Jetskiing!

A few months ago, my friend bought a new jetski. It was a really hot day and we decided to take it out to Windsor river to play around with it.

They had also bought a couple of tubes that you tie on the back for people to sit in.

I started off having a turn on the tube. I had been once before behind a boat, but never behind a jetski, so I thought that I'd give it another go.

Let me tell you, riding in those tubes is not as much fun as it looks, it is actually quite painful.

When you are being dragged along, it feels like you are being kicked continuously. It really hurts! That is, until you learn how to sit so that you're not actually touching the part of the tube that is hitting the water. 

Apart from being dragged along water that felt like concrete, I was being splashed by so much water that I couldn't open my eyes and being choked to death by the poisonous fumes of the jetski.

It wasn't so bad when the operator of the jetski was going a little slower, but the majority of the time, he wasn't.

I do feel lucky though, they did have a little more sympathy and were a little easier on me because I'm a girl. 

When it's just the guys being towed, they go so fast and are continually zigzagging across the water so that the tubes jump up in the air, and the guys try to kick each other off. 


My tube jumped up into the air a couple of times and me and the tube almost landed in my boyfriend's lap, who was in the tube next to me.


When we were finished, the owner of the jetski offered to take me for a ride on the actual jetski.


It was actually a lot more fun than I thought. I imagined the ride to be rough and thought that I'd be clinging on for dear life, but it was exactly the opposite. 


The jetski ride was so smooth and was just so much fun. It felt even safer than a speed boat ride. The jetski didn't skip on top of the water, it glided through it.

When we got back, he asked if I wanted to ride the jetski and offered to show me how. I was really keen to try it, but unfortunately, we couldn't get it started again.

A little disappointing, but there's always next time! 


Lela xx

 

My Broken Leg!

I had been riding dirt bikes for a few months, when a group of friends and I went to another friend's place at Sunny Corner near Lithgow for a motorbike riding weekend.

I still didn't have a motorbike of my own, but my friends would take turns of lending me their bikes to ride.

It had been such a great weekend and we were all having a lot of fun. It was nearing the end of the weekend and we were about to pack up to head home, when my friend and I decided to have one last ride.

We were only riding on a flat paddock, but it had been raining about half an hour beforehand.

As my friend came up behind me, we thought we'd have a little bit of a race. Not a good idea.

I hadn't been riding for very long and I was on a friend's Yamaha YZ 125 which was too big and too heavy for me. 

When I would stop, I would need to have someone there to catch me because when the bike was stationary, I couldn't reach the ground and when I did, I wasn't strong enough to hold the bike up. 

As my friend and I were racing, I was coming up way too quickly to a barbed wire fence. 

The bike started jumping around and at the time I wasn't sure what was going on. I know now that I locked up the front brake, which is a good way to lose control of the bike.

As the bike was jumping around, I went to turn and as it had been raining earlier, the grass was very slippery. 

The front wheel slipped out from under me as I went to turn and my natural reaction was to put my leg out for balance. Also a bad idea. 


When I hit the ground I knew instantly that there was something wrong. I wasn't sure what it was, all I knew was that I had hurt my leg and I started screaming.


I was only wearing a pair of jeans and  a pair of skate shoes (not very good protective gear for motorbike riding) and all I remember was ripping my leg out from under the bike by the knee of my jeans.


Everyone rushed over to make sure that I was ok and one of my friends jumped over the top of me and told me not to look at it.


He told me that I had broken my leg, but I didn't want to believe him.


Everyone started screaming out to the owners of the property to call an ambulance. That's when I knew that it was bad.


It was the worst pain that I have ever felt and the worst part was that I had to lay there for over half an hour waiting for an ambulance.


One of my mates tried to help take my mind off the pain by making wise cracks and jokes. It worked and I gave it right back to him.


When the ambulance finally got there, they gave me a big green whistle to suck on, to help relieve some of the pain and then gave me 10ml of morphine. 


After waiting for about ten minutes, they gave me another 10ml of morphine, waited ten more minutes and told me that they were about to straighten my leg, that had been bent at roughly a 45 degree angle.


I'm not sure, but I think that pain was worse than actually breaking my leg!


Once they had straightened my leg, they put me on a stretcher and put me in the ambulance.


They first took me to Bathurst hospital, where a friend of mine that lives in Bathurst met me to give me a toiletry bag that she'd prepared for me when she heard about the accident.


After being stuck waiting in a hospital bed for about half an hour and having an interview with the police, I was told that they would now need to transfer me to Orange hospital, as they didn't have the facilities there to be able to perform the operation that I needed.


