Martin Martinez

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Martin’s Story

Hi, my name is Martin and I’m 30 years old. How did I get into skydiving? For the last 10 years, I have been working in the kitchen – they’re busy places, with long hours and lots of nerves. I was looking for positive energy and a new experience and I eventually found this with my first tandem jump.

I immediately knew I wanted to skydive lots, so I enrolled in an AFF course. With every jump, I became more and more hungry of being in the sky. After one month, I noticed an ad on Facebook. Skydive Hibaldstow was running a program for young skydivers called “Earn&Learn”. As a young skydiver straight after AFF, I thought this was my big chance!

Skydive Hibaldstow is a big drop zone with plenty of work, knowledge, good staff and experience. So, after 5 months of waiting and 2 days of qualification, I’m in. I was feeling like a winner of the golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory!

The Start

During my first few days of work at dropzone, I was asking myself what I can I expect from Skydive Hibaldstow? The answer was simply, knowledge and experience. I have great instructors with lots of experience. In no time at all, I had gained my CH1 qualification (Canopy Handling). Having a good knowledge of how canopy works and how I can be safe flying it is imperative.

Andy Pointer, another instructor, showed me how the British Parachute Association teaches and how to pass that knowledge on to the students. Because of that, I started to feel like a real skydiver and I see myself in the industry.

Experience

I’ve been working here 2 weeks now and I am already jumping lots with Ash. He’s also an amazing instructor and he explained to me many things and emphasizes the importance of “relax and be safe”. Skydiving is not a competition, it’s not a fashion week in Milan. Everything in this sport is about being safe.

After those jumps, I really increased my skills. In freefall, I’m feeling more relaxed and I’ve made some big progress. There is still so much to learn, but I’m a part of a team Skydive Hibaldstow and I see a bright future here. The future is in my hands now and it won’t be long until I achieve my B-license yeah.