NickDG 23 #1 September 23, 2005 Good stuff at Greenie . . . NickD BASE 194 Bridge Hosts Stunt Leap Group filmed for awards ceremony on Sunday http://www.auburnjournal.com/articles/2005/09/23/news/top_stories/01base.txt Usher, Journal Staff Writer Friday, September 23, 2005 12:27 AM PDT John Colclasure soars off the Foresthill Bridge Thursday as part of a production being taped to be aired at the Taurus World Stunt Awards sponsored by Red Bull Energy Drink. Journal FORESTHILL - Perched over the railing of the Foresthill Bridge, 730 feet above the American River, Greg Nevolo and J.C. Colclasure step off and soar through the air. The pair are BASE jumpers and were on the bridge Thursday with a production crew to shoot footage for an upcoming production sponsored by Red Bull Energy Drink. Under blue skies, with nary a breeze, four jumpers took turns leaping from the trusses below the main span of the bridge to test the conditions. Once everything was a go, Nevolo and Colclasure strapped on Red Bull logo-emblazoned BASE jumping parachutes and headed for the center span wearing only a helmet for safety gear. Nevolo stepped off first and glided to the river below without a hitch. When asked by radio how the conditions were, he replied, "a little fast in the 240." He was harnessed into an Ace 240 - the number is in reference to the size of the parachute's canopy, explained Karla Tilley, whose husband, Martin Tilley, owns Asylum Designs in downtown Auburn. The local parachute-equipment manufacturer and veteran jumper was hired as the technical adviser for the project. "My position is safety coordinator," Martin Tilley said. Tilley's company also provided the equipment for the project and he managed to get in a test jump of his own. The 5th annual Taurus World Stunt Awards, created by Red Bull Energy Drink founder Dietrich Mateschlitz, honors extreme athletes. The sequence taped Thursday will be used for the closing of the show, officials said. Nevolos, the stunt coordinator and one of the performers, has been floating through the air for more than a decade. He said it all started when he was climbing El Capitan in Yosemite. "I was on the wall and saw a guy jump off," Nevolos said between jumps from the bridge. "He looked like he was having more fun than us." And so began a life of jumping out of airplanes and off of exceedingly tall bridges and buildings. BASE jumping refers to the four types of structures the extreme skydiving enthusiasts jump off of - buildings, antennas, spans (bridges) and earth (cliffs). Karla Tilley said she remembers a time when nearly 40 BASE jumpers took to the sky from the Foresthill Bridge a few years back. Although permits are required, that hasn't stopped some BASE jumpers from strapping on chutes and taking an illegal leap. On July 4, Justin Carter, 29, of La Quinta, and Michael Mann, 34, of Indianapolis, were cited for illegally jumping off the Foresthill Bridge. Two others, Allisyn Beisner, 31, of Berkley, and Jeremiah Mulholland, 27, of Auburn, who did not jump, were cited for trespassing after being located on the catwalk below the by park rangers Scott Liske. Some Auburn officials said they would consider a day set aside for jumpers to legally have access to the bridge. "We'd have to consider the liability issues, but it would be a nice thing to promote the area," said Jim Holmes, District 3 supervisor for Placer County. "It kind of goes in hand with our endurance run and the rock climbing we have and the Tevis ride." Beverly Lewis, director of Placer-Lake Tahoe Film Office, said the process to get approved to jump off the bridge is fairly simple. "Basically, it includes getting a permit from the county and one from State Parks," she said. "We look at résumés to ensure the jumpers are legitimate." Additionally, the filming, by Side Effects Productions and Gregg Betonte, of Truckee, has had a positive economic effect on the area. "They are staying locally and hired a number of locals to assist with the production," Lewis said. In the seven years Lewis has been with the film office she said there have been about seven approved jumps. The Journal's Penne Usher can be reached at penneu@goldcountrymedia.com. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LouDiamond 1 #2 September 23, 2005 JC was telling me about that stunt just this wednesday while he was here in Eloy. He is the stunt double for the ROCK, who will supposedly BASE during one part of the awards show that was mentioned. JC said the movie crew were going to do his hair and face up to look like the ROCK. I can't wait to see the pictures"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required" Some people dream about flying, I live my dream SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nicrussell 0 #3 September 23, 2005 Quotewearing only a helmet for safety gear.. thats impressive, only helmets? jk Im being a smartass. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 35 #4 September 24, 2005 Quote JC said the movie crew were going to do his hair and face up to look like the ROCK. I can't wait to see the pictures I've watched wrestling for a while, so that should be a hoot... I don't think J.C. would look at all out of place if he got in the squared circle, as big as he is... "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