Once I'd reached the hospital at Orange, I needed to wait for my operation. It had now been about four hours since I'd broken my leg.


During the operation, the surgeons had to insert a steel rod in my leg that goes from my knee to my ankle, one bolt in my knee and two in my ankle.


I now make sure that I never go riding without wearing proper motorbike boots!


Lela xx

Motorbike Riding

A couple of years ago, I was introduced to my favourite hobby, motorbike riding!

The first time I ever got on a dirt bike was at a place called Pacific Park.

I was only there to watch my friends ride, or so I thought. I started off getting doubled by my friends, then one of my mates asked if I'd like to have a turn on his bike.

I jumped at the chance because it looked like so much fun.

When I got on the bike, my friend sat behind me and showed me how to take off. After riding for a while, he jumped off. The only problem was, he didn't tell me how to stop!

After riding a short distance, I thought I'd turn around and ride back over to him, hoping that he might be able to tell me what I needed to do to stop.

When you're riding a dirt bike, it feels weightless. I had absolutely no idea how heavy they were!

As I went to turn around and ride the bike back over to my friend, I slipped in the mud. It was really thick mud too, so thick that it swallowed the whole handle grip!

So anyway, it wasn't a big fall, but as I went to pick the bike up, it wouldn't budge. It was so heavy!

So here's me, a 50kg girl, trying to lift up an 85kg motorbike that has been swallowed by ankle deep mud!

My friend came running over with his arms waving in the air. I thought he'd be upset that I'd just dropped his bike, but as he got closer I realised that he was smiling. 

"That was mad!" He yelled. He then asked if I wanted to try it again, before taking me over to the learners' track for a lesson. 


When we got to the learners' track, he gave me a set of instructions: let the clutch out slowly, while slowly twisting the throttle. So what did I do? Twist the throttle all the way and let the clutch go!


The bike kicked up on the back wheel and I was almost vertical, but luckily I somehow managed to stay on the bike.


It was a great experience and that was when I fell in love with motorbike riding.


Lela xx

















 

Skydive Three and Four!

A week after my second skydive at Wollongong, my boyfriend and I were booked in for another skydive at Picton.


We had stayed in a cabin at Tuggerah Lake the night before with a group of friends, so the morning started off pretty hectic. 


When we woke up, we scrambled to get all of our things together and piled into the car, trying to get to Picton in time for our jump.


When we got there, I saw the instructor that my boyfriend had the first time that we went skydiving. "Back again?" He asked. "Well that didn't take you very long."


We met our instructors and they quickly went over the procedure again. 


This time, I was excited for the jump. I still hadn't worked up the courage to look out the window of the plane when we were taking off though, but I wasn't nervous like the last two times that we went.


This time, my instructor and I were the second ones out of the plane.


Before we jumped, my boyfriend and I were telling our instructors that we wanted to do the course to be able to skydive solo. 

My instructor told me that when we jumped this time, if he pointed left, then I should push my left shoulder down and if he pointed right, I should push my right shoulder down. 

I wasn't sure exactly why he was telling me this, but I was about to find out. 


When we jumped out, he pointed left, so I did what he'd told me to do and pushed my left shoulder down. When I did this, we started to spin in a circle. 


When he pointed right, I pushed my right shoulder down and we span the opposite way.


When it was time to open the parachute, he let me steer it nearly the whole way down. He showed me that the harder you pull the left or right cord, the faster and steeper you turn.


As we were landing, we could see our friends down below waiting for us and taking pictures.


We enjoyed it so much, that we decided to go again, right then and there.


When the instructors came out to get us harnessed up, they couldn't believe that we were going again so soon. "You two are crazy!" They said.


This time the plane ride up was great. I was so excited that I looked out the window the whole time. 

That was the first time that I'd actually been able to look out the window from take off because funny enough, I'm actually afraid of heights!


My fourth skydive was definitely the best one that I have done so far! I can't wait to go again!


Lela xx

Skydive the Beach

So about two weeks after my first skydive, we were booked in to go again, this time at Skydive the Beach, Wollongong.

The drive down to Wollongong wasn't looking very promising, as the sky was grey with clouds and if it had started to rain, then our skydive would have been cancelled.

Luckily after driving for about half an hour, the sky had cleared up and it actually turned out to be a really nice day.

When we got there, we walked into the office to let them know that we were there.

After being given a group number, we got sent around the side of the building to wait our turn.

When they called out our group number, we all walked over to an area out the back and were asked to pick a jumpsuit, goggles and a pair of gloves.

A few minutes later, our skydiving instructors came out to greet us, strap us into our harnesses and give us a quick tutorial on the procedure.

