Debbie Grannum
Debbie Grannum
Jul 17Debbie Grannum is a surgical nurse and strong supporter of Jump for the Rose. First jump Labor Day – Monday September 20th, 2002 I don’t know how I got the idea that I wanted to skydive, but I was getting older and the desire was not going away. Jumps 1,500+ Ratings None Future ratings USPA Coach; AFF Instructor Container Javelin. It was the first I was introduced to and I still feel very comfortable with it. Main canopy Sabre II 135. I trained on the Sabre canopy and so stayed with a fairly docile canopy. As a student I flew a Sabre II 190, then as a novice bought a Sabre II 170, spent 10 jumps on a Sabre 150, and I have been on a Sabre II 135 since then. I’m not a good canopy pilot so I intend to stay on this canopy for a while. Favorite discipline Relative work (belly flying); Big Ways Skydiving Training Skydive Spaceland What if anything would you improve in this sport? Awareness under canopy. Most common mistake you see new jumpers make? The most observed mistake is moving to another skill or difficulty before mastering the one they’re in. e.g. Canopy downsizing—unless you are able to fly in all conditions and land in all conditions, you should stick with a good size canopy. Exceptions can be made if the canopy is way too big. Another area abused is trying to freefly before having control of of your belly...
Marian Sparks
Marian Sparks
Jul 17Marian is the founder and spokesperson for Jump for the Rose, which benefits The Rose breast cancer clinics in Houston. First jump 2007- My niece wanted to do a skydive to celebrate her graduation. Jumps 1766+ Ratings USPA Coach Future ratings None Container Javelin because it was available to buy when I needed to buy gear and it fit. Main canopy Spectre 150. After demoing PD’s canopies at an event, I chose the Spectre because I liked the stable flying characteristics and flare. Favorite discipline Relative work (belly flying);Instructing Skydiving Training Skydive Spaceland What if anything would you improve in this sport? Relationships and communications. Most common mistake you see new jumpers make? Jumping by themselves because they don’t know that there is someone else who will jump with them. They don’t know that we experienced jumpers love to feed off their energy and watch them...
Christy West
Christy West
Jul 17Christy is the architect of FlyLikeaGirl.com and Director of Marketing/Communications at Skydive Spaceland. First jump 1997–Randy Connell and I traded. He got to ride horses and I got a tandem jump. I think I got the good end of that deal. Jumps 3800+ Ratings AFF–lapsed, National FS Judge Future ratings None Container Aerodyne Icon–it’s comfortable and very solid. Main canopy Aerodyne Pilot 96. It opens consistently softly and it has a great range from nice swoop to slow flight in traffic or when landing off. And it has a nice shutdown at the end. Favorite discipline Relative work (belly flying) Skydiving Training Skydive Greenville What if anything would you improve in this sport? Resistance to being called out on safety issues. When someone brings a safety concern to your attention, don’t blow them off. Ever. One of you (quite possibly both) needs to be educated and being combative or dismissive guarantees that that will not happen. Be open to the idea that you may be wrong, and talk through the issue calmly to achieve a satisfactory resolution and education as needed for everyone. Most common mistake you see new jumpers make? Not thinking enough. This is a very technical sport, and while there is a heck of a lot we can do to keep it safe, sometimes those things get overlooked in the heat of the moment. And it’s possible that there are things you do because you were instructed to do so, but you never understood or forgot why you were told to do them. Understand the why of everything and ask if you don’t yet understand, and you are a much better skydiver who can apply that knowledge to various scenarios than one who does things by rote without...
Hilary Bruce
Hilary Bruce
Jul 17Hilary is the primary driving force behind SISters of Spaceland and a videographer at Skydive Spaceland. First jump October 19, 2011. Went for a friend’s birthday at Sin City Skydive in Las Vegas & started AFF 3 days later. Jumps 650+ Ratings USPA Coach Future ratings AFF Instructor Container Javelin Odyssey Main canopy Crossfire2 109 Favorite discipline Freeflying Skydiving Training Sin City Skydive What if anything would you improve in this sport? Canopy piloting & head down freefly Most common mistake you see new jumpers make? Freeflying before they learn the basics of RW. They should have a minimum of 100 RW jumps before learning how to freefly. They also need to learn to back fly before sit...
Flat Tracking: Fun + Survival
Flat Tracking: Fun + Survival
Jul 17There is often confusion regarding tracking dives, because different kinds of dives are called tracking dives. Is the rabbit (track dive leader) planning to maintain a steep track orientation, angle flying to keep a fast-falling group hauling butt across the sky? Or is the goal to flat track, covering as much ground horizontally as you can in a slow-falling body position? The former may be better for keeping a group together, while the latter hones the survival skills necessary to gain maximum separation from others given minimum time and altitude. These days, many tracking dives tend towards the angle flying type. But the flat track is a better body position for gaining maximum separation and safety from other jumpers at pull time, especially on a big-way, so that’s the focus of this article. First, the Myth Only tall, thin people can flat track well, right? Very wrong. Tall, thin people have the physical shape to track well by deflecting a lot of air for their body weight, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t track as well. In fact, broader body types can often track quite well because their width allows them to cup a lot of air, especially if they have wide shoulders. And no matter what your body type is, you can flat track well with proper technique. Step by Step Let’s start at the beginning. Do you dirt dive your breakoff from the formation as much as the skydive? Probably not, unless it’s a big-way–not many people do! But spend a few minutes to think about it, because having a maximally efficient plan for getting away from your friends is your best strategy for survival. Remember: Below breakoff altitude, you have no friends! Think that everyone is trying to kill you, and you’ll be in the right mind set. At breakoff, will you turn right or left? It depends on the formation you are leaving… the shortest turn to 180 from the center of the formation is best. How do you turn? Have you ever thought about this? Many skydivers don’t. But envision this: The difference between turning at the same fall rate as the formation, then diving down into a track, compared to cupping air as you turn and maintaining that altitude as you begin your track, can be huge. The skydiver diving down may cover a decent amount of ground horizontally, but he/she will...