93-year-old tandem!

[Luna 0]

Story online here, a shortened version is on the AP wire today. Nice pic made it into the print paper, but not the online version.

93-year-old celebrates her birthday with a big leap
Former President Bush's jump at age 80 inspired Polly Gifford to take the plunge.

BY JUDITH HAYNES
247-4627

September 13 2004

NEWPORT NEWS -- Polly Gifford's 93rd birthday was Sunday.

She lived to tell about it. In this case, the "it" was not the birthday, but the way she celebrated.

She jumped out of a plane Saturday at 14,000 feet. Her first skydive. And probably her last.

Gifford wrote a poem to Jim Crouch, who is director of safety and training for the U.S. Parachute Association and who took her on the tandem jump. Part of the poem describes what it feels like to be in the air:

"Everything seems so silent and still

"Unless you've done it, you can't imagine the thrill."

They jumped with several other people Saturday at the Middle Peninsula Regional Airport in West Point.

Former President George H.W. Bush's jump at age 80 in June inspired her. "I thought, well, if he could do it, I guess I could."

Her friend Audrey Morrison of Poquoson arranged the jump with West Point Skydiving Adventures and gave it to Gifford as a birthday present.

Gifford is tough to buy for.

"Polly is one of these people that it's hard to know what to do for her," Morrison said. "I may go years now and have no clue what to do for her."

Gifford, whose real first name is Nancy, is an elegant woman who lives in an elegant townhouse in Newport News.

She lives independently and still drives. "They gave me my license till '06," she said with a grin.

Every day, she works out on her treadmill and stationary bicycle.

In addition, she said, "I have something I have to do every single day. If you don't feel like getting out of bed, you have to, if you have something to do."

One of her life slogans is, "Worry about nothing, pray about everything."

She was initially a little concerned that she might break a bone in the skydive, but when she learned how good Crouch was, she trusted him completely, she said.

As they landed, he told her to pick up her feet, and he extended his legs out past hers, cradling her in his lap.

"You shake when you come down," she said. "Not from fear, but just from the fun of it."

She didn't tell any of her five sons about the jump ahead of time, in case it was canceled by weather.

When she called to deliver the news, "They thought it was great. They said, 'Way to go!' At first they thought I was kidding them."

The skydive was wonderful, she said, but now she has done that. Time to move on.

Gifford said she's done many crazy, daring things in her life, and "I've never been afraid of anything."

When she got to be about 85, she figured she was ready to die. She wants to go before she becomes incapacitated - although it would be nice to earn enough points in duplicate bridge competition to become a master.

"I don't think I'll live long enough to be a master," she said. She needs 300 points and has only about half that. Sometimes a win earns only a quarter of a point.

"I'm ready to go home any time," she said. "I'm just passing through."
Copyright © 2004, Daily Press

[misskriss 0]

Her friend Audrey was great!! I set it up with her and that woman had me on the phone an hour at a time talking about Miss Polly. She was so excited..I heard she wants to race cars next.

[Luv2Fall 0]

Truly a both a pleasure and inspiration to watch.

[adamjenner 0]

i think it's awesome to see elderly people (elderly to me is 80+) taking the plunge!!!
goes to show you're only as young as you feel.