Airspeed Two on Two

[billvon 2,991]

Amy and I spent last weekend at the Airspeed Two on Two camp in Eloy. An amazing experience. I could actually see myself get better throughout the weekend.

The tunnel, for anyone who hasn't tried it yet, is awesome. It's not only bigger than the Perris tunnel by two feet - the walls are also curved so you don't end up bumping from one face to the next when you are near the wall. We managed to do every block except 1 and 13 without much of a problem - although the solo flyer on the 3 sometimes had to really squeeze to get back in the front.

The course was organized into four tunnel sessions per day, with each group spending 15 minutes in the tunnel each time (half hour sessions.) We'd go over video of Airspeed doing the block in the tunnel, then dirt dive (and sometimes creep) then get into the tunnel and try it. It was odd not to creep much, but I realized after a while that with the tunnel there, it often made more sense to 'creep' in the tunnel. It gives you a better picture of what the real point will look like anyway.

In the tunnel, the sessions would be two people and two Airspeed coaches. We ended up with Eliana and Andy D, which worked out really well. Amy and I knew Andy before he was on Airspeed, and we knew that we 'clicked' with him as a coach at the Perris tunnel.

After the tunnel session we'd do a video debrief of each session with at least one of the coaches.

At night they reserved an hour of tunnel time for individual work, which I used for more basic body-position coaching (booty fall rate control, knee control of turns.) For these sessions I ended up with Brian or the other Andy, so I got the chance to see other people's coaching styles. With my time and Amy doing some 2, 3 and 4 ways, I spent almost half an hour a night in the tunnel.

For the last session on Sunday we did a scrambles meet, where they put teams together at random and had a 4-way competition. I ended up with Lara, and we managed to win by a few points. (I'd like to claim it was all us, but I think having Eliana and Andy on our team had something to do with it.)

After the last session on Sunday we went out to eat at Eva's, which paradoxically Brian had never been to before. Funny comment of the night: "Yeah, we train in the tunnel in the summer. It's not _that_ hot. It's like skydiving in a hair dryer."

All in all, I probably learned more about 4-way in this one weekend than I've learned over the past year jumping with sporadic coaching and organizing. Which may not be suprising, given that I made the equivalent of 180 coach jumps in a weekend. I left with my ears bloody (from pulling my helmet off so often) my neck red and scraped up (from turning my head so much against my jumpsuit) and bruises everwhere (both from the walls and from where my jumpsuit flaps in freefall.) Physically I'm still sore. But it was definitely worth it. Highly recommended.

[tdog 0]

For those of us who never have met you in person, can you point out, in the photos, who the people are...

Oh - I never thought Brian would sport facial hair - he did not seem like the type...

[squirrel 0]

what...no freeflying?!?!

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Where is Darwin when you need him?

[billvon 2,991]

>no freeflying?!?!

OK, just for you, a newbie freeflyer who was sharing our tunnel time:

[billvon 2,991]

Group picture, from left to right:

Brian, Andy (not Delk), Joe, Amy, Lara, Samer, Andy Delk, Debbie, Janna, Eliana, and me.

[Remster 30]

Quote

I never thought Brian would sport facial hair

I think its what I would call :"Ah fock it... I'm not shaving today"

Remster

[skrovi 0]

good read, just curious, shouldn't this be posted under Wind Tunnel?

[billvon 2,991]

>shouldn't this be posted under Wind Tunnel?

I was thinking RW, actually, but you're probably right - I'll move it.

[Tunnelbunny 0]

Thanks for posting this Billvon, Im still trying to decide whether to do this Airspeed 2on2 camp with Gary Beyer and Mark Kirby at the Bedford Uk tunnel in June, Im guessing it will be the same sort of thing...but cheaper on the airfare

I like the sounds of not creeping too much!It gets more tempting every time I log on! Now...what can I sell..

[GQ_jumper 4]

I was thinkin about jumping into one of these camp this summer if I can afford it. Lately I've found myself more broke than usual after paying for all my 3-on-1 coaching with Kirk, Andy H., and Thomas

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower