The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 13, Ed. 1, Friday, October 7, 1994 Page: 3 of 8
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Ultimate
By DEBBIE CRAWFORD
ACCENT PAGE EDITOR
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I omc people will go to great heights for that
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$KJ tingle called a rush. ACU students Lisa Wat
son and Kraig Martin went 3.00tffcct in the air.
They went sky diving.
Martin junior missions majorfrom Bryan said
Jhc jump was just one item op 'it list pf things he
ivants to do. He said he originally asked his par-
pntsjo pay for the $99 sky Hiving lessons as a
pirthGay present.
I His mom's response was predictable: "Look if
you want to do it that's your business but I am
Wl giving it to you for your birthday.'
"Watson freshman biology major from Bryan
said reactions from her family were mixed when
she told them she wanted tp sky dive. She said her
mom originally said "No way!" Her dad's reac-
tion indicated he thought jumping from an air-
plane was preferable to other activities in which
she could have participated. "He said he would
rather me go sky diving than go to The Hall
which is a club back home" Watson said.
Both students said people have a lot of mis-
conceptions about sky diving. Watson said
"You think it's some kind of crazy thing to
do but it's really very controlled. They take so
many precautions."
Training involved an entire day of classes which
loeused on learning all sky diving safety precau-
tions. Watson said "They prepare .you for any
and 1 mean any emergency that might happen.
Like if your parachute didn't open you can pull a
cutaway tool from your gear and cut away the old
fSPrachutc and then your reserve parachute will
come up."
The students said the training made them confi-
dent the jump would be reasonably safe. Martin
said ''We were there from 9 a.mt to 5 p.m. Iearn-
ina'What do you do if ...' For example: what do
you do if the lines get tangled; what do you do if
your parachute's opening but not coming all the
way out; what do you do if you land in water;
what do you do if you land in a tree."
flfatson said "You cover everything that could
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possibly go wrong."
After learning safety precautions the
instructors used flash cards to drill the sky
diving students. 'They would hold up a card
with a dangerous situation on it and we had
to practice coming Up with the solution
quickly."
The two received their training at
Aggies Over Texas in Bryan. "Lots
of A&M students go there to learn to
sky dive" Martin said. The two went with
friends from their home congregation Texas
A&M Church of Christ.
"I would definitely recommend going with
friends" Martin said. "We laughed all day.
At one point the counselor who was training us
told us the two most dangerous times in flying arc
the takeoff and the landing. Then he said sky div-
ing eliminates half of the danger."
The camaraderie continued as the students and
instructors took flight. Flying to the jump location
Martin said he and Watson and their friends were
singing the hymn This World (s Not My Home.
When the time actually came to jump Watson
said she was surprised by her calmness. "I thought
I would get butterflies but I didn't. I was so excit-
ed." She said her mind was occupied with all the
technicalities of jumping safely. "There arc so
many things to think about. It's not like the
movies. You don't have time to be scared."
But when getting ready to make the jump
Watson said her calm was replaced by
excitement. "Climbing out of that plane
was a rush. Climbing out of that plane was crazy"
she said. "I had no idea."
Martin described his excitement. "You're sitting
in this little Cessna plane. You're packed in with
at least four other people. You're at 3000 feet and
they open the door and yoij'rc sitting rjght by the
door- You look down and (it's like; forever down
there and then they ask 'Are you ready to" sky
dive?'"
Responses to that question were fun to observe
Martin said. "Some would say 'well yeah I
guess.' I was trying to get psyched so I said 'Yes!
I'm ready to skydivc!' Until you say yes they
can't legally take it any further."
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The next instruction the student receives from
the instructor is "Feet out" Martin said. "You
swing your fcef out and they say 'Step out.' You
put your feet on this iittle platform and you swing
outside the plane and you grab onto the strut of
the wing. Then you take your feet off the platform
and you are just hanging from the plane going 90
mph."
Watson said "At first it's not that bad because
the foot plank is pretty long. But then you have to
walk your hands out onto the strut and take your
feet off the plank. That's the rush. You suddenly
realize 'I am 3000 feet in the air going 90 mph
and I'm just hanging here!'"
Martin said "And then the instructor points to
you and that means 'Let go and arch.'" The first
jump is a tether cord jump so the students just
count to five and begin checking their chute to sec
if it opens properly.
Watson said "Once your parachute is
open you just float. It's really relaxing.
You feel almost like time is standing
still. And you have the toggles. By pulling on
them you can drive trie parachute. Some of the
guys were cjoipg flips ahd spins." v
But Watson said theWoxmgr'nlorrWn(gbcs by
quickly. "All of u sudden you're approaching the
ground and you have to start thinking again. You
have to think about wind direction and steer away
from any water or trees. You have to pull the tog-
gles to brake a little but carefully so you don't
speed the fall."
Martin said "If you do it right you can land
standing up."
Watson said when she landed she had a crowd ofj:
family yaiting to welcome her back. "My monijv
called my; grandmother and asked her 'Are yqijjj
feeling a little crazy today? Would you like to go1
watch Lisa sky dive?' They brought my sister and j
my grandparents and even the neighbors and their
children." . '
Watson said "I think my dad wants to sky !
dive now. After we landed he was ;
standing on the foot plank of the plane :
and walking his hands along the strut of the wing
like we had to. I asked him if he would like to go ;
and he said he just might." !
Watson and Martin both said they intend to con-;
tinue sky diving in the future. "It's definitefy :
something I would recommend. And I would rec-
ommend a person go with friends. You joke '
around about how funny you look in the parachute :
gear and it's fun watching everybody. You know '
they're nervous and trying not to show it. It's the :
experience of a lifetime."
Martin said since he went sky diving in
August he has rcflec(cd uppn the .paral-
lel between sky' diving and a person '
relationship with God. "It may sound a little
corny but there are some similarities. First you
have to step out in faith like we did on the foot
platform. Then you have to let go. And you have
to have courage. You're in for the rush of your life
but none of it begins until you say 'Yes!' tb
God."
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Kratg Martin hangs onto the'strut of the airplano wing seconds before letting go. In the foreground the instructor
points at Kraig to signal his turn to fly.
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Are vou ready to skv aive y -c yui
Ll5n Wntion and Jake Schneider Texas A&M student buy souvenelrs after their sky diving Lisa Watson gets ready to put herself literally In the hands of God. Watson and Martin said they realized paral- j
experience. Watson and Schneider went with a group from Texas A&M Church of Christ. lels between sky diving and their relationships with God. . ;
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 13, Ed. 1, Friday, October 7, 1994, newspaper, October 7, 1994; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth92253/m1/3/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.