PAWS from a PLANE a success...in more ways than one...

 I am safely home after a successful jump on Sunday! It's honestly very difficult to explain how I felt throughout the various stages of the event. But, there was never a moment when I thought of "chickening" out...I was doing it, no question. I remember feeling nauseous from the tiny little plane ride up to about 1500 feet. After that, the climb to just over 9000 feet was calm and scenic - mainly due to my instructor Ken talking in my ear and showing me the sights around Gimli. It was very uncomfortable in the plane - now that I think about it, maybe purposefully, because who would want to remain crammed in there like that? ;) Jay, the videographer, started videoing right away and I vaguely recall saying how I was feeling and answering that I was "ready to jump out of a perfectly good airplane" (love the move Point Break, by the way)! There was some uncomfortable and less-than-graceful shifting that took place, Jay jumped out and flew like a flying squirrel (I'd say bird, but his flight suit had "wings" like a flying squirrel) and immediately, it was my turn to quickly shimmy into place, get into jump position and fall - HEAD FIRST (OMG) out of the plane with Ken strapped tightly to my back! Yes, the whole thing started with a summersault into the wild blue yonder! I remember the cold air (it's cold up there folks!), feeling the force of the air fighting against gravity, Ken correcting my positioning (it's hard to think of anything up there, even though you've practiced a few times), and quickly (after about 30 seconds) getting into "canopy" mode (essentially the time when your shoot deploys and you find yourself silently floating through the air...wondering if you're dreaming or if this is really happening. The two inch drop that occurs when the instructor unclips two of the restraints and you go from falling at about 120 km to 20 km in a matter of seconds, was not as jolting as people have said. I recall being mesmerized with the blue of it all and I started to relax and enjoy the view. Still, my stomach was reminding me of all of the stress and anxiety - along with the small fact that I seemed to forget...that I suffer from motion sickness. :( Ironically, my body decided to remind me of this around the time that Ken showed me how to do turns with the parachute. "AHHHHHHH!!! NOooooo! Don't throw up, don't throw up!" - became the "mantra" that I was chanting in my head. I think we did one radical turn and a couple of smaller more gentle ones and it was time to practice landing. Yes, folks...this is all happening in the air as your concentrating on what the instructor is telling/showing you , not screwing up so that you kill you both AND for me, trying not to get sick. Top that off with the fact that it seems to happen quicker than you can blink and it's one heck of a ride! The landing went way smoother than I anticipated (with many thanks to Ken's expertise), and I didn't feel as though the "ground was rushing towards me" as some have explained. From there is was just unhooking from Ken, catching my breath, trying to recover from the nausea and trying to explain to my smiling family (including my 96 year old Baba who surprised me by being there for my landing) and new friends what it was like. It took about 30 mins for me to get my "land feet" back and feel grounded again. After showing gratitude to my instructor, the pilot and Jay for all of their support and expertise, I did a quick interview with The Interlake Spectator, who came out for a follow-up article interview (should be in this Thursday's edition). Would I do it again...? At this point, I'm still unsure. Am I regretful, NO WAY! This event started with a simple idea to combine a bucket list, fear challenge with animal advocacy. It's been 6 months since I started planning it and it's been a heck of a ride just getting to jump day! I've learned soooo much from every detail and every stage of the project that it would be hard to list it all. What I will say, is that even though I haven't met my personal fundraising goal as yet (I will continue to accept donations until October 9, 2015), I am proud of what I managed to create and execute over the last 6 months. Every detail was considered carefully - including a last minute event t-shirt creation!
I would like to thank the following people for their overwhelming support and belief in this event: My jump partner, friend and colleague Lorrie (who agreed to this crazy adventure and saw it through despite fear and doubt); my wonderful parents (who I realized as I landed that I am solely responsible for aging - due to my risk taking behaviours and stubborn will); my awesome boyfriend (who grounds me, calms me and without question, supports me in my crazy adventures); my grandmother ("Baba" who was surprisingly supportive and calm...AFTER asking if I was "crazy"); Kim and Greg from Winnipeg Lost Dog Alert (for your promotion, support and for coming out to the event); my dear friends ( who contributed donations, printed posters, and gave advice and encouragement); Lee Wilcox of The Little Doghouse (for your support and promotion); Michael Lazer of Lakeview Resort and Suites (for your support and generosity); Glen Hallick and staff of The Interlake Spectator (for coming out and for the media coverage) and last but certainly not least...Ken, Brian, Jay and Dick of Skydive Manitoba for your professionalism, expertise and patience with all of the chaos and drama over the weekend. Finally, a huge "Thank You" to all of you who donated to the event, shared posts via Facebook and Twitter, talked to people about the event, came out on jump day, and tolerated all of my rash of updates. As mentioned, I will continue to accept donations for the next two weeks via GoFundMe , in-person donation and cheques to the organizations so there's still time if you were waiting for the jump to actually happen!! ;)
Thanks to everyone....WE DID THIS!!! :) Pics/Video coming soon....
 
Kerissa Cymbaluk