Going The Distance

We recently embarked on a trip that lasted two years, covered enormous distances and took an immeasurable toll on personal resources, finances, time, effort and relationships. The trip started in Alberta on a Saturday and ended in Russia on a Friday almost two years to the day, give or take a month. The trip I"m referring to of course was our recent bid for the 2006 World Parachuting Finals in the Canopy Formation Discipline of 4 Way Sequential. My traveling partners were the Plaid Jackets; John Smith, Lyal Waddell, Aidan Walters, and Merlin "Nic" Cormier. A trip or goal of this magnitude does indeed require a lot of personal sacrifice but it also requires the support and assistance of a lot of other people. In most cases, and this one is certainly no different, those people are far too numerous to mention so from all of us to all of you thank you very much. From the bottom of our hearts, you were with us all the way and when we stood on the podium in Russia you were with us there as well.

For those of you who have not yet taken such a trip, if the opportunity presents itself don"t let it pass you by. Certainly not all will end as ours did, some will fare better and others not as well but as in all trips of this nature it is the journey and not the destination that will give you the greatest enjoyment. In terms of geography our trip took us from Alberta to, Arizona (several times), Belize, Quebec, and Russia. One could even say that the trip hasn"t finished yet, as the contacts we made along the way are still affecting our lives, everyday surroundings, and future endeavors. Deciding to become part of a Team meant that we did things together that we might not have done as mere friends at the drop zone; jumping in to local demos, trips to Belize, road trips to Arizona, numerous dinners together in exotic restaurants such as the Taquito House, or one of several hundred Flying J"s on Inter State 15. One of the huge advantages for us was that we were fortunate enough to be able to work together at the drop zone as well. It was a very brief trip in terms of most bids for World Champion status and those that have experience in such endeavors might say that luck had a very big part in it. To that I would say, "too right"; we were lucky to have found each other, to have five people whose daily lives were easily adaptable to training schedules, to live in the same area and jump at the same drop zone, to simply get along with each other (or at least know when to leave each other alone). Luck plays a part in everyone"s life and to a certain extent in everyone"s attainment of his or her goals, but do not mistake luck for the result of hard work, determination, and training. The commitment to an endeavor such as this is not to be taken lightly. Your decisions, whether they be personal or not, may, and ultimately will effect the Team in some way. Your life as it was will cease to be until your Team has completed the trip. If you don"t accept this at the outset then you/ your team probably will not survive. Many other people close to you will be affected as well so don"t sell them short in your decision to commit. If they"re a part of your life now, by extension, they will become a part of your team.

4 Way Sequential is fast, both physically and mentally challenging, and one helluva lot of fun. It"s incredibly exhilarating and eerie at the same time to be piloted around the sky, under your own canopy, but with someone else steering. Then to be flung into another person"s canopy and be expected to grab that canopy and hold on thereby completing the formation. There are also times when you are moving on your own and the remainder of the team is simply waiting for you. No matter how fast you are, when others are waiting you still feel slow. You train and train and then train some more, you compete in local, provincial and national competitions then you get to the big time; international competition. This is it, it"s your time to shine and show yourself, your sport, and the world how good you are and why you have earned the right to represent your country. All of these things can combine to put you off your game. Your confidence in your ability; Am I good enough? Should I really be here? Am I going to be an embarrassment to my team, myself, my country? Every person deals with these pressures in a slightly different way; the seasoned athlete has a system and applies what works for him or her when the time is right. If it"s your first time on the international stage or in any level of formal competition it can be overwhelming to say the least. A very important part of your training should be preparation for this part of the trip. Whether you think you"re prepared or not, employing the services of a trained Sports Psychologist will help your team deal with issues that you may not even be aware of in your daily routine. Simple dialogue in a group setting with the assistance of a neutral third party will simplify issues that others may feel important but were unwilling to discuss previously. At the very least you should be able to confirm what you already knew about yourself and whether you need to modify something for the sake of your team. Employ the services of these professionals early in your training in order to prevent wasted time, effort, and training energy.

Your trip will be filled with varied emotions; you"ll experience highs and lows, victories and defeats. You will evolve, your team will change and your experience will increase ten-fold. All the while you"ll be learning, adapting, and teaching, yes teaching, for once you become part of a team, no matter how experienced, others will seek your advise. You then find yourself in the precarious position of advising others in their endeavors, your trip continues...

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