Issue 6 - InVironments Magazine

Adventure
I hear Jackson laughing into my ear. “You
have to let go of the bar,” he says. I look up
at my whitened hand clenching it, laugh
a little, and let go. We slide to the end of
the bench and sit on the edge of the plane.
My feet dangle over the edge. I look down
and see the earth spread out, bending
to meet the whitish blue of the horizon
line. We rock forward once, then back,
then we are falling into sunlight and sky.
Air pushes against my skin, seeming
to hold me up even as I near the
earth. Jackson spins us a few times
and blue whirls in front of my eyes.
Then our videographer is right in
front of me, reaching for my hand.
We circle one another, connected by
outstretched arms. We separate and
continue the downward flight.
I see Jackson’s hand in my face with one
finger extended. I think, “That means
‘PULL!’” I grab the orange handle at my
hip and pull it away from my body. The
parachute opens, I feel a slight jerk, and
I am floating gently toward the ground.
We drift for a few minutes, admiring the
fertile Midwest landscape. Jackson gives
me control of the steering toggles and
tells me how to guide the parachute. I
pull down with my right hand and the
parachute veers right. I tug it back and
forth a few times. Then he takes over
as the ground draws near. He pulls the
parachute gently, shifting positions until
we are squared up for a landing. We
are swooping toward the ground. I hear
Jackson yell, “Now!” I lift my feet out in
front of me and the heels of my shoes slide
across the grass until he tells me to stand.
Then I am on my feet again. I look up at
the sky, take a deep breath, and smile.
From the moment I opened the car door
and stepped onto the gravel parking
lot at Chicagoland Skydiving Center,
I could feel the buzz of anticipation.
The place seemed to be in a constant
state of excitement. People walked
around exchanging animated stories
of past jumps and enthusiastic
comments about the perfect weather.
During the 20 minute pre-dive class,
the instructor kept my small class
laughing at his antics and expressions
as he thoroughly explained the
process. I learned that I was about
to participate in something called
tandem skydiving. I would be securely
attached to an experienced instructor
who would talk me through the process
both before and during the dive.
After completing the course, I felt a
sense of companionship with the other
jumpers. Eyes bright with understanding,
instructors would ask me how I was
feeling about my first jump. With an
unwanted tremble in my voice, I say
something like, “Well, to be honest,
I’m pretty nervous.” I would usually
get a chuckle or a slap on the back
and some reassuring words. Everyone
seemed to share the experience with
me and enjoy it as much as I did.
I soon learned that I would be diving with
a very capable instructor, Steve Jackson,
who is a globally rated skydiving instructor
and coach. He is also a commercial airline
transport pilot and a former member of
British Skydiving Competition Team.
He has made over 16,000 skydives.
Jackson is just one of the many qualified
instructors on the CSC staff. While the
United States Parachute Association
requires divers to jump 500 times
before they can become tandem
instructors, every instructor at CSC
can boast of at least 5000 jumps and
most have multiple certifications.
I also learned that each diving pack has
two parachutes: one that opens when the
diver pulls the ripcord, and a backup that
automatically deploys when it senses the
diver is free falling too close to the ground.
Douglas Smith, the current owner of
the center, gave me further details
about skydiving and CSC. In 1968, the
center started as a small skydiving
club in Hinckley. Skydiving was
then a much different sport than it
is today. Doug called it “an unknown
sport,” usually involving ex-military
men using surplus military gear.
Then in the late 1970s and early
1980s, tandem skydiving emerged
as a mainstream variety of the sport,
transforming its image. Like me,
many inexperienced people now had
access to skydiving and could jump
with an experienced professional.
As the sport became more popular,
companies continued to create more
efficient gear. Doug says that today
“the sport has evolved so much
that the equipment never fails.”
48 Rochelle InVironments Magazine • August-September 2011
Where life happens. 49