Jumping Journal: January 10, 2006

Day 19.  Boy this night was nothing like what I was expecting.  It didn't start like I figured it would, and by WAY FAR it didn't finish like I thought it would.  Amazing, what a difference the right crowd can make.

 

I got to the jump around 4:45PM and spent around 30 minutes by myself in the jump inn.  I rubbed wax on my skis, figuring that would help to avoid a repeat of last night.  Little did I know that it was total overkill.  The warm temps from earlier in the day dropped below freezing pretty much right at sunset.  This allowed the conditions to be close to the fastest seen so far this season.

 

As I waiting for the normal 6:30 practice time, other jumpers started coming in.  I saw someone come in the door.  It looked like it must of been an alpine racer carrying a bag of alpine gates.  I hadn't ever seen a ski bag that long before.  He set the bag down, I didn't realize who it was at first.  He started to take the boots off the bag and then spoke.  I didn't realize who it was until he spoke.  I knew instantly on hearing his voice that it was Sam Burke.  I've always enjoyed jumping around Sam.  He has always been one of the most down to earth jumpers in the east.  Chris Jones had already made his presence known.  He's another god jumper that has graduated from high school and now is jumping some while attending college.

 

I knew this was going to be one sweet evening.  Definitely not the normal evening of jumping by any means.  As 6:30 starts to roll around, I changed clothes and find myself debating whether I dare to be stupid enough to put on the jump suit.  I know not to but I finally say screw it and put it on anyways.  As I waiting to head up the hill I started getting this good but bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

 

I head up for the first jump.  The electricity is definitely there for the first time in almost two years, and only the second time since I started jumping.  I head down the inrun and jump.  I pass by the judges tower and realize that I'm way higher off the ground than what I normally am.  I land the jump and find myself shocked by how far I went.

 

The second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth jumps all go the same way.  Each jump was getting and longer all evening long.  I definitely was having my best day of jumping ever.

 

I find myself in the air for the seventh jump.  I notice what seems like I had stalled the movement in the air only to continue the movement.  I've never noticed it before.  It was quite strange.  I'm not really sure what I did though.  Talk about a really irritating experience.  I land real close to the 40 meter point.  It was definitely the longest jump I've ever had.  I held it beautifully.  I'm still a little surprised by how well I held the position.  Normally I would end up pulling out of the position or doing something to sabotage the jump, but not this time.

 

I find myself walking up the steps trying to figure out how I did what I just did.  I knew that I continued the movement, but I still, now at 11PM, don't know what I did to restart the movement that I had stopped.  Yes, that sounds totally stupid.

 

I get up top and go for the eighth jump.  I groan in the air as I knew I screwed up the takeoff.  It still goes down the hill quite nicely.

 

I go for the ninth and final jump of the evening.  I find it being the smoothest and most comfortable jump of the evening.  Once again it ended up down right around the 40 meter point.

 

I haven't ever seen myself have this kind of consistency while jumping on the 50.  Very few times have I ever found myself with this kind of consistency, positively speaking, on any hill.  I can always jump consistently bad, but never consistently good.  It had to simply be the electricity by having Sam and Chris present, guys that can make it down to the bottom of the hill.  Both Sam and Chris are jumpers that I have always enjoyed watching or jumping with as well.

 

It seems strange to actually have managed to pull off nine jumps, while wearing the jump suit, without crashing once.  Something was definitely going on tonight.  I hope it sticks around for quite some time.

 

Crash