What is water? Some people say we can’t live without it. We need it for survival. It is their enemy. It is their friend. It is unpredictable and wild, yet it is tame and inviting. Water… so undefinable. But to me, the pool is my home, the water is my best friend, hard work is my passion, and swimming is my life. An outsider to the sport would call us insane for staring at a black line for hours on end, but really it’s much more than that.
I began swimming two years ago. I thought it would be fun and great exercise, little did I know that I would soon be addicted to it and never turn away. I was definitely not a natural, I slowly worked my way up the list, and I am now on an exclusive community team that is the defending state champions. I’ve been through everything you can imagine- injuries, losses, wins, friendships, enemies, sickness- yet I would never trade the lessons I learned from that for the world. Truly, swimming is a great sport. At one meet you might be ranked number one, then at the next you may finish last. It is such a fast-moving sport.
Every true swimmer has the will to work hard and get better every single day. It’s this that pushes you through those grueling practices where you just want to pass out; it’s what makes you spend an unfathomable amount of time in the pool just to shave off a millisecond in your next race; it’s what consumes your thoughts every second of the day to just achieve that unimaginable goal time. This is why swimming is not for the feeble-minded. It is the most mentally challenging thing I have ever done. You must train your hardest to overcome your fastest enemy who may as well be your best friend in the lane next to you. Swimming is simply unbelievable.
I never knew I had such a strong passion for swimming until this summer. I spent more than 100 hours in the pool this summer and made some of the best memories of my life. It was worth getting up at 6:00 AM to train for hours a day instead of having tons of sleepovers with my friends. It was worth spending my summer going to two practices a day instead of going on fancy, luxury vacations all over the world. I made friendships that will last a life time and have discovered more things about myself than I ever thought was possible. This summer I found the will to succeed and never give up. I found it in the water.
I can apply this to any aspect of my life which is the amazing thing about swimming. When you are swimming a long set and feel like you are going to drown, this is where the champions are made.
Beneath the water is a different, complete world. It’s almost impossible to describe every aspect of it. I feel alive under the water. I feel free. I feel at home. I feel like myself. But most importantly I feel that my desire for success is greater than my fear of failure.
domenica 15 giugno 2014
Street Artist Banksy
His work strikes a chord with many, particularly youth, for the blunt usage of messages within an art-form that was often regarded as existent only within the margins of society. Banksy isn’t seen as just an artist, but also as a philosopher and political spokesman against capitalism, war, theism, totalitarianism and fascism. By stirring the youth with broad and direct statements, as well as through his constant subversion of authority, Banksy has managed to develop a large following.
The seductive nature of Banksy’s work within the hip-hop community is easy to understand, and can be attributed to two significant factors: 1) the fact that graffiti never had a universal flag-bearer and 2) the ease of his artwork. Graffiti comprises a quarter of the so-called hip-hop culture, but similar to b-boying, it is largely marginalized by emceeing and djing. This isn’t to say it doesn’t earn respect, but few would argue that its stature among the masses is equal to the hip-hop elements centered around music. Although there have been numerous graffiti artists who gained some notoriety prior to Banksy, but none have had a similar universal following.
As a draftsmen Banksy is nothing less than solid. His work tends to be bold and sweeping, his style so distinct that it is difficult to mistake his work for anyone else. Through his incorporation of elements of surrealism, such as a dog shooting a record player, Banksy allows his vision to remain fresh. This quirky side to his artwork is doubtlessly what makes him so attractive to people around the globe. He also makes heavy use of irony, cleverness, wit and archness. Banksy’s street art is often centered around a single key idea. Instead of existing as art in itself, his work is often founded on external concepts. His view of the world is utterly simplistic, and in that very agreeable to many, especially youth. Banksy is particularly skillful in taking broad, complex abstractions and reducing them into something palatable. Instead of using ideas as a pretext for his art, his art is a pretext for his ideas. Banksy’s foray into social criticism speaks most strongly regarding this, where his art became a container for his statements.
