Skydiving is for Wimps -- Press Clips

[quade 4]

http://www.sptimes.com/2003/07/16/Citrus/Skydiving_is_for_Wimps.shtml

Don't go off on the title . . . it's a nice little article.

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Skydiving is for Wimps
By KRISTEN LEIGH PORTER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published July 16, 2003

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I always thought you had to be really brave or really stupid to do those "other" sports.

Extreme sports such as skydiving are usually reserved for daredevils like Inverness adventurer Chris Moling, who has made more than 1,100 jumps. Moling first went with his mother on her 50th birthday, and became hooked. Since then he's been to the North Pole and Venezuela on skydiving expeditions.

"It's something that you can become addicted to," Moling said. "As with most extreme sports."

But as I sat at my desk Monday afternoon, I realized at that time last week I had been falling through the sky.

There isn't any skydiving in Citrus County. In the yellow pages, the only skydiving listed in DeLand, and there is also skydiving near the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport at Skydive City. Moling has been to both.

On vacation on the East Coast, I made my first jump at Freefall Adventures in New Jersey, which promised to bring skydiving from the extreme to the mainstream. "This was always something I said I'd do before I died," I remember saying, immediately wishing I could take it back.

I did a tandem skydive, the beginners' choice, where you jump with an experienced tandem master/instructor. Mike Johnston, the general manager of Skydive Deland, said tandem was developed there in the early to mid 1980's. Most of the gear is made right there.

"A person can experience what skydiving is like without a long class and pressure," Johnston said.

My friend and I went through about 15 minutes of training, then got fitted with our equipment and boarded the small plane. As we climbed higher and higher, my ears began to pop and I realized the magnitude of what I was about to do.

There was a group of us sandwiched together, much more hip divers with their own little two-finger handshake and spiffy jumpsuits. I was dressed for the gym.

The friend I was with had already jumped. Everyone knew or could sense it was my first time, and tried to reassure me with a thumbs up or a smile.

I smiled back, then completely froze. It was time. We had reached 13,500 feet and the plane opened up the hatch. I watched them jump, one by one. I was the last to go.

I willed myself to stand up as my jump master gave our equipment one last check. It was like your body realizes it's about to do something unnatural.

I took a few running steps and jumped. My eyes were closed as we did a flip underneath the plane.

Nothing could have prepared me for the 9,000-foot freefall. I never breathed. Although the temperatures were in the 90's that day it was very cold.

And the cord? I let my tandem master do the honors once the altimeter read 5 for 5,000 feet.

After the parachute had deployed, I could take off the googles and look at the view that is usually seen by birds. I could actually relax and take in the scenery now that I knew I wasn't going to die.

And to think that Bob gets paid for this, making 7-8 jumps a day.

"What a job, sure beats 9-to-5," I told him.

As we glided down, I tried to remember what he had told me to do when we were about to touch ground. It wasn't the most dignified landing - the Ukrainian judge might have given it a 8.975 - but I'll take it.

If I can do it, anybody can. Even Moling started out with a tandem jump.

At Skydive DeLand, Johnston has just about from every field you can imagine. He has seen people in their 80's jump, and even early 90's from time to time.

There are few restrictions. You need to be an adult. The entire load, including skydiving gear, beginner and instrucitor cannot exceed 450 pounds, so that means a would-be jumper needs to weigh less than 220-240.

You also have to be aware of the risks.

Maybe it was the "Parachuting is a high risk activity which may cause or result in serious injury or death' sign that faces the Freefall Adventures parking lot that tipped us off. Or maybe it was the release forms which we signedor initialed in about a thousand spots.

According to the United States Parachute Association, there were 33 fatalities in 2002. The oraganization had 34,322 members going into 2002.

I was glad I had called my mom and told her I loved her. I had also prayed.

"Everything in life has a certain element of risk and sometimes people don't give a second thought doing something that's more risky like getting in a car and going down the road," Johnston said.

One thing is for sure. After jumping out of a perfectly good airplane on purpose, I won't be scared much of anything.

Suddenly deadlines aren't as forboding as the name implies.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[hooked 0]

It is a nice little article
J

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Sometimes we're just being Humans.....But we're always Human Beings.

[jlmiracle 7]

YEAH! a good skydiving story.

I like how she did running step (attached to a TM) and flipped UNDER the airplane.

None the less, it was an excellent story and I'm not a fan of the media.

Thanks for story quade!

Judy

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[diverdriver 7]

Maybe the title should read: Skydiving IS for wimps.

[bluefingers 0]

It is sweet.

(The subs could have done a little editing on the spelling and grammar though. *wince*)

Kerry

[helicam 0]

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It is sweet.

(The subs could have done a little editing on the spelling and grammar though. *wince*)

gee Blue, you would think you worked for a magazine or something!!

I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter

[aero04 0]

I got a chuckle from "opened up the hatch". Hatch?

[softnotes 0]

Nice article.

Everytime I read a wuffo (or quasi-wuffo) penned article I wonder if there are some bits of equipment I forgot to specify when ordering my rig, cords and hatches being but a few.

What surprises me is that the terminology is always consistent, as though they all got together beforehand to set up a gramatical standard.

You gotta love them.

Blue Skies
SoftNotes
"That's not flying.... that's falling with style!"