Myth #2 Debunked, Part 2

What did you come up with as an answer to yesterday's exercise.  Unless you are missing a finger or two, the answer should be three.  Anotherwords everytime you point your finger at someone, you have three fingers pointing right back at yourself.  I'll bring this concept up later on so keep the results 'handy'.

 

One of the local programs produced here in New Hampshire is called New Hampshire Chronicle.  It airs each weekday evening here on one of the local commercial TV stations.  They travel around the state of New Hampshire showing the different people, events, and history around the Granite State.

 

A few years back they decided to cross the border into Maine to do a segment on seeing fall colors from a different perspective.  This perspective happened to be while skydiving.  The program went through the whole process from signing the 4-page disclaimer/waiver to interviewing the other first time jumpers that were also going to be jumping that day, to going up in the plane, to jumping out of the plane, to the freefall and landing, to the interviews afterwards.

 

The female reporter/co-host of the program, at the time, was the one that was assigned to go jump from the airplane.  She makes a point to note the page on the disclaimer that states in big bold lettering that you could die from skydiving.  She jokes about the fact that she is actually going to sign it.

 

She interviews the other two people making their first jump.  The other woman that was going to be jumping with her said, "I've turned 40 and have never did anything like this.  So why not."

 

She puts the microphone into the guys mouth and ask, "Why are you doing this".

He replies, "Because I'm a little bit crazy".

She asks, "And your how old"

He replies, "I'm 59 and I'd like to be 60."

 

Separately she comments, "I'm going to go call my mom and tell her I'm about to do this and I know she is going to say, make sure and wear your good underwear."

 

After the jump the reporter is asked by the cameraman, "What do you want to say to people who have never done it before?"

She replies, "Oh my god, you have to try it."

 

After the other two students land she ask the guy, "How was it?"

He replies, "It was awesome.  It was really terrific"

 

She asks, "Is this something you think you will do again?"

The woman replies, "Yes."

The man replies, "Absolutely."

 

Now the real question is when the crew from New Hampshire Chronicle visited Oak Hill, did they bother to put on the skis and do any jumping?

 

Stay tuned tomorrow to find out.

 

Until next time

Keep the ski tips up,

Crash

Jumping Journal: January 2, 2006

Tonight didn't go quite as I had planned it to.  I made my way up to Storrs Hill for another evening of jumping on the 50 only to find that they weren't jumping on the 50, instead they were preparing the 25 and getting ready to jump it.  The high school kids were in for practice before the season opener jump meet coming up on Wednesday evening on the 25.

 

I knew from having helped get the landing hill somewhat ready, that it would probably need work.  It was definitely an interesting landing hill to be landing on if you were jumping short.  You almost ended up with two jumps in one ride.  Fortunately I was jumping beyond the bump/dip on the landing hill at around 15-16 meters.  The inrun needs work.  I'll leave that at enough said.  After my first couple of jumps Cannonball even said that the hill needed a lot of work.  They did the best they could with what they had available at the time. 

 

I guess the rain actually helped the conditions out on the 50 and several jumpers enjoyed the afternoon jumping on it today.  I hadn't heard any definite plans, only possibilities about jumping the 50 in afternoon, otherwise I would have headed up and did a session on both the 50 and the 25.

 

The first jump was pretty crappy.  Where the inrun wasn't rolling it had the right track way higher than the left track.  I rode it off and thought I was doing pretty good.  Overconfidence can eat your shorts alive.  I ended up crashing very shortly after landing.

 

The second jump went better until I tried to stop.  The 264s are going to be one heck of a challeng trying to figure out how to do a hockey stop with them.  It's hard to even stop doing a snowplow.  I ended up going up over the top at the end of the outrun.

 

The third jump I decided I pretty much had one choice only, do a hockey stop.  Only the hockey stop wasn't going to happen.  Insteaded I ended up on butt in the outrun.

 

The fourth and fifth jumps I managed to stop in time before

joining the scenry or ending up on my butt.

 

The sixth jump I crashed around the transition.

 

I decided that if I had a good jump on the seventh jump that I would call it quits.  It was a shaky jump, definitely seemed a little strange to put it mildly.  I did land it and stopped okay. 

 

I decided to call it quits for the night and pick things back up tomorrow night on the 50.  It is very strange why I could go and jump under much worse conditions at the beginning of the winter season on the 25 and have no problems, yet now I am.  I did have the jump suit on tonight, instead of the ski bibs.  The crashes out at the end of the outrun were definitely caused by the longer skis versus anything psychological.  I know the mind was involved with the jumping trouble tonight though.

 

Crash