The ease of Banksy’s work has much to do with his popularity. His work often lends itself to reduction, frequently his work is little more than a simple idea covered by an active imagination. A quick glance at Banksy’s gallery is revelatory of this, his work can be decoded effortlessly. A man throwing a bouquet is symbolic of peace, a depiction of graffiti removal is a tongue-and-cheek reference to the treatment of his own work. Much of Banksy’s catalog consists of work that is supposed to click; he completely avoids the murkiness and mysteries of life. There is very little engagement of reality; instead, Banksy’s views and interpretations are downright infantile and insipid. With Banksy art is a simply a matter of knowing; of understanding the reference, the clear message or the clever joke. Great art transcends such amateur aims.
The best of artists are draining, they require an active audience. Banksy offers an alternative, he offers escapism. People love to be flattered, and Banksy’s work caters to this shallow desire. By making art that often has a solution of sorts, people become impressed with their own intellectual capacity, and by extension they are roused by Banksy’s work. The ideas found within his work are easy and reductionist, completely isolated from life itself. A lay-person can extract the–juvenile, in the case of Banksy–notions with ease. Banksy uses a reward system to great effect, he creates art that requires a little decoding, and essentially remunerates his audience when the work is unlocked. It’s difficult to shrug off the touch of condescension embodied in this attitude. In this aspect, his work hues closer to playing a game of connect-the-dots than it does true art. Banksy doesn’t deal with the complexities of life, instead he creates games to take us out of reality. His work is doubtlessly accessible, but it’s also trivial.
It’s a shame how much attention Banksy has garnered considering the quality of his work, but not out of step with todays culture. At a time where schlock has completely invaded the arts it’s no surprise that the likes of Banksy have gained such a massive, global following. Childishly, Banksy presents people with puzzles that must be solved in order to get a glimpse into his own puerile thoughts. In many ways, Banksy stands in direct opposition to what great art is. He doesn’t offer a new way to live, instead he provides than a path through which one can escape reality. Through his flattery of his audience, Banksy continues to impress people around the world. Formally, his style is as reductive as the work it creates; that is to say he mixes trite ideas, often sociopolitical, with a visual flare, all while barely skirting the edges of reality. Banksy’s art isn’t an expression of life, it doesn’t deal with the truth. And therein lies his fatal flaw that holds him back from ever becoming a great artist.
The seductive nature of Banksy’s work within the hip-hop community is easy to understand, and can be attributed to two significant factors: 1) the fact that graffiti never had a universal flag-bearer and 2) the ease of his artwork. Graffiti comprises a quarter of the so-called hip-hop culture, but similar to b-boying, it is largely marginalized by emceeing and djing. This isn’t to say it doesn’t earn respect, but few would argue that its stature among the masses is equal to the hip-hop elements centered around music. Although there have been numerous graffiti artists who gained some notoriety prior to Banksy, but none have had a similar universal following.
As a draftsmen Banksy is nothing less than solid. His work tends to be bold and sweeping, his style so distinct that it is difficult to mistake his work for anyone else. Through his incorporation of elements of surrealism, such as a dog shooting a record player, Banksy allows his vision to remain fresh. This quirky side to his artwork is doubtlessly what makes him so attractive to people around the globe. He also makes heavy use of irony, cleverness, wit and archness. Banksy’s street art is often centered around a single key idea. Instead of existing as art in itself, his work is often founded on external concepts. His view of the world is utterly simplistic, and in that very agreeable to many, especially youth. Banksy is particularly skillful in taking broad, complex abstractions and reducing them into something palatable. Instead of using ideas as a pretext for his art, his art is a pretext for his ideas. Banksy’s foray into social criticism speaks most strongly regarding this, where his art became a container for his statements.
The ease of Banksy’s work has much to do with his popularity. His work often lends itself to reduction, frequently his work is little more than a simple idea covered by an active imagination. A quick glance at Banksy’s gallery is revelatory of this, his work can be decoded effortlessly. A man throwing a bouquet is symbolic of peace, a depiction of graffiti removal is a tongue-and-cheek reference to the treatment of his own work. Much of Banksy’s catalog consists of work that is supposed to click; he completely avoids the murkiness and mysteries of life. There is very little engagement of reality; instead, Banksy’s views and interpretations are downright infantile and insipid. With Banksy art is a simply a matter of knowing; of understanding the reference, the clear message or the clever joke. Great art transcends such amateur aims.
