Taking a Leap by Skydiving

Last Sunday all began with a short drive to Beloit, Wisconsin. The hour-and-a-half trip took me through rural Illinois and Rockford, and past a whole lot of corn, until I reached my destination just over the Wisconsin border.

At the very small Beloit Airport, I would descend through 14,000 feet without anything but a parachute and an expert skydive jumper. I was ready!

Arriving shortly before my jump time at 11, I needed to fill out the necessary legal paperwork and watch a very official informational video. All to inform and confirm that I was consenting to what I was about to do—that is, jump out of a perfectly operational airplane.

Once we were all signed in and paid for, we had the opportunity to watch other skydivers come in. That helped me figure out what to expect. Their landings only made me more excited for the jump. Here’s my prejump face.

Once it was close to our time to jump, your tandem partner calls you up to get you fitted in your jump harness. Here’s Ted, of Great Lakes Skydiving and my tandem partner, suiting me up.

Before you jump, you also go through the do’s and don’ts of skydiving. I’m learning what to do when we first jump out of the plain.

Now with my harness on, I’m ready to go!

So is Ted!

Miguel and I are both anticipating the flight that will take us to 14,000 feet!

Many of my friends were surprised to learn of my skydiving endeavor, but I honestly wasn’t nervous at all. Even as my tandem partner and I inched toward the door, I never had a second thought. I was ready to get a little crazy, a little daring.

And I loved every second of it!

While I didn’t purchase the video, I remember the whole experience and would do it again. First free-falling thousands of feet was exhilarating Then once the shoot was open, we spun around and glided our way to the ground. The view from that high up was awe inspiring and unobstructed.

I can’t wait to jump again!