Skydive Spaceland is happy to offer our famous Transitions Program to support newly licensed jumpers with free coaching, no matter what skydiving school trained you. Learn more about this program in this open letter from our Transitions Program Leader, Valerie Marvin of The Ratings Center!
Welcome to our sport and family!
Congratulations on graduating from Skydive Spaceland’s student program and earning your USPA A License! You have accomplished something most only dream of doing. So you might be asking yourself, “What’s next?” Mentor jumps! That’s what’s next.
What is it?
Skydive Spaceland’s Transitions Mentor Program offers free small-group coaching (yes, you read that right, FREE) for skydivers with fewer than 100 skydives, regardless of what skydiving school trained you. Every weekend, USPA-rated coaches provide coaching for you and up to two other new skydivers per jump. This continues your skydiving education with an experienced mentor to help you maximize your learning and video your skydives for even more learning.
This program is a great way to learn about flying with other skydivers and meet other jumpers from newly licensed ones like yourself to coaches with hundreds or thousands of jumps. No matter what discipline you want to get into, developing strong skills and awareness in your first 100 skydives can greatly accelerate your pursuit of those advanced skills as you progress. Some of our favorite formation skydivers, freeflyers, canopy pilots, and mentors developed their skydiving foundations with the mentor program.
Is it right for me?
Do you have an A license and fewer than 100 jumps? Then YES! The mentor program is designed for jumpers just like you. Sometimes we find that newly licensed jumpers feel a little “lost” once they’re no longer under one-on-one instructor supervision. We are here to help you find your way in the sport by developing skills, knowledge, and relationships.
But I don’t fly well…
Define “well”–you fly! And that’s more than most of the world can say. 🙂 Seriously though, we understand and that’s the point. We all started here! The program is designed to help you develop the skills and confidence you’ll need to jump on more challenging skydives. For each mentor jump, you will be matched up with a mentor who will cater to your skill set. Once you are ready, we’ll add other new jumpers to refine your group skills. We will help you fly better while having a lot of fun together.
But why do you want to do that for me?
We want you to skydive safely and have fun! There was a lot to learn during your student program, and we want to help you build on that. Besides, we enjoy getting to pass on our knowledge and help you grow as a skydiver. There’s a special energy that comes with helping someone learn to fly better!
When can I jump with a mentor?
We have mentors available every weekend at Skydive Spaceland. Each weekend we focus on what you need/want to work on to become a better skydiver. One weekend a month, we have themed “Transitions Events.” These events focus on particular skills, with a few of the events being mini competitions with other new skydivers. Transitions events focus on things like canopy skills and coaching, 3-way speed star or formation skydiving, side sliding, fall rate, and more. See Spaceland’s Facebook events for more information!
Who are the mentors?
Mentors range in experience from 200 to thousands of skydives. We use USPA Coach-rated skydivers to teach you group freefall skills. These guys and gals will be jumping with you while wearing video cameras similar to STP instructors, so make sure you bring a thumb drive for your videos. Here are a few of our awesome mentors!
How do I sign up?
You’ll find a white board hanging outside the south packing room door. It will have pictures and/or names of the day’s mentors each weekend day. Write your first and last name on the board and your jump number, and a mentor will come find you. Keep an eye out for the mentor(s) of the day and introduce yourself if you see them first!
Is there a fee?
The only cost for a mentor jump is your jump ticket (and rig rental if needed). The mentor’s slots are covered by Skydive Spaceland.
Where do I find the schedule of events?
Check out Spaceland’s events calendar on Facebook! It has information on all events including Transitions ones.
We look forward to flying with you this weekend!
Valerie and DJ Marvin
Transitions Program Leaders