The best of artists are draining, they require an active audience. Banksy offers an alternative, he offers escapism. People love to be flattered, and Banksy’s work caters to this shallow desire. By making art that often has a solution of sorts, people become impressed with their own intellectual capacity, and by extension they are roused by Banksy’s work. The ideas found within his work are easy and reductionist, completely isolated from life itself. A lay-person can extract the–juvenile, in the case of Banksy–notions with ease. Banksy uses a reward system to great effect, he creates art that requires a little decoding, and essentially remunerates his audience when the work is unlocked. It’s difficult to shrug off the touch of condescension embodied in this attitude. In this aspect, his work hues closer to playing a game of connect-the-dots than it does true art. Banksy doesn’t deal with the complexities of life, instead he creates games to take us out of reality. His work is doubtlessly accessible, but it’s also trivial.
It’s a shame how much attention Banksy has garnered considering the quality of his work, but not out of step with todays culture. At a time where schlock has completely invaded the arts it’s no surprise that the likes of Banksy have gained such a massive, global following. Childishly, Banksy presents people with puzzles that must be solved in order to get a glimpse into his own puerile thoughts. In many ways, Banksy stands in direct opposition to what great art is. He doesn’t offer a new way to live, instead he provides than a path through which one can escape reality. Through his flattery of his audience, Banksy continues to impress people around the world. Formally, his style is as reductive as the work it creates; that is to say he mixes trite ideas, often sociopolitical, with a visual flare, all while barely skirting the edges of reality. Banksy’s art isn’t an expression of life, it doesn’t deal with the truth. And therein lies his fatal flaw that holds him back from ever becoming a great artist.
Boxing
Boxing is referred as the 'Art of Self Defence'. It is a tough sport that has a rough side attached to it. The sport probably spread from the Sumerians to people throughout the world. Boxing was a brutal spectacle in ancient Greece. The sport became more savage with time. A boxing match is usually a fast, violent demonstration of strength, stamina, and skill. Boxing is categorised into amateurs and professionals. Amateurs boxers compete as members of an organisation or team and some box in tournaments.
The rules are different for each of the two categories of bouts in International and Olympic Game competition. Boxers compete in classes, or divisions, based on their weight. To fight in a particular class, a boxer may not weigh more than the maximum for that class. The professional weight classes from heaviest to lightest is Heavyweight, Junior Heavyweight, Middleweight, Junior Middleweight, Welterweight, Junior Welterweight, Lightweight, Junior Lightweight, Featherweight, Junior Featherweight, Bantamweight, Junior Bantamweight, Flyweight and junior Flyweight. A boxer's hands are wrapped in soft cloth bandages, over the bandages he wears padded gloves. The gloves weigh eight or ten ounces. Boxers wear trunks and lightweight shoes that lace just above the ankle. A mouthpiece of hard rubber protects the teeth, and a plastic cup protects the sex organs. Both amateur and professionals wear a protective leather helmet when training. Amateur fighters may wear a helmet in actual competition, though professionals do not. Each round lasts two or three minutes in amateur bouts and each round in major professional bouts last three minutes. The rest period is of one minute in between rounds. A professional bout may be scheduled for four to fifteen rounds. Most professional championships are scheduled for twelve or fifteen rounds. Amateur fights are three to six rounds. All amateur championships are scheduled for three rounds. Fight Officials-During a round, the referee is the only person in the ring besides the boxers. His duty is to see that the fighters obey the rules. A boxer may not hit below the belt or in the back of the head, nor may he strike an opponent who is down, even to one knee. Such actions are called fouls. Other fouls include kicking, tripping, wrestling, holding, hitting with the forearms or the inside of the glove, butting with the head, or using the elbows or biting (remember Holyfield and Tyson). After a fighter is knocked down, his opponent must immediately go to the farthest neutral corner, which is one of the two corners not occupied by either boxer between rounds.
A boxer wins a fight by in three different ways, first by knockout, second by a technical knockout and third by a decision. Sometimes, a professional bout may end in a draw, with neither fighter declared the winner but there is always a result in amateur fights. A knockout or KO occurs when a boxer is knocked down and does not get back on his feet within ten seconds, as counted by the referee. If a round ends while a fighter is down, but before the ten-second has passed the fighter is termed as 'saved by the bell.' He then can rest until the beginning of the next round. A technical knockout, or TKO, occurs when a boxer is declared to be physically unable to continue fighting. If a boxer in an amateur fight is knocked down three times in one round, his opponent wins the match on a TKO. This rule also applies to all professional bouts except championship matches.
