Skydiving is a popular sport for thrill seekers, adrenaline junkies, and individuals who want to step out of their comfort zone, or rather, jump out of a plane to try something new. There is a mix of excitement, apprehension, and peacefulness in those who try it.
Some skydivers take it up as a regular hobby, while others try it once or twice. Individuals, couples, and groups sign up to skydive with experienced instructors. People often celebrate special occasions and monumental birthdays with this literal leap of faith.
Jodi Smalley celebrated her 60th birthday by skydiving. “It’s hard to use full sentences to describe my skydiving experience because the memory brings back so many feelings. Excitement approaching the airport, trust in the pilot and my tandem guide, faith that I would be with the Lord if anything went wrong,” Smalley said. “The most exhilarating, faith-filled, closeness to God, exuberant, peaceful, chaotic, morning. Disbelief that I was actually going to jump out of a plane.” Her fiancé had skydiving experience while serving in the army, and he helped her prepare for the big event.
She also met with experienced jumpers and said a prayer in preparation. “I spoke to a group of competitor divers as they practiced their routine on the ground. Entering the plane, I was fearful that the only way out was to jump,” she said. “Ok, I’m doing this! I was second to last to exit the plane. All others were experienced jumpers. As I wrapped my legs around the outside of the plane, I prayed a prayer of thanksgiving to God and swoosh, we were out, free, flying, falling.”
The experience was memorable in many ways. “It was quiet and windy, peaceful and spiritual,” Smalley shared. “I kept listening and thanking God for allowing me so many privileges. I will never forget the view of the ocean and land below, the wind in my face, and the feeling of freedom.”
Bridgette Langdon tried skydiving when she was a college student. “I was nineteen years old when I decided to try skydiving. As a child and young adult, I craved the rush of adrenaline,” she said. “Right after freshman-year finals, a few girlfriends and I went to a skydiving center in rural North Carolina. There was a rule that required tandem dives, so we paired with instructors, harnessed together, and flew up 13,000 feet in a tiny propeller plane.”
Looking back on the experience, she still remembers how she felt seventeen years ago. “What’s funny is that I don’t remember having any fear as we got closer to the open door. We tumbled out of the plane into a few somersaults, completed about 30 seconds of free fall —what a rush,” Langdon said. “Then the instructor pulled the parachute, and we floated down to the ground like a feather.”
And she’s glad she did it. “Now, as a 36-year-old mom, I look back at this adventure a bit like I’m hearing someone else tell their story — I did that?,” Langdon said. “While I no longer seek the same kind of white-knuckle thrills, I’m grateful for the wide-ranging experiences that make up my life, skydiving included.”
It doesn’t seem to matter how long ago someone tried it. The memory stays with them.
Jason Polk tried skydiving while traveling out of the country a couple of decades ago. “When I was 21, about 25 years ago, I went skydiving in New Zealand, and the thrill of that moment still lives vividly in my memory,” he said. “I was filled with excitement, riding a wave of adrenaline, especially knowing the instructor had thousands of jumps behind him—so I felt safe.”
He second guessed his decision but only briefly. “As I stood at the edge of the plane, I questioned why I was doing it—why leave a perfectly good plane? But I pushed forward, and in those 45 seconds of freefall, I was overwhelmed by pure exhilaration,” Polk said. “The peaceful glide down over a lake afterward, that calm, extended float, was just as magical. I loved it, and though I never repeated it, I look back on it fondly, a daring dream fulfilled before life took me in other directions.”
Want to try it? There are several options within driving distance of Lexington. For information, rates, and appointment options, check out these skydiving businesses in the area:
- iSkydive
Charleston, SC
- Flying Tigers Sport Parachute Center
Anderson, SC
- Skydive Carolina
Chester, SC
It might just be the thrill of a lifetime!