Jumping Journal: January 29, 2008

WOW!  I'm beginning to like this.  Keep it coming.  I won't complain any at all.

 

As I left for the hill this afternoon the temperature had warmed up to just above the freezing mark, under ??? skies.  For the most part it was cloudy but their was sprinkles falling at times as well.  The last forecast I heard, a couple of days ago, had been for rain today, but it seemed like their were hints the rain might hold off until after we would get done jumping.  It didn't sound like it was going to be any kind of a major rain storm just a nuisance kind of event.

 

I never saw anymore rain after I arrived in Lebanon.  I suited up so I wouldn't have to after helping on the lift.  I went about the normal jumping afternoon/early evening routine on the ski hill and then headed on back to the jump inn and found Matt was in their mounting up his new skis he got a week or two ago.  He had thought about selling them but decided not to.  They wasn't a big as what he had ordered and Elan only sent 4 pair of skis to the United Stated this year.  It was good seeing the old boys back from Chicago.  I guess they all survived the Masters Championship.  I never really talked with them much about it as of yet but the news of the trip will surface in the next few days, I'm sure of that.

 

I changed boots and grabbed my helmet and skis and headed on the jump.  I was hoping to start off where I ended last night.  At one point last winter I remember I was doing it constantly.  I never used to be able to do anything other than start over fresh each day.  It was always so irritating.  Last winter I finally got to the point where I was always picking up right where I left off the previous day.

 

The first jump pretty much picked up right where last night ended.  I was quite solid in the air, and I was more relaxed with the upper body than what I had been last night.  I didn't have the V and I was a bit late on the takeoff.  I still made a nice 38 meters.

 

Jump two, SWEETNESS.  Definitely this was to be the best jump of the season...thus far.  I walked back up thinking mostly of working on the timing.  I rode down the inrun and jumped.  I nailed the timing beautifully.  I spread the tips apart and just floated on down to a real nice landing.  I must admit right before landing I did pull out of the jump.  It would be the only sour note from the jump.  I easily made 40 meters if not a little further.  I was surprised by how nice of a jump it was.  I think that's why I ended up pulling out of it like I did.  It could have been the float that also caught me off guard that made me pull out.

 

I haven't felt a jump as good since I started jumping.  I finally managed to put everything together into one jump, FINALLY.  Now if I could just keep from pulling out.  I'm going to have to work on that while helping with the lift.

 

Jump three, four and five.  I jumped late on each jump.  Each jump did get better on the timing but I was still late nonetheless.  Jump three was the weirdest feeling takeoff I've felt in quite a long time.  From the visual perspective it seemed like I jumped on time but I could tell by the feel I jumped late.  Nick confirmed my suspicion when I walked back up to the coaches stand.  Each jump had everything else pretty much intact.  The only that was still missing with any kind of consistency was the V.  I was also keeping the head/eyes down while in flight.

 

Jump six.  Once again this was much closer to nailing the timing right on the money.  I was still just a split second late.  I didn't have much in the way of a V in place either.  Again it was getting down close to the 40 meter mark.  I 'was/still am as I type this' surprised by how consistently good I have been jumping both of the past two days.  I haven't seen this in quite a while.

 

I walked back up for the seventh and final jump of the evening.  I nailed the timing nicely like I did on jump two and I held the position all the way into the landing.  I didn't have much a V from what I remember but I did have everything else in place.  It was definitely the nicest jump I've had.  It looked like I was easily over 40 meters and probably close to the 42 meter mark.

 

It's strange how much smoother good jumps feel when comparing them with the crappy jumps.  Everything just seems to feel more like a complete jump that you don't have to work for, unlike when you are doing everything wrong.  I've had enough experience through the years doing everything wrong.  I'm an expert at that.

 

Crash