© Peter Biro/todd Whit
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Have you ever wanted to experience the 120-mile-per-hour rush of freefalling from 14,000 feet? Tandem skydiving (with an instructor) allows you to savor the sixty-second exhilarating journey, followed by the serenity of a fi ve to six minute ride under canopy – all while being safely attached to an experienced jumper whose job is to make your skydive safe and enjoyable.
Ronny Stephens, a publishing partner at Midtown Magazine, thought about it for a long time. “Sure it was a bucket list item, but I also wanted to see if I had the chutzpah to follow through at my age,” says the 68-year old who set out to earn bragging rights. Even though his wife, Kathy, had also wanted to jump for years, this peaked her interest and she was ready to give it a try. “The time under canopy is so peaceful and the views spectacular,” she says. “My favorite part was looking down over the beautiful landscapes from a mile above the earth.” Both plan to jump again. Gregory Upper, President of the Triangle Skydiving Center in Louisburg, says he sees 2000-3000 fi rst time jumpers each year who come due to a list of their own, a celebration of some sort like an anniversary, a birthday, or even as the recipient of a gift. Triangle Skydiving says most people that visit come with someone else, and from a gender perspective, there are probably just as many newbie women as there are men. The mid-30s to mid-40s age group comprises the majority of Upper’s fi rst-time clientele. “We get a lot of professionals out here, and a lot of big groups,” he says, referencing a number of team-building events from companies like SAS, Glaxo, and IBM.
ronny Stephens on the day of his first jump.
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4/26/11 4:49:28 PM