Are You Ready?

I’m so excited!  In December I went to Moruya and did some really cool jumps, at a really cool DZ with some really cool people- Dan BC being the coolest of them all.
As most of you know in September 2017 Dixie had a serious accident at Rel. Week in Darwin.  This changed a lot of things for both of us.  It meant that lots of plans changed and there were times when we even considered cancelling some of our major plans.  Fortunately, the Aussie Record was far enough away that we didn’t have to think about it immediately and could make decisions as we got closer to the date.

As you can imagine dealing with the accident and Dixie’s injuries and multiple surgeries resulted in my being unable to get to the DZ regularly.  I knew my Aussie Bigway team would be supportive and understanding as I worked my way through this but at the same time I felt a great responsibility to the team I have been a part of since 2009.  I didn’t want to let people down.  We are a team and we’ve all been working so hard towards one goal.  A Large Formation Aussie Record in 2019.  What was I to do?

I won’t say that I was so pragmatic as to sit down with a pen and pad and plot out my options and plan a solution, but I did find myself working through a process that would help me ensure that I will be the best I can be before I start the Aussie Record Events in May 2019.

The things I thought about were:

• What did I need to do financially to afford to go? – As you can imagine our lives have changed dramatically in the past 16 months.
• What can I do to stay current? – Currency is bound to be lacking if I can’t get to the DZ
• What can I do to stay or get fit? – Caring for Dixie had resulted in my neglecting my fitness and health.
• What can I do to stay mentally focused? – When dealing with so many others things it’s easy to lose focus of the end goal.

You’re probably thinking what has this got to do with going to Perris?  We are now less than 5 months out and stories of serious accidents in 2017 have no relevance.  Well I beg to differ.  The dot point list of questions applies to every person that is planning to go to Perris.  Some of them you should have a good handle on already but others you could start right NOW

Finances

I’m not going to address this one in any detail.  Each of us will find our own means of getting the money together for this monumental event.  Just remember that part of the budget should be to include money to:

• Have the right equipment for the task (jumpsuit/s, rig, audibles, helmet, weight belt)
• Stay current prior to getting to the event. (No sense in not jumping for 3 months and having the money to go to the event but not being jump ready)
• Allow for the extras (using a packer, hiring weight, tipping, paying your carton debts, perhaps even having to pay for a reserve repack if you have a malfunction)

The exchange rate can also have a significant effect on your funds.  It’s around 71 cents to the US dollar at the moment and many are saying it’s not likely to get much better.  Think about changing some money now or contact Brenda from Perris and see if you can do a bank transfer to get some money into the Perris P3 account right now rather than waiting until you get there.  Also remember that if you pay your camp fees with credit card you’ll be up for a service charge which could be around 3% of the camp fees.  If money is tight then you might want to avoid having to pay that.

Currency

If you can’t get to the DZ regularly look at what events are happening and chose those that are going to give you the best opportunity to work on your skills.  I had the opportunity in the past 12 months to participate in the P3 Doug Forth Event at York, An Aussie Bigways 16 way weekend with Greg Jack at York and the 16 way skills days with Dan BC at Moruya.  In addition, I competed at the 2018 APF Nationals in 4way AA and Blast divisions.  I was also asked to load organise at the York Big T Boogie and the Christmas Party.

I know it is great to be doing big ways and even formation loads but 4 way keeps you current and hones your skills in terms of proximity, levels, strength, and looking.  If there is a tunnel close by sharing time with others and doing some disciplined 4way is a cheap way of keeping current.  Depending on when you fly you can do 10 minutes of 4 way and it will cost you a little more than 1 jump.

Participating in Star Crest jumps can also give you an opportunity to work on big way skills without too much pressure.  On a Star Crest jump you can hone your skills in getting closer sooner, maintaining a strong, static body position while being docked on, as well as looking through the formation and awareness without being distracted from the centre of the formation.  Currency is king so work on staying as current as you can.

Fitness

Participating in a record attempt event is a marathon not a sprint.

Average temperatures in Perris over May/June are between 18 and 22C with highs of 26 to 31C.  This isn’t too hot for us but in these temperatures we will be required do 6 or more jumps in the day with lots of dirt-diving, with and without full gear (that includes the extra weight you may be wearing to stay rock solid in the sky).  In addition, you may be packing your own rig and having to walk a distance back from the landing area.  All of this will be required within a timeframe that may also require you to be very prompt in getting to and from debriefs, dirt dives and mock-ups for practice climb-outs and exits.

The days will be long.  We will be required to be at the DZ early and stay until after dark and for some of the jumps we will be going to 18,000 feet using oxygen.  You will need to be fit, if you want to complete this marathon as fatigue will result in mistakes.

If you don’t have a current fitness regime you should start one now.  Start swimming, bush walking, power walking, running, lifting weights.  Do something that is going to improve your overall fitness.  If you have gained a few kilos over Christmas then aim for a fitness program that will assist you in reducing some of that excess body weight.

Don’t let yourself and the whole team down by not being physically able to maintain your energy levels.  Aim to have the ability to dig deep and be physically able to do whatever is asked of you.

Focus

As life has thrown a few challenges at Dixie and I over the past two years it would have been easy for us to just focus on the immediacy of what is happening to us or all the things that has happened to us in the past, and not look to the future.  I mean, why bother planning for anything, everything goes wrong for us and we don’t know whether we could do anything, anyway.  Wrong!

I think it’s important to look to the future and aim for the prize.  Looking back can be positive in giving you a sense of achievement in terms of how far you have progressed but don’t dwell on the negatives of what happened or what you should have done or couldn’t do.

The prize for me, in this case, is to be a part of a great team of people who will achieve an Aussie Large Formation Record and I keep my focus by making plans for the event that will ensure I’m prepared for anything.  I also try to stay positive.  I think you can see from this discussion how I’m planning.  I’m taking control of the things that I can control.

• Travel plans
• Fitness
• Jump currency
• Mental attitude

I don’t know what I will be faced with during the event but I’ve been watching videos of previous records, which gives me the sense of success and the pictures of the radials and stadium, the break-off and tracking groups and the smiles as participants return to the packing area.  I then take those experiences and practice some visualisation techniques to take it in to the first person; to actually feel the experience.  If you haven’t used visualisation techniques I would suggest that you try it.

See You There

The last time I looked at the counter on the Aussie Bigways website there were 105 days before the start of the event.  Are you ready?  I hope so, because I’m relying on all my teams mates to be the best that they can be.  That’s what I’m planning to be.

Dixie will also be there and whilst he won’t be jumping he’ll be the best he can be too – expect lots of Dad jokes.

Shirley Cowcher – WA Mentor for Aussie Bigways