Practice, practice, practice

So far, so good.

While I haven't gotten the final confirmation email or seen the competitor's list on their website, there's a good chance I'm in:

Vertigo

Geez . . . . ALL of the best acro pilots in the world will be there. Pretty intimidating when I think about it. Luckily, I'll have someone to look out for me as one of my Ozone teammates is Felix Rodriguez, who, with his brother Raul, pretty much created acro paragliding and are still the Godfathers of this sport. If all I get from this experience is the opportunity to fly and compete with other acro pilots around the world, while at the same time, learn a few things from Felix, it'll be well worth the hundreds of thousands I spent with the O'Connors since '06 . . . . kidding.

So, it's just practice, practice, practice any chance I get. Earlier in the week, the wind was perfect for me to fly my 6907 and get refills off the Green Monster (south-facing green cliff above Walkers) for over 2 hours. I must've attempted 30 - 35 helicos in that time to help get me more dialed on that wing. Of the 30 some-odd attempts, I think I did 3-4 perfect helicos, which isn't a great percentage but that's what practice is for. (Just because the wing is spinning overhead doesn't mean it's a helicopter - it must be completely open with no oscillations to be one.)

I love doing helicopters because it's one of the most difficult tricks to master due to the different elements involved (like perfecting the parachutal stall if you helico from trim). While tumbling is more dynamic and scary because of the chance of falling into the glider, it's much "easier" IMO than doing helicopters. While the former tests your timing and outright guts, the latter tests your feel, finesse, and technique.

In paraglding and in life, who wouldn't want to improve on those?