Camera step, Eileen on rear float ready to get the shot (sans GoPro) exitting a Twin Otter over Skydive Perris.
Eileen before her first tandem jump. (Left) Eileen on her AFF Level 1 skydive with instructor Greg to her left. (Right)
Eileen on her AFF Level 1 skydive at Skydive Perris.
Eileen on her AFF Level 6 skydive conducting an unstable exit.
At Nationals in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Eileen on a 4-way skydive belly formation.
Eileen with her 16-way pickup team at USA Nationals.
Inside Skydiving: One Woman's Journey From Terrified to Nationals
You ever meet someone whose story grabs you by the rig and doesn’t let go? That’s Eileen.
When she first showed up at the dropzone, you’d never guess where this was going. She was nervous—like, white-knuckle, please-don’t-let-me-die nervous. The kind of fear that makes people turn around before even getting on the plane.
But Eileen? She didn’t turn around.
She climbed in anyway.
12 tandem jumps before beginning her solo-certification.
570 solo skydives later, she's competing for USA Skydiving Nationals.
12 TANDEMS AND TERRIFIED
When Eileen first started coming around the drop zone I was working at, I honestly thought she’d be a forever tandem student.
Once she started racking up tandems, though, her familiar face made her a bit of a mascot—and a target (in the good way) for the ladies on staff. Every time she came by, my female coworker would say the same thing:
“Come on, Eileen! Just do the Accelerated Freefall Course already!”
She’d tease, “By now, you could’ve already finished the AFF program—it’s only seven jumps!”
But Eileen felt safer being strapped to a pro. And hey, that’s okay. We weren’t gonna let her procrastinate the best thing in the world forever.
12 Tandem Skydives later, Eileen signed up for program and it was go time!
SKYDIVING LICENCE: LFG!
AFF—the skydiving licence, the big leagues, the true test of passion (and patience). This is where I really got to know Eileen.
She juggled it all—nursing shifts, early call times, and a whole lot of learning at terminal velocity. But once we stopped holding on to her in freefall, that’s when things got spicy.
Her biggest challenge? Heading control. She’d turn... and then just keep turning.
At 5’2” and 115 lbs soaking wet, Eileen didn’t have much skydiving gear made for her size. She thought everyone fought with oversized rigs and loose leg straps. She figured she just had to tough it out.
And tough she was—she failed Level 4 seven times.
Did she quit? Not a chance. She kept showing up until she earned her licence after 40 jumps.
But surprise! Eileen’s skydiving journey was just heating up.
Want to learn more about earning your skydiving licence?
TOO SMALL, TOO SOLO: WELCOME TO GEN POP
After earning her A licence, Eileen hit a wall—the general population wall.
Suddenly, her 100-pound weight difference became a big problem on group jumps. She’d exit the plane, look around mid-freefall, and realize... she was alone. Not emotionally—literally. No one could fly with her.
Small lady. Dude-dominated skies. Not exactly a dream combo.
So she pivoted—Eileen started jumping with coaches and instructors like me. But as she puts it now:
“You guys were just clearly adjusting to me all the time.”
She wasn’t wrong. She wasn’t flying with peers—she was flying around pros.
The big breakthrough? FreshMeet Boogie at Skydive Perris.
A game-changer event for skydivers with under 100 jumps, it’s designed to match newer jumpers with experienced load organizers for safe, structured, super-fun group jumps. Suddenly, she wasn’t the outlier anymore—she was part of a crew. People her level. People she could actually fly with.
That event cracked the door wide open:
Skydiving friendships. Peers. Community. Confidence.
Eileen credits Cathy Coon as one of the key friendships she made—someone who helped her navigate the scary post-licence free-for-all that is general population skydiving.
After Fresh Meet, things really took off—especially once Eileen started getting coaching from Christy Frikken (yes, that Christy Frikken).
World-class instructor, total badass, and honestly? Just really Frikken awesome.
Christy’s Fury Coaching became a game-changer. Eileen describes it like this:
“It’s like Pringles… once you start, you can’t stop.”
Skydiving skills? Leveled up. Confidence? Boosted. Fun factor? Off the charts.
Getting coached by Christy is like winning a golden ticket—but instead of chocolate, you get better exits and tighter formations.
And what kept her coming back?
“Meeting great people along the way.”
That’s what fueled her stoke and kept her climbing.
FLOATY TO FIERCE
Talking with Eileen, there were a few key things that really stuck with me.
In the beginning, she was embarrassed—not just about being new, but about being small and floaty. Compared to her peers, she felt like a feather in a wind tunnel. But she was also self-conscious about wearing a weight belt—you know, like scuba divers use—to help her fall faster and keep up with the big boys.
So what did she do? She trained.
Hard.
Eileen committed to improving her fall rate the natural way—deeper arching, tighter suits, and smarter bodyflight. She spent time in the sky and the indoor wind tunnel, dialing in every move.
And something amazing happened:
Her fall rate improved—but so did everything else.
All that focused time on technique made her an all-around stronger skydiver. Last year, she competed at the US Nationals in Raleigh, North Carolina on a 16-way pickup team. And this year?
She’s been invited to compete again—this time on a team with none other than Christy Frikken as part of Team Perris Byte.
From struggling to stay with the group, to being invited to fly with the best. That’s not just progression—it’s absolute transformation fueled by her own motivation to be better.
EILEEN'S FAVORITE SKYDIVE
Eileen’s journey wasn’t just about overcoming fear and learning to fly—it’s also been ridiculously fun. Here are just a few of the unforgettable (and sometimes chaotic) moments she’s racked up along the way:
1. 16-Way at US Nationals
She went from struggling to hold heading to holding grips in a full-blown 16-way formation at Nationals. No big deal. Just casually leveling up like a boss.
2. 36-Way Formation at a P3 Big Way Camp
Eileen joined a P3 event to learn big-way basics, and walked away having completed a 36-person formation—yes, THIRTY-SIX people holding hands in the sky. That’s some "sky-friendship bracelet" energy right there.
3. The Crazy Epic (CRepic) Jump
Okay, this one? Pure chaos. A bunch of us gave Eileen a dive flow… then completely changed it once she exited.
We took turns “hot-potato-ing” her through the sky—grabbing legs, punching stands, tossing her between us like our favorite tiny skydiving toy.
Spoiler: I grabbed her leg mid-air, stood her up, and yeeted her into the next grip like a proud sky-mom. 10/10, would toss again.
4. The Wingsuit Rodeo
Imagine the Aladdin carpet ride, but in a wingsuit at 12,500 feet. That’s the Wingsuit Rodeo. Eileen rode a wingsuit out of the plane, hopped off mid-air, and then both she and the wingsuiter deployed their parachutes. Straight-up sky magic.
5. The First Fruitloop
If you know, you know. That moment when someone grabs your hands, punches a standfly, and sends you soaring over their shoulders like a majestic, slightly confused flying squirrel.
Eileen’s first fruitloop was the classic rite of passage into Gen Pop—and yes, she flew like a champ.