Some of the famous fighter of the game includes the 1950's Archie Moore, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Rocky Marciano. Archie Moore held the Light Heavyweight title from 1952 to 1961. Sugar Ray Robinson was the Welterweight Champion from 1946 to 1951 and then went on to win the Middleweight crown five times. Rocky Marciano was the Heavyweight Champion from 1952-1956 and won all his forty-nine professional fights. Who can forget the passionate and very successful boxer of his own genera of Louisville great Cassius Clay?
Why skateboarding inspires teen and kids
Skateboarding inspires kids and teens all over the world. People skate to get out of trouble and to get out of the house. Skating is like a never ending joy ride. This is a opportunity for kids to have a chance to have a good life. Skateboarding supplies skaters with a sweet sport to get in to and to be great at. As soon as you get in to the sport you don't ever lose interest in that kinda sport. Even if you don't skate you can still be inspired to be sport or to be a Filmer or a photographer for skating
I feel that skateboarding gives me something to live for and to have support in when i have nothing. I haven't always skated but since i started i have felt a part of something that people recognize me for and enjoy watching me do. Its enjoying ,exciting, as you make a crowd of friend scream.It has also helped me make more friends. If you start skating allot of good things will happen to you. You can change and inspire people to try new thing and try new styles by one trick that's all someone needs . Also a lot of bad things can happen to you too. When something bad happens its allot of ,head thumping and arms and legs bleeding, but at the end of a good day of skating its all worth it.
Skateboarding is similar to a roller coaster they're always up and downs literally. That doesn't stop people from skateboarding. Skating has been around since the 1940s. People are sick of skaters because they think they are bad people and that they don't have any respect,but why should the sport die. people haven't had a problem with skateboarders since that 1940s so why should they now .Millions of people love watching the X GAMES and the shows on TV so this sport should be respected more than what it is. “Its guaranteed that pro skaters will be around for a very long time” Bam Margera said. This wont be true unless people get inspired to skate and make a difference in skating history.
Skating has changed life's for hundreds of kids from all over the world. Skateboarding has became one of the most famous sports since there has been so many commercials and shows to inspire more and more people to get started in the sport.There are now 18.5 million skaters in the world. 85% of those are around 18 and 74% of those are males. It doesn't matter what sex you are everyone can skate, there are no limits to skateboarding So we always need good new skaters,so don't stop skating or you definitely start it a great way to spend free time. These are the reasons teens and kids get inspired to skate so add to the population and start skating. I guaranty someone will inspire you to take that sport to a whole new level.
I feel that skateboarding gives me something to live for and to have support in when i have nothing. I haven't always skated but since i started i have felt a part of something that people recognize me for and enjoy watching me do. Its enjoying ,exciting, as you make a crowd of friend scream.It has also helped me make more friends. If you start skating allot of good things will happen to you. You can change and inspire people to try new thing and try new styles by one trick that's all someone needs . Also a lot of bad things can happen to you too. When something bad happens its allot of ,head thumping and arms and legs bleeding, but at the end of a good day of skating its all worth it.
Skateboarding is similar to a roller coaster they're always up and downs literally. That doesn't stop people from skateboarding. Skating has been around since the 1940s. People are sick of skaters because they think they are bad people and that they don't have any respect,but why should the sport die. people haven't had a problem with skateboarders since that 1940s so why should they now .Millions of people love watching the X GAMES and the shows on TV so this sport should be respected more than what it is. “Its guaranteed that pro skaters will be around for a very long time” Bam Margera said. This wont be true unless people get inspired to skate and make a difference in skating history.
Skating has changed life's for hundreds of kids from all over the world. Skateboarding has became one of the most famous sports since there has been so many commercials and shows to inspire more and more people to get started in the sport.There are now 18.5 million skaters in the world. 85% of those are around 18 and 74% of those are males. It doesn't matter what sex you are everyone can skate, there are no limits to skateboarding So we always need good new skaters,so don't stop skating or you definitely start it a great way to spend free time. These are the reasons teens and kids get inspired to skate so add to the population and start skating. I guaranty someone will inspire you to take that sport to a whole new level.
