It’s almost here! In just two days, I’ll be at the Vertical World Record tryout in Eloy! As I write this, I realized it’s somewhat baffling that I’m here at all. I didn’t intend to be doing this. But things led to other things and here I am, I guess. Until now, the VWR didn’t occupy any of my mental bandwidth. As a belly flyer, I always assumed that the world records were somewhat done, that I came along too late to be a part of any records. However, I have stumbled my way into freeflying and, as the goal-oriented (or am I goal-obsessed) person that I am, the thrill of the chase drew me in. Initially, Project 19 presented itself as an attainable goal. But now, with the P19 slots looking rather full, I thought, “Well, why not the VWR?”
What am I feeling?
Feelings! Busy buzzing feelings cluttering up my head. All these thoughts (that will probably only serve to be distracting this weekend) zip about in my brain, so it seems like an apt time for a blog, to let me brain-dump a little about it.
Nervous & Excited
I started to imagine how I would feel on the ground the morning of our first day. I anticipate feeling anxious, feeling pressure to do well, feeling nervous. Usually, my nervousness is actually visible in the sheer number of Checks of 3’s that I do on the airplane. If I’m stressin’, I can’t help myself; my fingers repeatedly dance over friction adapters on my leg straps, then on my chest strap, then to my handles, then down my three rings.
Pressure, but a Self-Created Pressure
No one has any expectations of me. No one else has a horse in this race. Honestly, I barely have a horse in this race. Because what are the consequences of not getting an invite this event? Nothing. Nothing but good can come out of this weekend. 1) I will get more current 2) I will get more experience with more planes (currently, the most I’ve done is a 2 plane shot for freefly jumps) and I think this weekend will be 3 planes. 3) I will get a better idea of what I need to work on. Fingers crossed, I’ll get some good feedback from the organizers. Either way, I’ll definitely be able to debrief myself and have a better idea of what I should be doing to improve.
But it’s good that I already know this. It’s good to be thinking about it. I’ve already developed tools for focus, and for nerves, and things. I just gotta open up that toolkit.
So How Prepared Am I?
On the scale of Super-Duper Prepared to Woefully Unprepared, I’m somewhere in the middle.
How have I prepared?
Last summer, I did all the big way camps I could In the last 12 months, I’ve probably done 6 or 5 big-ish way camps, which means I’ve gotten to see a lot of the slots (1st stinger, 2nd stinger, right hand, left hand, podcloser, floater & diver).
Last weekend, a couple peeps and I did our best to practice floating approaches with only 4 people. So there’s that I guess.
How am I unprepared?
My last month, between the holidays, a snowboarding trip, and covid, I didn’t jump as much as I normally like to. I wish I’d been at the dropzone more, because currency assuages my nerves.
I haven’t been visualizing as much as I would like. I’m planning on visualizing every day from now until the February camp. (Hopefully, I’ll be able to see a measurable improvement in my skydiving just by visualizing.)
What are my expectations?
Because I’m solidly in the middle of the preparedness gamut, I crucially need to set my expectations appropriately. The more appropriate my expectations, the more likely I am to feel comfortable in the moment, which (I believe) will help me fly better at the try-outs. To clarify, if I set my expectations wrong, I’ll spend my day worrying about whether I’ll meet them, instead of focusing on flying well. I’m not expecting to get an invite to the VWR at this camp. Instead, since this is my first experience at a big way try-out camp, I’m expecting to just get my feet underneath me. So, with that weight off my back, I can just relax and do my best flying.
What are my goals?
Fly my best, focusing on flying quiet, clean, and quickly as I can
Get a feeling for the organizers of the event, how they operate, how they run things
Get some feedback about my flying and identify what I need to be working on
See some friends! Do some skydives!