner, who ran NSL in NorCal when I was still a noob without my own belly suit, inspired me. I wanted to give the opportunity for people to grow and develop their tummy skills, the way her events did for me. So I started hosting 2way tunnel comps. Which built to 3way tunnel comps, then 4way tunnel comps. I dumped so much time and energy into these events and it felt so good to watch people get better event after event. Then I moved to SoCal and started freeflying.
While living in SoCal, I did a lot of taking: I attended a lot of freeflying events organized by other people. I learned a lot. When I moved there in 2020, I wasn’t very good. I really wanted to give back, but at first, I wasn’t good enough to help anyone else; I could barely bumble my way to a formation on my head. By the time I felt good enough, I just never really saw a clear path towards helping others. I started LOing at Elsinore, which was good. But how do you run events in an area that’s just bursting at the seams with professional skydivers, all of whom are more competent and experienced than you? How do you convince people that you know enough that they should go to your events? How do you not step on any toes? The SoCal scene proved way too complicated to navigate – So, the past two years, I haven’t really been giving back at all to the sport. That kills me.
But! It’s time to start anew!
I’m going to start giving back again! I’m so excited! My plan is to host a few MFS-style camps/comps at Skydive California. I have a lot of friends who are wading into freeflying: some only have a toe dipped in, some are already up to their nips. But I remember that intermediate period where I floundered around for a long time in freeflying. It was frustrating. And unlike the belly machine that has a strong system of coaching and events and progress, the what you do when you’re in the realm of middling-freefly talent is super unclear. I think that’s a big factor that causes people to wash out; they watch some of their friends quickly become ninjas and, because they’re taking a little longer, they just decide to give up. So I’m hoping to help fill that gap (selfishly, because I don’t want any of my friends to wash out of the sport so they keep skydiving with me).
So! More deets on that to come. I’m in the planning stages. (But if you have thoughts/info/feedback/ideas/suggestions/advice/guidance, please hit me up!)
PC: Trunk, obvs
Other Gear Updates
I treated myself to some new gear this year! Currently, I’m anxiously waiting on my new Winx 135 Hybrid canopy from Atair. Once it’s here, I’ll be setting up one of my rigs for wingsuiting! Let’s rip, friends! If you know anyone who is 5’9″, 150lbs and wants to sell me a Havok Carve or maybe eventually an ATC, let me know.
Additionally, I’m still waiting for my new Vector – The original timing was such that I was going to receive it around my birthday (which is this week), yay! However, it’s pushed back to December. But I’ve got the reserve waiting around and I’m sourcing a Vigil for it. On the to-do list today: Buy another set of lines for my yellow crossfire.. They’re looking pretty sad. Ugh.
Also, I never posted my other team pics from Nationals. So here they are