Street Art
I think that for our time the street art is no longer a novelty as more and more often we meet on the streets of our cities different pictures, drawings or graffiti. They embellish the grey walls of buildings, roads, public spaces and can appear in any of the most unexpected places.
Is it there any definition for street art? Actually not as it combines a wide range of various kinds of art forms and it is difficult to describe them by one common definition. Generally it is a free public art that is inspired by the urban environment and includes a lot of extraordinary styles such as graffiti, wheatpasting, sticker and guerrilla art, video projection, street posters and installations, art intervention and many others.
Street artists use different tools for communicating with everyday people, asking questions about social matters and expressing political concerns. That is why street art often refers to an unsanctioned art as opposition to government initiatives, and can be a powerful platform for reaching the public and acute issues. For other artists urban art is simply an adaptation of visual artwork into a format of public space that makes possible for artists reach a much broader audience and be seen in the off-centre places.
But is street art illegal or vandalism? This question is quite difficult to be clearly answered as with permission of public authorities the urban artworks are considered as public art. But many artists paint without any permissions and are called vandals or even criminals. They are confident in their ideas and feel freely to show them in any place they wish to. So, why should they be banned for that?
The purposes and motivations that drive painters are as varied as people themselves. Some artists express their thoughts on canvas, wood, stone, glass and others just would like to put away all traditional ways and find different public spaces the best for the expression of their ideas. And I think that it is so terrific that we can be witnesses of the rise of new arts, be delighted with them and be inspired for our own art feats.
Is it there any definition for street art? Actually not as it combines a wide range of various kinds of art forms and it is difficult to describe them by one common definition. Generally it is a free public art that is inspired by the urban environment and includes a lot of extraordinary styles such as graffiti, wheatpasting, sticker and guerrilla art, video projection, street posters and installations, art intervention and many others.
Street artists use different tools for communicating with everyday people, asking questions about social matters and expressing political concerns. That is why street art often refers to an unsanctioned art as opposition to government initiatives, and can be a powerful platform for reaching the public and acute issues. For other artists urban art is simply an adaptation of visual artwork into a format of public space that makes possible for artists reach a much broader audience and be seen in the off-centre places.
But is street art illegal or vandalism? This question is quite difficult to be clearly answered as with permission of public authorities the urban artworks are considered as public art. But many artists paint without any permissions and are called vandals or even criminals. They are confident in their ideas and feel freely to show them in any place they wish to. So, why should they be banned for that?
The purposes and motivations that drive painters are as varied as people themselves. Some artists express their thoughts on canvas, wood, stone, glass and others just would like to put away all traditional ways and find different public spaces the best for the expression of their ideas. And I think that it is so terrific that we can be witnesses of the rise of new arts, be delighted with them and be inspired for our own art feats.
Trip to Berlin
Friday witnessed another early morning for Lorenzo and I. We hopped on a train in Florence, and hopped off in Berlin. We were fortunate enough to have a connection in Berlin (Lorenzo's family friend) that allowed us to stay at his house, free of charge. After catching up with him and freshening up from our travels, we set out to meet a group for a free walking tour. The tour was a few hours long, and focused primarily on the historical aspects of the city. Seeing as I had just finished an intensive "Twentieth Century Europe" history class this semester, which obviously centers quite a lot in Berlin, this amazing city was at the top of my list of places to visit. It was incredible to stand in such historical places and see the aftermath of events I had constantly read about in textbooks. The tour guide was especially great because she not only enlightened the group on the history of Berlin, but also made an effort to point out Berlin's future -- that Berlin's history of being the epicenter of events in the twentieth century is not stopping Germans from molding the city into a very modern and unique city.
The tour lasted a few hours, and at the end we wandered through the immense city, eventually finding a park to lounge in. We laid in the grass and chatted for hours, processing the vast amount of information that had just been thrown at us. As the sky began to fade, we headed back towards the apartment.
The next day, we were up early for a very important -- though I cannot say a very fun -- excursion. We headed to take a tour of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Though I had visited a concentration camp in Germany a few years ago, the intensity of the experience did not diminish in the slightest. I do not feel the need to describe my visit to the concentration camp, but I will say that I believe it is an important experience for people to have.
