.
      ag.
      20%
      a
      ae
      dis
     
     
      Sky
      Dive
      i
      I
      have
      spoken
      to
      many
      professional
      skydivers
      and
     
     
      asked
      them
      why
      they
      keep
      jumping.
      Many
      of
      them
     
     
      said
      that
      it
      is
      like
      smoking:
      itis
      very
      addictive
      and
     
     
      very
      hard
      to
      quit.
      One
      even
      mentioned
      that
      it
      is
      the
     
     
      next
      best
      thing
      to
      making
      love.
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Many
      of
      you
      people
      may
      be
      wondering
      “‘why
      do
     
     
      people
      do
      things
      like
      this?
      Are
      these
      people
      playing
     
     
      with-a-full
      deck?
      Are
      they
      living
      on
      the
      edge
      for
      some
     
     
      derangedreason?’’
      I’ve
      asked
      that
      question
      to
      myself
     
     
      several
      times.
      Why
      do
      these
      people
      hurl
      themselves
     
     
      out
      of
      an
      aircraft
      that
      is
      between
      3500
      feet
      and
      10000
     
     
      feet
      above
      the
      ground
      and
      plunge
      towards
      the
      earth
      at
     
     
      up
      to
      120
      mph.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      majority
      of
      the
      people
      who
      skydive
      each
      year
     
     
      spend
      thousands
      of
      dollars
      to
      support
      their
      unusual
     
     
      habit.
      Instead
      of
      buying
      a
      nice
      car
      ora
      beautiful
     
     
      house,
      they
      will
      invest
      their
      money
      into
      the
      sport.
     
     
      Then
      there
      are
      the
      few
      who
      just
      do
      it
      as
      a
      pastime.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Being
      acurious
      individual,
      I
      tried
      it
      out
      myself
      to
      see
     
     
      what
      it
      was
      all
      about.
      Sure
      I
      had
      a
      few
      jitters
      but
      intone
     
     
      nothing
      was
      stopping
      me.
      After
      taking
      the
      required
     
    

    
     
      lessons
      and
      signing
      the
      release
      form
      we
      were
      jammed
     
    

    
     
      packed
      into
      the
      plane.
      If
      you
      have
      never
      been
      ina
     
    

    
     
      small
      plane
      before,
      chances
      are
      that
      you
      would
      have
     
    

    
     
      been
      mor
      then
      willing
      to
      jump
      out.
      At
      an
      altitude
      of
     
    

    
     
      3500
      feet,
      seeing
      the
      door
      blast
      open
      on
      the
      plane
      was
     
    

    
     
      enough
      to
      make
      you
      or
      break
      you
      from
      going
      through
     
    

    
     
      with
      this.
      Then
      one
      after
      another
      we
      all
      took
      our
      turns
     
    

    
     
      stepping
      out
      of
      the
      plane.
      Then
      suddenly
      you
      are
      not
     
    

    
     
      standing
      on
      anything
      or
      looking
      over
      the
      edge
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      anything!
      There
      is
      absolutely
      nothing
      there
      between
     
     
      you
      and
      the
      ground,
      except
      for
      a
      small
      distance
      of
     
     
      3200
      feet.
      That
      parachute
      suddenly
      becomes
      your
      best
     
    
   
   
    
     
      friend
      in
      the
      whole
      world.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      About
      four
      minutes
      later
      these
      skydivers
      start
      to
      land
     
     
      safely
      on
      the
      ground.
      Once
      you
      have
      landed,
      you
      look
     
     
      safely
      up
      to
      the
      sky
      and
      watch
      as
      your
      parachute
      falls
     
     
      and
      you
      yell,
      “‘“YEE-HA!!!
      I
      just
      jumped
      outofa
     
     
      perfectly
      good
      airplane
      for
      no
      reasonable
      explana-
     
     
      tion’’
      and
      to
      think,
      people
      pay
      money
      to
      do
      this
      stuff.
     
     
      Well
      about
      two
      weeks
      ago
      several
      brave
      Islanders
      had
     
     
      an
      opportunity
      ofa
      lifetime
      to
      walk
      on
      that
      fine
      line.
      —
     
     
      It
      started
      at
      a
      meeting
      at
      Holland
      Collage
      where
      males
     
     
      and
      females
      ranging
      in
      age
      from
      18
      to
      60
      years
      old
     
     
      came
      together
      in
      the
      lecture
      room.
      There
      were
      many
     
     
      questions
      and
      concerns,
      but
      the
      real
      question
      that
      was
     
    
   
   
    
     
      floating
      around
      the
      room
      was,
      ‘‘whatis
      it
      really
     
     
      like?’’
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CRE
      a
      SORTS
      tei
      iA
      pete
      athe
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Then
      on
      September
      12th
      to
      14th
      at
      the
      Cable
      Head
     
     
      airport
      many
      gutsy
      Islanders
      took
      their
      lessons,
     
     
      signed
      there
      lives
      away,
      and
      parachuting
      for
      the
      first
     
     
      time.
      Some
      of
      those
      gifted
      individuals
      even
      go
      to
      this
     
     
      University.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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