Whoops

I got a chance to practice whoops Sunday. I felt it went much better than last year, mainly due to the change of bike I think. A friend who is much faster than I am says he does them in 3rd gear while I do them in 2nd. My question is: How can I shift in whoops? Should I shift in 3rd before the whoops (right after the turn)? I was comfortable at the speed I was doing them so I'm looking for tips to getting faster. The whoops were probably 1 foot and 1/2. Here is a video:
<embed width="430" height="389" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://vid105.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid105.photobucket.com/albums/m214/trial_07/MVI_2526.flv"></embed>

The video might not be very helpful, but any input is appreciated.

Ok that's what I was thinking. I'll try to carry more momentum when entering a curve.

Thanks Okie! I didn't know I should be back on the bike, I'll try that next week-end and see how it goes.