After spending the entire day at the camp, we headed back to the apartment. We were all exhausted -- emotionally and physically -- and soon realized our plans to wander the city at night were a bit too much for that day. We discussed our experiences as we made dinner at the apartment, and eventually fell asleep from pure exhaustion.
I have to say that I feel so fortunate to be able to travel with such wonderful people. As I am visiting these incredible places that I have only ever dreamed about seeing, I realize the importance of learning about the history as well as the present-day significance of the cities. Being able to have intelligent conversations with my friends over our experiences with and interpretations of these cities makes travel that much more meaningful. I cannot imagine visiting Berlin, a city with such a dense history, without being able to discuss and process fully the impact of its history.
My experience of Berlin was mostly focused on the historical aspects of the city, which I think was important for my first time in Berlin. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the vibe of the present-day city, and fully intend on returning so I can delve deeper into the modern culture of Berlin.
The tour lasted a few hours, and at the end we wandered through the immense city, eventually finding a park to lounge in. We laid in the grass and chatted for hours, processing the vast amount of information that had just been thrown at us. As the sky began to fade, we headed back towards the apartment.
The next day, we were up early for a very important -- though I cannot say a very fun -- excursion. We headed to take a tour of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Though I had visited a concentration camp in Germany a few years ago, the intensity of the experience did not diminish in the slightest. I do not feel the need to describe my visit to the concentration camp, but I will say that I believe it is an important experience for people to have.
After spending the entire day at the camp, we headed back to the apartment. We were all exhausted -- emotionally and physically -- and soon realized our plans to wander the city at night were a bit too much for that day. We discussed our experiences as we made dinner at the apartment, and eventually fell asleep from pure exhaustion.
I have to say that I feel so fortunate to be able to travel with such wonderful people. As I am visiting these incredible places that I have only ever dreamed about seeing, I realize the importance of learning about the history as well as the present-day significance of the cities. Being able to have intelligent conversations with my friends over our experiences with and interpretations of these cities makes travel that much more meaningful. I cannot imagine visiting Berlin, a city with such a dense history, without being able to discuss and process fully the impact of its history.
My experience of Berlin was mostly focused on the historical aspects of the city, which I think was important for my first time in Berlin. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the vibe of the present-day city, and fully intend on returning so I can delve deeper into the modern culture of Berlin.
lunedì 12 maggio 2014
First Time Skydiving
Like most people, I have always wondered what it would be like to fly. As a child I used to pretend that I was superman, an airplane, a bird, anything that flew through the air. I ran through the yard with my arms spread out like an airplane, simulating weird engine noises whenever I would make a turn or go into a steep dive. Well, some time ago I got to fly for the first time, and it wasn’t by riding in an airplane. It was by jumping out of one.
Skydiving has always been of interest to me as a natural consequence of my desire to fly. I have always wanted to do it, but never thought that I would until the beginning of fall last year. I decided to wait until spring to make my jump.
I found the place and arrived 30 minutes before my scheduled time at 9:00 a.m. I met some of the other people who were diving (also first-timers), signed a form saying that I wouldn’t sue the company if I was injured and that nobody in my family could sue them if I died, watched a three minute video, and then sat down with the owner of the skydiving center to learn about how to position yourself during freefall. I was skydiving in tandem, meaning that there would be a guy strapped onto my back who would monitor our rate of fall, control our descent, and deploy the parachute.
Then I was introduced to Davide, who was my instructor and tandem skydiving partner. He gave me a huge jumpsuit to wear over my clothes and then took me over to the airplane hanger where he strapped my harness on. Then he put his parachute on, handed me some clear diving goggles, and we got into the plane. We were the first ones in the plane and the last ones out.
We were in a 1946 cargo plane. There were thirteen of us in there. Four of us were jumping tandem with an instructor, two people were diving alone, and there were three cameramen. We all sat on the floor with the guy in front of us sitting between our legs and leaning back on our chests. When we were only a few minutes away from making the jump we shifted onto our knees so that the instructor could strap himself onto our harnesses, and so we could put our goggles on.
