JUMP!

I made an astonishing discovery last night: I really like jumping. Like... a lot.
There's something inherently scary about jumping with an apparatus (like skates or skis) on your feet. It's kind of weird when you think about it. We jump all the time on our feet - it's no big deal - but add wheels and whoa! I start freaking out before my feet ever leave the ground. Add the prospect of jumping over an actual object and it's enough to want to quit before even really trying to learn how.
The problem is that skaters who CAN jump (and I mean the ones who can really jump) look so freaking cool that I'm drawn again and again to the skill. I want to be able to jump the apex. I want to jump over a downed skater. I want to be able to do 180s or 360s just for the hell of it. So for anyone who's interested, this has been the course of my progression in jumping so far:
1.) Back when the thing I really wanted to be able to do was just pass the WFTDA minimum of jumping over a 3 inch object, I used to just jump in place. I'd do 10 jumps in place, then skate around, then 10 more jumps in place. If you're really freaked about it, do it on carpet first. It's nice to break down the skill so that all you're trying to do is land with all eight wheels on the ground. You can jump or hop as much or as little as you want.
2.) When I started jumping while rolling, I didn't jump over anything except a line on the ground. I used to just do laps at open skate with one jump halfway around each lap until I got too tired to keep doing it.
3.) At some point, you have to jump OVER something. I have these very low profile cones that I bought at Sports Authority for $10. (I hate that store. I can't go in there without spending $100). They're basically indestructible and if you do land on them, you'll keep rolling.  First it was jumping over a single line of them.  Then a double line, then triple, etc. Now I can do about 7 in a row.
4.)  At this point, someone mentioned to me that you should absorb the shock of the jump when you land by bending your knees into it when you land.  Basically, it shouldn't sound too loud.  Common sense?  Sure - but I was so busy trying not to eat it that I hadn't thought about it.
5.)  These days I'm jumping over my gym bag.  It's empty and soft so if I do land on it, no big deal, but it puffs up to be about a foot tall. 
Basically I think jumping comes down to this:  I always freak out the first couple of jumps, but then I get into it and it's no big deal.  The solution must be to do some jumping every day during warm-up.  That way if jumps are required during the practice or scrimmage I will already have the freaking out part taken care of.
<originally posted on 2.17.12>