craichead 0 #1 May 28, 2004 Anybody else catch this at the back of the paper? _Pm http://www.suntimes.com/output/extremesports/cst-spt-extreme28.html After the anxiety, skydiving brings exhiliration May 28, 2004 BY DALE BOWMAN STAFF REPORTER Missy Nelson was 5 when she first went skydiving with her father. Of course, she was only 3 the first time she went hang gliding. Former President Bush plans to celebrate his 80th birthday with a parachute jump in June. Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet president, declined to join in the jumping part of the celebration. At Skydive Chicago, the oldest first-timer was an 87-year-old woman. There aren't many limits when it comes to skydiving. "They built a special harness for me [when I was 5],'' Nelson, 26, said. "It is very uncommon nowadays with the new laws that they will not take anybody under 18.'' That's one of basically only two restrictions at Skydive Chicago, one of the largest jump schools in the world. First-timers must weigh less than 250 pounds because of manufacturers' recommendations. And they must be at least 18. So you meet the basic criteria and are thinking about your first jump. Now what? First make reservations. Skydive Chicago, located near Ottawa about 1-1/2 hours southwest of Chicago, can usually accommodate people within a couple days. If coming on a week day, plan on spending half a day. On the weekends, figure on a full day. There is a one-hour training session. Then it's up in a twin-engine plane. And yes, many folks have the Gorbachev reaction: Thanks, but no thanks. The fear factor is simply part of the process. "Sometimes, they have to dig a little deeper inside themselves,'' said Nelson, the event coordinator for Skydive Chicago. "The experienced jumpers go first [on the plane]. That helps. And when they sign the waivers, they can see outside people landing.'' People do hold their breath. "It is the anxiety of the unknown,'' Nelson said. The anxiety is part of the thrill, too. Though that anxiety is eased somewhat by the first-time jumper being connected to an experienced instructor by a tandem harness. "Our staff is one of the most elite,'' said Nelson, who has done about 5,000 jumps and holds four national titles. "They are all gold medalists, world-record holders or boast more than 1,000 jumps.'' They have about 80 instructors, six of them full-time. The extensive staff is part of the elasticity needed for something like skydiving. Participation in the sport can vary widely from year to year, depending on discretionary funds. In 2001, about 10,000 came through Skydive Chicago for the first time. In 2002, in the aftermath of Sept. 11, about half that came. "It really depends on how the market is doing,'' Nelson said. When the market is up, more people go up to come down. On the first jump, the plane climbs to an altitude of about 13,000 to 14,000 feet. Then comes the jump. There's about one minute of free fall, where the jumper may reach speeds of 120 mph. Then the parachute cord is pulled, and there's five to seven minutes of floating, what is known as canopy descent. That's the reward, the counter-balance to the fear factor. "After they get done, it is a wonderful, overwhelming feeling of [exhilaration],'' she said. "You really have to do it to really understand.''__ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CrazyRock 0 #2 May 28, 2004 Well, it's nice that the newspapers are giving sdc a bit of free advertising instead of the usual smear campaign. -Seth :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
craichead 0 #3 May 29, 2004 QuoteWell, it's nice that the newspapers are giving sdc a bit of free advertising instead of the usual smear campaign. Agreed! ANY smear campaign about skydiving is not good for the community as a whole. I don't go to SDC too often, but I'm glad to see them getting great PR (for all of us!). _Pm__ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,151 #4 May 30, 2004 Missy is very cool!... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