The ride up was nice and easy. Everyone chatted kindly with one another and talked about how great the weather was for a dive. Davide asked me how long I had wanted to skydive and if I had any family or friends down on the ground waiting for me. I told him that I had come alone, and he laughed. “That’s the sign of a guy who really wants to do it,” he said. “This is going to be the greatest thing you’ve ever done, trust me.”
I asked Davide how long he had been skydiving and what made him do it for the first time. He said his brother and sister-in-law went skydiving to celebrate their anniversary and encouraged him to try it. He gave it a shot, loved it, and made it into his career. He had been skydiving for 3 and 1/2 years, and had over 700 jumps to his credit. There were several other people on this jump who had 3,000 or more jumps under their chute.
I had not experienced any anxiety or nervousness about the dive until we were about 2000 meters in the air. The cargo hatch door was about ten feet in front of me, but I had an angle to where I could see the ground far below us. “Holy crap!”, I thought. ”I’m going to be jumping out of this thing in just a few minutes!” Amazingly enough, this anxiety quickly passed and I was back to normal. This surprised me more than anything. I had always thought that I would experience extreme fear and trepidation when I went on my first skydive, but aside from that brief moment, I felt no fear at all. While I sat in the cargo bay I wondered if I would feel that way once I was standing at the edge of the plane with the wind whipping through my hair.
Once we had reached 3000 meters we heard a shout from the pilot crying, “Door!” The two people closest to the cargo hatch raised the door and immediately did Superman-esque dives into the air and vanished from my sight. The tandem divers ahead of me all started duck-walking toward the open door (the ceiling was too short for anyone to stand up) and dove out of the plane. Then it was time for Davide and I. We scooted right up to the edge.
We rocked forward, and back, and then fell out of the plane. We tumbled end-over-end for a few seconds and then got into freefall position. It was incredible. I was falling at 200 km/h, hurtling towards the earth and my possible destruction. The wind whipped past me with incredible ferocity. The rush was absolutely exhilarating. My heart rate skyrocketed from the intense experience, but I was not afraid. I was extatic. I felt a fullness of life that I had never experienced before.
To my great surprise, I did not see the earth approach me as I fell. The view from 3000 meters was no different from the view at 1500 meters when Davide deployed the parachute. Davide pulled the rip cord and I felt a gentle tug in the harness as we slowed from 200 km/m to 30 km/h in less than a second. We began a slow descent to the earth, which took around seven or eight minutes. There are two cables that run down from the parachute with strap handles on the end of them, which are used for steering. I took them and steered us slowly to the left, and then again to the right. Then Davide told me how to do a spiral, by pulling down hard on one strap and letting up on the other. I pulled hard with my left hand and suddenly we were in a tight spiral dive, with the horizon spinning incredibly fast before our eyes. I tried it several more times and laughed with joy.
The landing was not as I thought it would be. I remember seeing videos of military operations where those guys would hit the earth fast and hard, and have to do a roll on the ground to try to avoid breaking a leg. This was as light as a feather. You cruise into the grass with your legs up high like you’re doing an ab workout and land on your butt, to absorb the shock. In our case though, we came in a little too fast, so Davide yelled at me to put my feet down at the last second. It was such a gentle touchdown that I didn’t even know I was on the ground until I felt the parachute falling to the ground behind me.
When it was over I spent a while chatting with Davide about the dive, and I thanked him and gave him a big hug. I got out of the harness and returned the jumpsuit, and spent a little time hanging out with the other divers and the people who worked there. They gave me a certificate to show that I had completed my first skydive and I drove away from that little airport with the pulse of life rushing through me.
It is an experience that I hope to undertake many, many more times and shall never forget.
Skydiving has always been of interest to me as a natural consequence of my desire to fly. I have always wanted to do it, but never thought that I would until the beginning of fall last year. I decided to wait until spring to make my jump.
I found the place and arrived 30 minutes before my scheduled time at 9:00 a.m. I met some of the other people who were diving (also first-timers), signed a form saying that I wouldn’t sue the company if I was injured and that nobody in my family could sue them if I died, watched a three minute video, and then sat down with the owner of the skydiving center to learn about how to position yourself during freefall. I was skydiving in tandem, meaning that there would be a guy strapped onto my back who would monitor our rate of fall, control our descent, and deploy the parachute.
