jlbodin 0 #26 August 14, 2003 Speaking of frozen students and such, I am completing my AFF L7 this coming Saturday and wanted to share my L1 and L2 experience.... On my L1 I felt really good after the training getting onto the plane with measured confidence and had no problems preparing for the jump as I approached the Super Otter’s door. Even rolling out of the plane on my first jump was not a problem. But less than one second of being outside and watching the plane fly away ... realizing that I had just done an incredibly stupid thing by jumping out of an perfectly good airplane - my body immediately got that "it's just WRONG to be HERE and FEEL like this" feeling. Total sensory rejection overcame me. I fought the terror the best I could and managed to keep a fair arch, but I knew the hand signals cold as I was drilled in the plane during the ascent, now they meant little to me as I tried to process them as the jump masters placed them in my field of view. Three fingers - what does that mean - Oh, uhhhhhhhhhhhh..... "Cirlce of awareness" ... Hang Ten? What does that mean? Oh, Legs, I know that one... Check altimeter - did this several times and looked at it - but could not read/process what the hell it said. By the end of the freefall I had too much sensory overload and when given the "pull" signal I took too long to react to it - the JM beat me to the hackey as I finally reached for it. The rest of the ride down under canopy was awesome though - landing on my feet and impressing the hell out of my waiting wife. Then we practiced for Jump L2 - and nothing I heard made sense. Sure, I practiced the turns on the floor with the dolly - so? Words weren’t processing – I kept asking my wife to repeat herself when she would ask me a question... Inside me, terror had taken hold and was growing. I must have done 10 dirt-dives to help in the visualization of what would be coming. By the time I was ready to board the plane I was turning into a spastic - and the JM didn't make it better by yelling at me because I was doing a dirt-dive and looking in the opposite direction of my turn. Look, I was scared shitless enough by that time - the last thing I needed was someone with over 8000 dives tearing out of me what little confidence I had left. My wife later told me that she had never seen me so visibly shaken and terrified in our 14 years of marriage (she was at the DZ for moral support). As we boarded the plane and started to ascend, I broke into a sweat - nothing on the plane was registering and the Jump Master was just telling me to relax. I could hardly breath. Big inhale, big exhale... big inhale, big exhale... When the question came "are you ready to skydive" my body and every fiber of my being said no... But out my mouth came a "yes". The amazing thing is - this jump was exactly opposite the first. I had terrors for less than a second once I was out the door... then I figured "what the hell, I'm here - relax and do the dive" - The second was the most amazing dive I think I will ever have. No fear or terror. It was awesome. Like losing ones virginity – sure we all still love sex but there will always be that “first” (in my case, first and second) time that will be etched forever in our life experiences. Now I'm ready to do my 8th jump to finish L7 of AFF. I had to repeat my L4 as I could go belly down well relaxed but could not maintain directional control. Then on my second L4 it all clicked... my "epiphany" dive. Nice and almost perfect turns and tracking - the JM didn't recognize me from the prior dives. Movement now felt like I had known how to do this all my life L6 back flip? Piece of cake... I even gave the JM a front flip, completing with instant re-stability. As freaked as I was on L2 - I am glad I went out the door on that second dive. I am now on my 8th this coming Saturday and Skydiving is all I can think about. What does having a job and working mean to me now? "It is simply a thing to pass the time until the next time I can jump". This shit is addictive. I will never be the same. So, back to freaked students - this JM had to know what he was dealing with on the L2, he had to. Did he? I'm still not sure I would be comfortable asking him... if I was him and knew how freaked I was – I would have sent me home for the day. But man am I glad I took that second jump... - Jeff Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phoenixlpr 0 #27 August 14, 2003 Well done! I was told that the voices are starting to wishper round 3rd or 6th jump. The first jump is totaly blind. Safe landings Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tobi778 0 #28 August 15, 2003 Hey there, I'm glad things are working out for you! Sounds like you have done some pretty good work with your AFF training. Remember, every jump that you land safely is a good one as long as you had fun! Good luck to you! Be safe. /Toby Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
