Good Morning,

This post won’t have any videos because it’s not about any particular jump or any particular flying skills. This post is about a state of mind. A state of confidence and humility, and gratitude.

I had the privilege of watching some of the best flyers in action, and it wasn’t their flying that impressed me the most, it was their humility. The people with thousands of jumps and years of practice and training do not tout their skills. They share with kindness.

Joe Webb, Noah Bahnson, and Scotty Bob (alphabetical order, don’t read too much into the order of names). These are the guys I got to witness in action yesterday. They are people to emulate; all of them take the #1 spot in my mind.

Joe Webb shares what he learned without asking for anything in return, and he loves his mom, Lisa. I was lucky to meet her on Saturday. Joe teaches the baby birds how to fly, and I want to be more like him. His mom is so proud of him, and she sings his praises. She is also a retired veteran, and she has garnered by utmost respect. Joe took me from flying belly only, to having the courage to try a transition. I could not transition very well after just one day. I got my first experience training with Joe. He gave me the confidence to know I can eventually do it well. I got to watch him and and put what he taught me into practice over the weeks since our 1-on-1 time together. I spent the money to get a day with him. Money well spent. Joe is humble is his skills, and he spreads that humility and gives everyone around him a feeling of joy. That smile and kindness is something I will always remember. I couldn’t possibly express in words the feeling you get when you’re around him. You’ll just have to meet the man. He is the expert I turn to because he makes me comfortable in the sky. I also want to show how I’ve taken all the information he gave me and put it into practice. I want to give back to Joe. I don’t know how I could ever thank him for giving me that first bit of confidence. Train, train, train, until one day, the student becomes the master. Yeah right, I don’t imagine I could ever teach Joe anything. It will take me ten years to even be close to his level. Thank you Joe for giving me courage and confidence.

Noah Bahnson is a guy I’d never heard of until yesterday. I got to meet him and the lucky lady they share a son with (cutest kid ever, napping on canopies, smiling, and laughing the whole time). Noah’s skills go by unnoticed on the ground. In the sky, he is a sight to see. This isn’t about his skills, this is about his demeanor. I made the rookie error of telling him to watch out for me, as if he might not see me as I make all my mistakes. His humility in taking my words of caution is inspiring. He patted me on the shoulder, smiled, and told me not to worry. It was only afterwards that I realized how much he did not need my cautionary words. His humble acceptance of what I said made me shake my head and wish I were more like him. It’s less about wanting to fly like him, I want to be like him as a person. I am sitting here and laughing at myself because I did not know how kind someone with such skills could be until I met him, and I’m the dumbass that presumed. Thank you Noah for being a shining example of humility and kindness.

Last (in the alphabetical list), we have Scotty Bob. Scotty gave me courage while I flew with him yesterday. I spent the money to get coaching from him. I scheduled a couple weeks in advance because he is a busy man, and after spending the day with him, I know why. I thought I would be able to fly a little better than I could, and Scotty encouraged me to try new things. A little bit more complicated and technical each jump. We’d get to the ground, go through the videos, and then try it again. Something finally clicked. I felt the difference in the air. I felt the air. Things slowed down while we sped up. There was space between the thoughts and the maneuvers, with less time to think. I must say: I’d been doing it wrong all along. I had never truly back-flown the suit. I did yesterday. He imbued a confidence in me that didn’t exist before. It’s weird because he didn’t teach me anything, he told me how to do it, and I had to teach myself in the sky. I’m grateful for the day we spent together. Now is the time to put it into practice, and we learn by doing, not by being taught. I had courage to try a backfly slot in a 15-way flock. I never had that courage before yesterday. Let me say this: I had the courage to try. I didn’t just try, I did a transition. I did not get it, and I did not backfly that slot. I fell out and flew back to watch everyone else being awesome. I can say, I have the courage to do it again, again, again, and again, until I can finally nail it. It ain’t easy y’all. Thank you Scotty for giving me the courage and confidence to take it to the next level.

What an amazing weekend! I am truly humbled by these men. One of my favorite weekends to date. It only gets better from here. As we learn more and improve our skills, maybe, one day, we can hope to be the kind of people who share with humility and confidence. With confidence comes humility. With practice comes confidence. We must continue down this road, see where it goes, and trust it will come to us eventually.

Keep flying, keep practicing, and I hope it takes you less time than it is taking me.

Blue Skies,

WSL