After about ten minutes, our bus had arrived and we were ready to head out to the plane.

After a 20 minute bus ride to our destination, we had finally arrived.

I was slightly less nervous than last time, but was still freaking out a little.

We stopped for a few photos in front of the plane, before piling in.

The plane started up and off we went. The incline in this plane was much steeper than the last and I was trying my hardest not to slide off the seat.

After about fifteen minutes in the air, we were almost ready to go.

In the plane with us, were a mother and daughter, who I could see were freaking out.

I smiled at them and told them that I had felt the exact same way, just two weeks earlier and tried to assure them that they had nothing to worry about. 

The instructor opened up the roller door and I watched the first two couples fall over the edge. 


Once they were out, it was my turn. We slid over to the door and the instructor had me dangling over the edge for what felt like forever!


After about half a minute, we finally fell. I was so glad that my instructor had told me to keep my jacket on because it was absolutely FREEZING!!


After a 60 minute free fall, the parachute opened and we floated down over the beaches of Wollongong. The view was fantastic.


When we reached the ground we were told that our videos would take about half an hour, so my friends and I decided to head to a nearby bar to get some cocktails while we waited.


Although the view at Wollongong was beautiful, the staff at Picton seemed to be a lot warmer and took the extra time to make their customers feel at ease. Still another great experience though!

Lela xx

 

 

 

 

 

Skydiving:

Approximately five months ago I found a new love of mine... skydiving!


It was something that I had always wanted to do, I just never actually took the time to organise to go out and do it... until my friend at the time (who is now my boyfriend) asked me if I wanted to go out and do it with him.


I was extremely excited and a little nervous, as I am afraid of heights! Yeah, I know what you're thinking... if I'm so afraid of heights, why the hell would I want to go skydiving? I was thinking the same thing myself!


When a couple of our other friends found out that we had plans to go, they asked if they could come with us. The more, the merrier I always say!


For the whole week before our booking, I was so excited and I was really looking forward to it... until the actual day arrived!


I woke up that morning feeling sick to my stomach. My mouth was dry, my palms were sweaty and I felt like I wanted to be sick. I was really scared. I spent the whole morning apologising to my friends. I had convinced myself already that I wasn't going to go through with it.


Needless to say, my friends were a little disappointed. No one could believe that I was backing out. They told me the whole way to Picton that I was the last person that they had expected to back out, as I am usually the most adventurous, and I am usually up for anything.


When we got there, I was still convinced that I was only going to watch. My friends kept trying to talk me into it, but I was having no part of it... even though I was filling out all of the paperwork and waiver forms anyway!


That's right, I was literally filling out my paperwork apologising to my friends and telling everyone that I wasn't going to do it!


The woman at the front desk overheard me talking about how I was only there to watch and that I couldn't go through with it. She came over and told me that she had seen so many people in the same situation and that I would regret it if I didn't do it. She assured me that she would give me an extremely reliable instructor that would take very good care of me. I still wasn't convinced.


One by one my friends were greeted by their instructors, and taken to change into their suits, and to do a quick tutorial on the procedure. Then my instructor came out.


By now, I had agreed to go up for the plane ride, but that was it! I was still convinced that I just couldn't jump. I thought it was brave enough of me to even get into that tiny little plane!


My instructor's name was Mick Hill, and he was so nice. He made me feel completely at ease. Maybe even like I might go through with the skydive after all.


He started off by asking me what I was most afraid of. I looked at him puzzled, and replied "Um.. jumping out of a plane!" He started to explain to me that the plane that they had was brand new and that there was nothing at all wrong with it, which was when I wondered why anyone would want to jump out of a perfectly good plane!


Before I could say anything else, he told me that if I was worried that the parachute wasn't going to open, that I shouldn't worry as we had two parachutes.


If I didn't like that feeling that you get on a rollercoaster where your stomach drops, I shouldn't worry as you don't get that feeling from skydiving.


If I was afraid of heights, I shouldn't worry about it, as you are too high up for your brain to comprehend.


By now, I really had no arguments left as to why I shouldn't do it, even though I was still terrified!


He took me through to the next room where there was a rack of blue and red jumpsuits. He handed me one that he thought would be my size, and told me to put it on over my clothes. He told me that I should leave my jacket on as skydiving can get very cold.


Once I was in my jumpsuit, he took me over to a poster that shows all of the skydiving procedures.


He showed me the pictures and explained what each one meant. He then got me to copy his movements to make sure that I was clear on what I had to do.


After our tutorial, it was time to head out to the plane. Even though I had changed into the jumpsuit and harness and had received all of my instructions on jumping out of the plane, I still wasn't sure that I was going to do it.


