weedstoodey

Yes it was brilliant...!! and ok we were officially well and truely LAST in ff, but hey.. team generation, (the old and the young!!) got some applause too..:) but i think we have little way togo yet..!:):) thanks for great judging guys...and support of our efforts! . and the music round.. had the whole place clapping and hooting with laughter. a tunnel strip tease too...! arizona blaze and bedford mamba..! what can you say.. awesome. if you werent there you just cant imagine the level of flying this year..!! truely inspiring and awesome. weed and charlie... team generation ..

dont forget boys... autie sue will be there watching.. and you can all show your medals off at the nationals...:) weed

Yep ..Good luck to all the British delegation, Andy, Mikey and Jim (outbreak FF). Rob, Louis and David, (avalore FF), Debs and Jim (Tumbleweed Fstyle) and Rohan and Richard (insanely Board SS) Plus not forgetting all the FS guys,(and girls)... show the world what you can do. Weed:)

This was truely and incredible spectacle. Airspeed and Spa Hyabusa 4 way ! wow... And the freeflying! seeing is believing, with all the technical ability of Babylon the sheer grace and beauty of Element R was inspiring. What is wonderful, was Charlie (aged 14) and I (team Generation).. yet to suss sit fly, competed with these guys... even beating half of them at the compulsory backfly round!!! ... :).. had the best time ever. The cheering and clapping crowd made us feel very special.. especally for our interpretation of headown compulsories.. which we cant do yet...!.. and when Bablyon, Element R and instructors took George pilkington (judge) who is just sorting backflying into a 6 way headdown carve... you could hear his woops of joy above the tunnel!! Excellent.....

Although the tunnel environment, should allow even the tiniest baby to fly!... Do we not need to question why we want to put such youngsters in? From what i can see, its almost become a competition, did you see 3 yr old fly at .. now did you see 2yr old in..itll soon be.. did you see that new born flying at....! Taking younger and younger "flyers" only increases the tunnels client pool. So of course they will be happy to meet demand. AS people see younger children, and the advertising/ promotion sells this further, todays parents, always desperate to "do there best for there kids and in this "keep up with the jones world" assume its part of this mad trend to introduce children to what ever "new" experience. Mothers are inundated to take there little ones to the next..fad., you can see it now, mothers and babies tunnel sessions, just like the "dunk your newborn...!! swimming sessions!!) There is also, this trend, with children almost becoming a comodity, threre is the posibilty of how cool am i is related to how cool is my child.. All i ask is as a parent to ask WHY. At those ages its unlikely they will ever remember the experience, unless it was so traumatic and then it will be with them forever!. This being the case, who was the experience really for.. What was it trying to fulfil? So why not wait, until they you can honestly say they make there own decision to go in. So they have wonderful flying skills at 2.or 3 . again i ask what good is this for anyone. The tunnel is NOT a very sociable environment for children and there are many many other (and not so expensive) options to expolore first, Including sports and past times that they perphaps will be able to enjoy day in and day out and share with friends. Im not saying a baby, or very young child wont enjoy this experience, but call me old fashioned, wouldnt they enjoy being cuddled or whatever, or you getting them off the stablizers on their bike,or whatever, just as much!? Kids in the tunnel, great, and much needed income for tunnels, but surely its about common sense. It needs to be kids enjoying the experience themselves and to able understand there exprience.I would suggest 4 or 5 must be a minimum sort of age? Otherwise the reason for them being there has to be questioned. If its just to advertise, or sensationalise, or under the premise of subjecting our children to as many experiences as possible, just because we can then its not a good trend. Ps .. yep my youngest son has tunnel time, but hes 13 ... pss please i am not doubting this parents very very best intentions for his child, and ive not seen the footage, im just trying to put an overview on the whole idea of "flying" younger and younger children.

Last year, wanting to have a go at freeflying in the tunnel, i booked with FFMC boys in perris, selling this to my youngest son as " well go and do all the theme parks" it seemed a good compromise, instead of him just stuck, as most kids of jumpers, bored or up to no good (in my sons case!) at a DZ. As an after though, i enquired if kids could go in (aged 13).. in the end my son did the FF tunnel camp too!. (thanks Mike!!!!!!!) And loved it. Since them weve been to Bedford, and recently returned from our second holiday, incorporting FFMC tunnel camp at Perris again! A return to Bedford is planned this year. I have to say, that I would much rather be in the air, but selfishly this is a compomise, doing something my son can join in with, but which is related to my much loved sport. However, as i bounced around the tunnel, and continue to do so, watching him learning sit docks with Mike and Jon teaching him "in air break dancing moves" is awesome. With his cheek, he gets what he wants, and i had to smile as i paid while he fullfilled his Bedford aim of running around the tunnel walls with Rob and Chris each determined to win the race! BOYS! He has no bad skydiving habits, is shown what to do and just does it. And no hes no sporting type, like most parents getting him a way from a computer is difficult and still is. I dont know if he will ever skydive, that will be up to him. I will never push him, its a step hell have to make on his own. I do however think putting YOUNG children in the tunnel is not necesarily a good thing, especially todlers and babies,sometimes wondering for whose benefit this really is for. There is no doubt, that, parents wallet allowing!, there will be a new generation of tunnel flyers whose skills will without doubt transfer to skydiving, but time if that side move will happen. Jumping out of a plane is a whole new ball game, but no doubt theyll outfly the instructor on that jump!:)