the greatest thrill of my life, thus far? it would definitely have to be my skydiving experience from a few years ago. the location site was on a country road 40 minutes north of toronto. i arrived at the parachute school at 8am in the morning. i registered, took an in-class seminar, and before i knew it, i was in the back seat of an airplane, having my parachute loaded into my backpack. i had been patiently awaiting my turn as two skydivers jumped off before me. i was the last jumper. as i dangled my feet at the edge of the plane ready to jump, i remember thinking "you can do this. don't panic. everything will be alright." as the instructor counted one, two, and then...three, i was still in the plane! as soon as he said "three", that was supposed to be my cue to jump out of the airplane! but for some reason, i was frozen in panic. the instructor told me to get back in the airplane. upon landing, he told me that i was too stiff and that i had to loosen up. so, after watching a few more skydivers take their turns and asking the instructor a few more questions, we went back up again. this time around, there were no mistakes. i was more relaxed, jumped off the plane on a count of three, and displayed perfect technique. not bad for an amateur, eh?
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Ready, Set, Jump!
the greatest thrill of my life, thus far? it would definitely have to be my skydiving experience from a few years ago. the location site was on a country road 40 minutes north of toronto. i arrived at the parachute school at 8am in the morning. i registered, took an in-class seminar, and before i knew it, i was in the back seat of an airplane, having my parachute loaded into my backpack. i had been patiently awaiting my turn as two skydivers jumped off before me. i was the last jumper. as i dangled my feet at the edge of the plane ready to jump, i remember thinking "you can do this. don't panic. everything will be alright." as the instructor counted one, two, and then...three, i was still in the plane! as soon as he said "three", that was supposed to be my cue to jump out of the airplane! but for some reason, i was frozen in panic. the instructor told me to get back in the airplane. upon landing, he told me that i was too stiff and that i had to loosen up. so, after watching a few more skydivers take their turns and asking the instructor a few more questions, we went back up again. this time around, there were no mistakes. i was more relaxed, jumped off the plane on a count of three, and displayed perfect technique. not bad for an amateur, eh?
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Fly Like an Eagle
growing up, i enjoyed participating in a variety of activities. however, it wasn't until i was 12-years-old that i discovered something that i am still very passionate about to this day...running. it was grade six and it was track & field day at our elementary school (aldergrove p.s.). the boys were grouped together to determine who would get to represent aldergrove p.s. at the regional track & field championships. i won both my races in individual heats, went on to represent our school at the regionals in the 200m, and even came back with a 6th place ribbon (it's the red one in the pic on your left). after that thrill ride, i thought to myself, "wow, kid, you sure are good." over each of the next two years, i went on to win more ribbons during track & field day at aldergrove p.s. (mostly in short distance races such as the 100m and 200m). i even managed to qualify for the regionals once again in the 200m for the second time in three years. unfortunately for me, i wasn't able to finish in the top six in the regionals this time around and hence, had no ribbon to show for my efforts. nonetheless, i will always look back with fond memories of my days in elementary school track & field.
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