Our instructors started filming us, and we headed over to the plane. As we were walking over to the plane, Mick asked me if there was anything that I wanted to say to my family and friends. I looked into the camera and told my family and friends that I loved them. I was convinced that I was going to die.


We all piled into the plane and got ready to take off. The plane was so loud, very small, and had no seats. We sat on the floor and one of the instructors closed the door. The door was nothing but this dodgy-looking, flimsy, little roller door. I thought for sure that someone was going to get thrown against it, and was going to break through it and fall to their death. I'm so optimistic aren't I?


As the plane took off, and we got further away from the ground, I made sure not to look out the window. I literally stared at the ground the whole time, while still trying to look happy, relaxed, and positive in front of the camera. I'm not sure if it really worked.


After flying for five minutes, the pilot called out that we had ten minutes to go. Then five minutes to go, then three minutes to go. My mouth was so dry that I could hardly breathe.


At three minutes to go, I had to sit pretty much on the instructor's lap while he connected my harness to his. He then handed me a pair of goggles, and asked me to put them on.


Once the three minutes was up, and we were fourteen thousand feet up in the air, the pilot called out that it was time to jump. The flimsy roller door was opened, and my friend (now boyfriend) Mat was first out of the plane. I watched him fall and took a deep breath... I knew my turn was coming!


I watched a pair of solo skydivers jump, before getting shuffled to the edge. I looked over at my friend Sarah, as if almost pleading with her to save my life and stop me from falling.


The only thought that I had in my head at the time was that at least if I was going to die, it would hopefully be nice and quick.


I sat on the edge of the plane and remembered my instructions. I tucked my legs underneath the plane, and crossed my arms over my chest, with both hands on my shoulders.


After falling for a couple of seconds, I felt my instructor tap me on the shoulder. I took my hands off my shoulders, spread my arms and bent my legs back.


It was about now that I was having the time of my life! The view from that height is absolutely incredible, and the instructors were right, you are falling so fast that it doesn't even feel like you are falling. It almost felt like we were floating, and the instructor was doing this thing where he pushes one of his shoulders down, and you spin around in a circle. He then pushes his opposite shoulder down, and you spin the opposite way.


The wind is so cold, and the air is rushing past you so fast that you almost feel like you can't breathe.


After a full minute of freefall, Mick opened the parachute and told me that I could take off my goggles. When the parachute opened, I felt a huge jolt. It almost felt like we had come to a complete stop.


By this point, I couldn't stop laughing. I was having so much fun! Then Mick started to point out the city. We could see the Harbour Bridge, Centrepoint Tower and even the city of Wollongong. It was just funny to think that we were so far away from everything, yet we could see it all so clearly.


After a couple of minutes, Mick handed me some straps, and told me that I was now controlling and steering the parachute. He showed me how to turn left and right by pulling down on either the left or right strap, and how to slow down by pulling on both straps at the same time. He also showed me that if you pull down left or right hard enough, you start to go into a tight spin, which feels like you are falling again. A little scary now that we were a lot closer to the ground.


Everything underneath us looked so small. It almost didn't look real. Even the plane that we had just jumped out of (that was now sitting back on the runway) looked tiny! I asked Mick how high we were, and he told me that we were only at about four hundred feet (about the height of Centrepoint Tower).


As we got closer to the ground, I felt my straps getting looser. I started freaking out a little and asked Mick what he was doing. He laughed and told me that he needed to loosen my straps a little, so that we could land.


A couple of minutes later, Mick told me to lift my legs, almost like I was sitting on an imaginary chair.


We were approaching the ground so quickly, that I was actually surprised at how smooth the landing was. Mick pulled down on the parachute straps, and we came sliding across the ground.


I couldn't believe it, I was still alive, still in one piece, and I had the time of my life! Mick gave me a high-five, and my friends came running over to give me a hug. Everyone kept telling me how proud they were of me for facing my fears, and conquering them. Even the lady in the office came out and shook my hand!


I was so proud of myself and so glad that I went through with it. I definitely would have regret it if I didn't do it, and I definitely wouldn't have realised what I was missing out on!


We waited around for about ten minutes so that we could collect our footage, and our certificates. I couldn't help but smile when I got my certificate, as the lady at the front desk had written a huge 'Well done' on my certificate.


We all enjoyed it so much that about an hour after we left, we called Sydney skydivers and were going to go again that day. The only reason that we didn't, was the fact that it was about 11.45 and their last jump was at 12pm. Little did we know that we would be going again in two weeks time...

Lela xx