Well, this year sure has started with a bang!
MooWings at Skydive Oz was epically good fun. Wingsuiters of varying experience and wingsuits descended from all over the country for two days of awesomeness coached by legendary skydive and base jumper, the one and only Chris ‘Douggs’ McDougall and the current world wingsuit speed champion Tahi Paul Monroe. These guys are absolute legends and it was amazing having them share their skills and knowledge with us all.
That being said the weather on Saturday did suck, at least to start with. The cloud base was exactly at the wrong height which kept all of us on the ground. But, we didn’t let that dampen our spirits. Instead, we took advantage of the down time to grab a coffee and sat down Douggs and Tahi for some Q&A.
It was pretty inspiring listening to these two talk about their different pathways through skydiving and to listen to their current journeys. There was definitely and old school / new school vibe going on which was super interesting especially as technology becomes more and more critical in improving performance. It also made me realise just how much commitment, dedication and passion these two legends have given over the years to get them to the top of their respective games. Truly humbling to listen to.
The sun struggled to break through the clouds throughout the day, although there was enough ground visibility for Tahi to take the more experienced group on a couple of jumps in the afternoon.
Douggs on the other hand took the rest of us for some belly jumps and despite the very sensible briefing they quickly descended it some epically fun zoo jumps.
But, let’s talk about the good stuff – Sunday’s jumps. It was a cracking day – blue skies and sparkling sunshine. I can’t vouch for the progression that the more experienced group made but from the stream of “F*ck yeahs” and “That was epic” on the packing mats, I guess it was going more than okay.
As for us small suit guys, well Dave Dobbins jumped on the coaching roster and jumped with me for the day helping me with my body position to compensate for my pork chop fat arse falling like a brick flying style. Along with some tips from Tahi I ended making a heap of progression although the amount of core work I’m going to have to put in to really make it work is going to be insane. I might even end up with a six pack. Tahi joined us for a jump at the end of the day which was bloody awesome. Five of us in our slots and then Tahi just spiralling around me as I turned the gas on for break off. Totally epic.
And that was the end of the camp! Well kinda. The weather stayed awesome, so a few of us stayed on for an extra day of jumps on Monday. Absolutely perfect conditions and a great chance to put into practise everything I’d learned over the weekend. Still don’t have my back transitions totally nailed but I’m getting there ever so slowly.
All in all it was a magic few days. A really friendly fun crew all supporting each other progression and awesomeness.
A massive thanks to the Moruya Skydivers Club, Skydive Oz and, of course, Douggs and Tahi for such an epic few days. I’ve already got a follow up event in the works so keep an eye out for it.
PS if you want to see Tahi showing off, click here.
