Today was my first time skydiving, and although I have no basis for comparison, I know that it would be nearly impossible to beat the experience that I had at Start Skydiving in Middleton, OH. I was with a group of eight, traveling from Indianapolis, IN. We received a discounted price (IN resident special) of $129 each on a Saturday, which is $90 cheaper than the drop zone closest to Indy. Now, I was initially a bit concerned about the idea of discount skydiving, and I thought, "maybe I should pay a premium price for something like this?" ...Especially after signing an extensive liability waiver to a business using equipment manufactured by a company called "Uninsured United Parachute Technologies, LLC." So if you are reading this and happen to have these same concerns, I just want you to know, you can stop worrying. Just go. Shout out to Lonnie Kirk, the tandem instructor I was lucky enough to have the pleasure of jumping with--everyone I went with felt the same way about each of their instructors, but Lonnie was the best and I'll tell you why: I got the video and picture package (I ended up upgrading to the rock star package because I knew it would be worth it after I finished... and I was right). Anyways, I have really long hair, that I French braided into pigtails to keep it from slapping me in the face. My plan worked out well, it was not an issue at all for me. However, I didn't realize (until I got back and saw my pics and video) that my hair was aggressively attacking my instructors face while I was having the time of my life and he continued to take pictures of me and pose with me for the photographer that jumped with us. I mean, that's pretty amazing. And I can't remember the photographer's name (maybe Matt?) but I am extremely impressed with the pictures and video and his ability to remain so close to us while we were free falling... I'm just in awe of the skill level and ease that both of them had; it made me feel incredibly secure and I never hesitated or doubted my safety because they were such professionals. After the parachute opened, the trip to the ground was also pretty cool--Lonnie let me steer for a bit, and then he spun us around like a roller coaster. It's honestly the most peaceful and gratifying thing, to float around in the sky, but it's impossible to put into words how powerful it really is. I was initially a little bit worried about the landing and how that works, because it's weird to think of the logistics of two people landing from the sky at the same time while they're connected to each other--but it was easy and natural. It was a pretty windy day, I believe 14 mph winds with gusts up to 17 mph, but I was there at the hangar area for about 4 hours, I saw numerous heats of skydivers, and none of the tandem landings were anything but incredibly graceful. Anyways--My group and I have already planned to go back to Start Skydiving in the spring; and I'm excited to have found a new hobby. My goal next year will be to jump solo. Thank you, Start Skydiving, for the opportunity to experience skydiving for the first time in the hands of professionals, and thank you Lonnie (and photographer) for the making my first jump so memorable. I can't wait for next time!
