A Valentines Day to Remember
Task 4
Driving up to launch, I was psyching myself up for a better day. The clouds were looking good and I was ready to set a new personal best. I was excited.
At launch the people who got airborne right away were generally staying up, and some were making a run for it right off the bat. I set up, and after having to move my gear 3 times to different launch sites because of slight wind direction changes, I was finally ready to go. A couple guys went for it, and although not high, they were maintaining. Those of us ready to go were biding our time, knowing full well that in Manilla, it’s easy to bomb out. Picking the right time to launch can be crucial and staying in whatever lift you’re presented with, even moreso.
I fiddled with my glider a bit, and decided that waiting any longer was silly. I was loaded up on ballast, 5kg’s in the front and 2kg’s in the back, ready for a big day. A puff of wind came, and as it did, I reverse launched, and started running down the hill. My glider started to get low, so I accelerated and leaned forward when I suddenly tripped a bit on the carpet and as my ballast was hanging low, down I tumbled. I came to a nice stop with my glider on the side, and as I disconnected my flightdeck/ballast bag and dragged it to the side, I could feel something wasn’t right. I took off my boot, and there it was: a nice swollen ankle. Shit!
The paramedic came, and after stabilizing my ankle and foot, I was carried off into our retrieve vehicle and driven to the Manilla hospital. After some xrays and a quick consultation with a doctor, and a total of 3 hours later, the diagnosis was in: sprained ankle. Not fun.
---------------
So, today is my first full day doing nothing. My ankle is still really swollen and black and blue and I can’t walk on it, so I’m on crutches… Everyone around me has been really great, taking care of me, and fetching this or that as I get to be the baby of the group. Attention is nice, but I wish the circumstances were different!
Yesterday pilots flew 100 and even 200k’s – amazing! I heard of a couple personal bests, and I’m happy for those pilots. Today seems much of the same as again, conditions out here in Manilla look really good. Obviously I’m really bummed that I can’t fly, but what do you do?
The Bright 3-2-1 competition is in just over a week, and I NEED to fly in it. I’m going to take it easy for the next few days, and if the swelling goes down as planned, I will fly again shortly…
Emotionally I don’t think I’ve ever been put to the test so much: constant rumours, alienation and now this, is driving me a bit nuts. I’m happy with the flying out here, but almost nothing else, so it’s been hard. Who I am is constantly questioned, and as I don’t apologize for this or what I do (unless justified), I’m getting tired of the whole situation. I’m certainly tempted to give in and just go home, but hmmmm, that’s not something I think I should have to resort to. Jealousy is a terrible thing.
One pilot summed it up nicely by saying that chaos follows me everywhere. Maybe she’s right, but I never have been one to give up or give in easily, so I’ll try to continue to roll with the punches and push forward – bunk ankle or not.
Driving up to launch, I was psyching myself up for a better day. The clouds were looking good and I was ready to set a new personal best. I was excited.
At launch the people who got airborne right away were generally staying up, and some were making a run for it right off the bat. I set up, and after having to move my gear 3 times to different launch sites because of slight wind direction changes, I was finally ready to go. A couple guys went for it, and although not high, they were maintaining. Those of us ready to go were biding our time, knowing full well that in Manilla, it’s easy to bomb out. Picking the right time to launch can be crucial and staying in whatever lift you’re presented with, even moreso.
I fiddled with my glider a bit, and decided that waiting any longer was silly. I was loaded up on ballast, 5kg’s in the front and 2kg’s in the back, ready for a big day. A puff of wind came, and as it did, I reverse launched, and started running down the hill. My glider started to get low, so I accelerated and leaned forward when I suddenly tripped a bit on the carpet and as my ballast was hanging low, down I tumbled. I came to a nice stop with my glider on the side, and as I disconnected my flightdeck/ballast bag and dragged it to the side, I could feel something wasn’t right. I took off my boot, and there it was: a nice swollen ankle. Shit!
The paramedic came, and after stabilizing my ankle and foot, I was carried off into our retrieve vehicle and driven to the Manilla hospital. After some xrays and a quick consultation with a doctor, and a total of 3 hours later, the diagnosis was in: sprained ankle. Not fun.
---------------
So, today is my first full day doing nothing. My ankle is still really swollen and black and blue and I can’t walk on it, so I’m on crutches… Everyone around me has been really great, taking care of me, and fetching this or that as I get to be the baby of the group. Attention is nice, but I wish the circumstances were different!
Yesterday pilots flew 100 and even 200k’s – amazing! I heard of a couple personal bests, and I’m happy for those pilots. Today seems much of the same as again, conditions out here in Manilla look really good. Obviously I’m really bummed that I can’t fly, but what do you do?
The Bright 3-2-1 competition is in just over a week, and I NEED to fly in it. I’m going to take it easy for the next few days, and if the swelling goes down as planned, I will fly again shortly…
Emotionally I don’t think I’ve ever been put to the test so much: constant rumours, alienation and now this, is driving me a bit nuts. I’m happy with the flying out here, but almost nothing else, so it’s been hard. Who I am is constantly questioned, and as I don’t apologize for this or what I do (unless justified), I’m getting tired of the whole situation. I’m certainly tempted to give in and just go home, but hmmmm, that’s not something I think I should have to resort to. Jealousy is a terrible thing.
One pilot summed it up nicely by saying that chaos follows me everywhere. Maybe she’s right, but I never have been one to give up or give in easily, so I’ll try to continue to roll with the punches and push forward – bunk ankle or not.
posted by Veronica at 12:54 AM
1 Comments:
Hey Veronica,
Your integrity was obvious last summer in Golden, and you have a pile of homepeople who think well of you, so you just stay you.
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