Skydiving Fargo! 10,500+ feet

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Well, I can now say that I've skydived. Today, I took a little plane up over 10,500 feet above the city of West Fargo and dove out! Actually, I was more pushed out since it was a tandem dive and the dive master decided when we went, but you get the idea. What an experience! What prompted this? It was for a good cause. I did the jump for Operation Freefall and through Dru's Dive which will provide a scholarship for low income women in North Dakota and be administered through the North Dakota Council on Abused Women's Services. The scholarship will be in the names of three North Dakota women who were victims of violence. I ended up raising about $900 in pledges which I was VERY proud of.

I was supposed to jump on Saturday the 17th, but strong winds postponed things until Sunday. Initially, you drop and flip a little and then the stablizer balloon goes out and then you're able to go into freefall for several seconds. Having watched the gal before me go, I know you're dropping fast but it honestly didn't seem like it at the time. It was very windy because of how fast you are dropping. It was a bit chilly so I kept having to remind myself to breathe because the cold updraft could take your breath away (I also forgot the advice to breathe out of my nose but I was trying to smile for pictures and that messed me up). Some folks really liked the freefall part but I preferred the next part. After freefalling for awhile, the tandem master opened the shute and that was my favorite part of the experience. When you were able to float and view for miles and miles and miles.

I don't have any pictures of the chute opening but the video they shot has the chute opening and some time there before the videographer took off to land to get ready for our landing. We had a nice clear day and great weather so had great jump conditions. So peaceful and quiet once the chute opens and it doesn't really feel like you are moving. Reminded me a lot of parasailing (as far as how it felt) but at much, much higher heights!

Landing was uneventful and no injuries but that's probably because the tandem master took care of all that. The folks at Skydive Fargo were awesome. Tim (tandem master) did an incredible job filling the time with information and keeping things fun and going over the things one needs to know from the time I arrived until we landed. The rest of the staff were also great as were the experienced folks there to jump for fun on their own who helped fill the time as we waited. It was an amazing experience and one I would highly recommend and you could not be in better hands. And, by the way...the tandem master, videographer and one of the pilots were all MSUM grads (like me) so you know you are in great hands!

The plane ride to 10,500+ feet seems to take forever but it was probably about 15 minutes. The most torturous part was the few seconds when you stand with the door open waiting to "jump". Then, it's a quick 5 minute trip back to earth since we have a big canapy/parachute which allows a slow descent.

Would I do it again? I think I would! I think the next time would allow me to enjoy it more since I'd know better what was going to happen and be better prepared as a result to enjoy it and be able to relax more. There's only so much preparation you can do without doing it so lots of uneasiness until it's happening.

And...let me just say for the record...I hate my hair in a ponytail. Shows how round my head is! However, didn't have a choice. Also, camera and those suits (we had our regular clothes on underneath) add 40 pounds! Really. Really! 😊

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Photos

Me and the Tandem Master (Tim)
After the jump...all smiles!

It's Quite a Ways Up!
Stablizer balloon starting to go up

Comments

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Skydiving Video
You should add your skidiving video to your blog...