First off, when I say I spent two weekends at a DZ (dropzone), I mean I spent two full days each weekend. Well, skydiving has been one of those activities that I have often thought about doing but never followed through because others didn't seem to have the courage to make real plans. So, two weeks ago, I decided that this weekend will be the weekend, I go to a DZ in the Houston area. Three weeks prior I decided to send e-mails two both of the dropzones I found via internet search engines. I received one excellent response that answered all my questions and then gave me tons of extra information for me to chew on. The other message wasn't so hot, it was a quickly typed one paragraph answering a few of my questions very curtly. Needless to say, I had made my decision right then where I would do my first skydive. A couple of weeks went by, finally, I decided that this was the weekend I am going to do my skydive. On that Tuesday, I called Skydive USA and made reservations for my first dive with the AFF method. For those who don't know, you can do your first dive one of two ways, AFF or Tandem. Check out www.skydiveusa.com for more details.

Day 1 Saturday Feb 12, 20000

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AFF first dive (Level I) requires 5 to 7 hours of in-class training, so I get to Skydive USA at 7:30 am on Saturday morning ready for instructions and prepared to jump. After watching a recent skydiving movie with Wesley Snipes, I was a little intimated about waking onto a dropzone as a newbie. But rest assure, they are a business just like everyone else and the welcomed me with open arms to visit their facility. Experienced divers along with the staff were extremely friend and often walked up introducing themselves to me asking if this was my first dive. 8:00 am rolls around and time to start the in-class training. The first hour of training talked about what to expect and how the first AFF dive would take place. Second and third hours were spent on equipment, information, safety. With breaks roughly every hour to hour and fifteen minutes, you get plenty of time to absorb the information and start again. It was cloudy this Saturday morning so, DZ didn't start making drops till about 11:00 am or so. After doing another hour of discussing skydiving and field questions, we let out for lunch break. After, lunch is when I got to see my first skydives up close and personal. I was starting to feel nervous already, just looking at people open and land. Roughly at about 12:30 pm, we return to the class room to start a serious of drills, quizzes, and execution of moves to be made on the first skydive. Each student in the class has to answer questions, demonstrate proper technique, and perform the correct order for the basics of skydiving in the classroom first. We continued this for a little more than two hours, before finally taking a written exam. The class concluded at approximate 3:00 pm. Alright, I am ready to jump now. Little did I know that weather conditions had to be absolutely perfect before Skydive USA lets any of there AFF students get off the ground. So, I waited around till dark hoping that the clouds would roll out and I would get to do my first dive. It didn't. Well, they told me to check the weather and come back tomorrow (Feb. 13, Sunday) early.

Day 2 Sunday Feb 13, 2000

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Alright, I get up early and head back to Skydive USA excited about getting my first skydive in. Well, I saw in the paper that the first part of the day would be rainy, but that in the afternoon, the sun would break through. But, still I get to Skydive USA at roughly 8:00 am. It was looking pretty dark and bleak, but this gave me a great time to mingle and talk with all of the dz operators, staff, and experience divers. I also, got a chance to watch some of their video mixes and learn what to expect. Finally at about 12:30 pm the sun broke the clouds, but the windy was still to gusty for AFF students, but I did get a chance to watch a few more loads of experienced divers make a few loads. Finally at about 3:30 pm, the winds had calmed down, and the DZ operator let me know that I was going to make my first AFF dive. Oh yeah! I was excited and scared at the same time. Finally, a load leaves and one of my jumpmasters (JM) approached started to drill over safety, procedures, techniques, and everything else you can think of relating to the first dive. To me, this was very comforting and reassuring. After answering his questions, and listening to his expanding information on some weak answers, I felt like I was just able ready. Good thing, because the plane landed and a 20 minute call was put on for my load. I was then out fitted with equipment, and show how a equipment check is done and what to look for. All doing this time, the other JM was near and checking the equipment again. Finally, the other JM quizzed me about safety, procedures and techniques. After being ask to repeat the sequence of events for the Level I AFF dive about 10 to 12 times, I surely would forget. We practice a few times on the ground and did a 'door jam' on the airplane. Well, now it is roughly 4:30 pm and airplane is running and I am loaded in right after the tandem jumpers. My first skydive went great, I did forget one of my circle of awareness. I lost a contact lens out of my right eye during free fall. So, coming in for the landing was rough, because I couldn't really gauge the ground during landing. I got it all video taped. I spend the next two days driving all over Houston showing my family what I did last weekend.

Day 3 Saturday Feb19, 2000

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I loved my first skydive so much, that I decide that I am going to go ahead and do my Level II AFF dive, so I get to the DZ at roughly 8:00 am again. Once again, the winds are pretty high during the morning. I am enjoying the DZ atmosphere so much that I didn't mind waiting around for the winds to calm down. Plus this gave me the opportunity to watch at least 50 to 70 more skydives my experience divers. Finally at about 3:30 pm on Saturday, I got a chance to do my Level II. Once again, I get on the plane, however, this time I am a little bit more nervous, because I want to make sure that I don't miss this circle of awareness and get the exact progression of the skydive. My second skydive went great, this time I didn't lose the contact and when time came to land that parachute, I came in standing. What a feeling! I am thinking, I am gonna come back on Sunday and go ahead and knock out my Level III AFF dive.

Day 4 Sunday Feb 20, 2000

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This is an absolutely beautiful day. 8:00 am, blue skies and 10 mph winds. I get there fairly early, but I ended up having to wait around till about 4:00 pm to make my Level III jump. Once I again, I didn't mind this. Understand that JM's were working as fast as they could. Because, Sunday was such a beautiful day. There must have been at least 10 to 12 AFF students waiting to jump. Well, Level III AFF, as some of you know this is the first dive that the JMs release the student to demonstrate that the student can control his body position and fall straight through the sky till time to deploy the parachute. I wasn't particular nervous about this jump. There was much in the way of procedures that I had to remember, I was told to remember was arch. Well, I got did my Level III AFF dive with the same two JMs I had performed my other dives, but I never got stable enough for the to release me during this dive. Hence I failed and must repeat my Level III AFF dive over. I am a bit disappointed over not find that arch, but I have had troubles in other sports with relaxing. Also, on this dive on too, I lost a contact during my free fall. Even though I did demonstrate the ability to guide myself back tot he land area with out help. I came in harder that I should have for my landing because once again, with one good eye working it is hard to judge the ground and I flared my chute roughly 10' to high. I landed falling to my knees. Part of that I think was due to frustration about not getting stable enough for my JMs to release me during the dive. Oh well, I have at least five more days to replay that skydive over in my head practice my arches and see if I can nail this Level III AFF dive down on my next dive.

Overall, I had a wonderful time at Skydive USA dropzone. The operators, staff, pilots and other divers were awesome! My first three jumps were fun and exciting, and my ground time the DZ interesting and entertaining.

I would like to give my thanks to:

Tom and Jane (My Jumpmasters)

Rick (My Instructor)

Chuck (The DZ operator)

Clint (Camera man on my first jump)

and all the other staff and experienced divers.

http://www.skydiveusa.com