Then I was introduced to Davide, who was my instructor and tandem skydiving partner. He gave me a huge jumpsuit to wear over my clothes and then took me over to the airplane hanger where he strapped my harness on. Then he put his parachute on, handed me some clear diving goggles, and we got into the plane. We were the first ones in the plane and the last ones out.
We were in a 1946 cargo plane. There were thirteen of us in there. Four of us were jumping tandem with an instructor, two people were diving alone, and there were three cameramen. We all sat on the floor with the guy in front of us sitting between our legs and leaning back on our chests. When we were only a few minutes away from making the jump we shifted onto our knees so that the instructor could strap himself onto our harnesses, and so we could put our goggles on.
The ride up was nice and easy. Everyone chatted kindly with one another and talked about how great the weather was for a dive. Davide asked me how long I had wanted to skydive and if I had any family or friends down on the ground waiting for me. I told him that I had come alone, and he laughed. “That’s the sign of a guy who really wants to do it,” he said. “This is going to be the greatest thing you’ve ever done, trust me.”
I asked Davide how long he had been skydiving and what made him do it for the first time. He said his brother and sister-in-law went skydiving to celebrate their anniversary and encouraged him to try it. He gave it a shot, loved it, and made it into his career. He had been skydiving for 3 and 1/2 years, and had over 700 jumps to his credit. There were several other people on this jump who had 3,000 or more jumps under their chute.
I had not experienced any anxiety or nervousness about the dive until we were about 2000 meters in the air. The cargo hatch door was about ten feet in front of me, but I had an angle to where I could see the ground far below us. “Holy crap!”, I thought. ”I’m going to be jumping out of this thing in just a few minutes!” Amazingly enough, this anxiety quickly passed and I was back to normal. This surprised me more than anything. I had always thought that I would experience extreme fear and trepidation when I went on my first skydive, but aside from that brief moment, I felt no fear at all. While I sat in the cargo bay I wondered if I would feel that way once I was standing at the edge of the plane with the wind whipping through my hair.
Once we had reached 3000 meters we heard a shout from the pilot crying, “Door!” The two people closest to the cargo hatch raised the door and immediately did Superman-esque dives into the air and vanished from my sight. The tandem divers ahead of me all started duck-walking toward the open door (the ceiling was too short for anyone to stand up) and dove out of the plane. Then it was time for Davide and I. We scooted right up to the edge.
We rocked forward, and back, and then fell out of the plane. We tumbled end-over-end for a few seconds and then got into freefall position. It was incredible. I was falling at 200 km/h, hurtling towards the earth and my possible destruction. The wind whipped past me with incredible ferocity. The rush was absolutely exhilarating. My heart rate skyrocketed from the intense experience, but I was not afraid. I was extatic. I felt a fullness of life that I had never experienced before.
To my great surprise, I did not see the earth approach me as I fell. The view from 3000 meters was no different from the view at 1500 meters when Davide deployed the parachute. Davide pulled the rip cord and I felt a gentle tug in the harness as we slowed from 200 km/m to 30 km/h in less than a second. We began a slow descent to the earth, which took around seven or eight minutes. There are two cables that run down from the parachute with strap handles on the end of them, which are used for steering. I took them and steered us slowly to the left, and then again to the right. Then Davide told me how to do a spiral, by pulling down hard on one strap and letting up on the other. I pulled hard with my left hand and suddenly we were in a tight spiral dive, with the horizon spinning incredibly fast before our eyes. I tried it several more times and laughed with joy.
The landing was not as I thought it would be. I remember seeing videos of military operations where those guys would hit the earth fast and hard, and have to do a roll on the ground to try to avoid breaking a leg. This was as light as a feather. You cruise into the grass with your legs up high like you’re doing an ab workout and land on your butt, to absorb the shock. In our case though, we came in a little too fast, so Davide yelled at me to put my feet down at the last second. It was such a gentle touchdown that I didn’t even know I was on the ground until I felt the parachute falling to the ground behind me.
When it was over I spent a while chatting with Davide about the dive, and I thanked him and gave him a big hug. I got out of the harness and returned the jumpsuit, and spent a little time hanging out with the other divers and the people who worked there. They gave me a certificate to show that I had completed my first skydive and I drove away from that little airport with the pulse of life rushing through me.
It is an experience that I hope to undertake many, many more times and shall never forget.
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