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Aggielife
—
The Battaliol
Page 3 • Tuesday, July 22, 2
Getting high on life
Skydivers take an ultimate plunge with Skydive Aggieland
By Ashley Marshall
THE BATTALION
As the Cessna 182 with one seat rose
to 7,000 feet, I held my 10-pound para
chute tightly with both hands and
thought, “Wait a minute — I’m supposed
to be writing a story on skydiving — this
wasn’t part of the deal!”
Pilot Mike Lowe said, “ready?” and
then proceeded to dip the plane quickly
to create a weightless environment as
we, and our helmets, floated inside the
cabin for a few seconds.
This is a good day for jumping, I’m
told. But then again, Dave Perkins said,
“Every day with a blue sky is a good day
for jumping.”
Steve Dorsey, Dave Lund and Dave
Perkins gave each other high fives as the
plane door opened.
“Hold on to your sunglasses,” Lund
said as he, Perkins and Dorsey shimmied
out the door holding onto the wing, and I
glimpse a piece of the thrill these guys
get from jumping out of airplanes.
Dorsey, Perkins and Lund work and
hang out at Skydive Aggieland, located
on Coulter Field off Highway 21 past
Messina Hof.
“When we’re not jumping, we’re
complaining about the weather that’s
keeping us from jumping,” said Dorsey, a
senior international studies major.
Perkins has skydived 125 times since
November 2003. Admittedly addicted to
the sport, Perkins jokes he has spent his
life savings skydiving.
“But you can always sell blood,”
Perkins said.
Dorsey, a member of the A&M
Skydiving Club, works packing para
chutes and has purchased 168 jumps by
selling plasma and items in his house.
“Most of my lack of jumping is a
function of not having enough cash,”
Dorsey said.
A person can skydive once with a
tandem instructor on his back for $165,
but after significant training, licensed
skydivers can jump for $18.
This close-knit group of Aggies
frequents the hanger at Coulter Field
and lounges about the couches and
pool table.
“There is a great family atmosphere
here. We jump in the day and hang out at
night,” Dorsey said. “Last night we hung
out over barbecue and drinks. That’s part
of the attraction — the people.”
Although he used to get slack from
people who thought skydiving was too
dangerous, Dorsey said he doesn’t any
more because most of his friends are sky-
divers now.
Looking up from the parachute he is
packing, Dorsey grinned and said, “I’d
be hard-pressed to find a reason to stop.”
Even after his plane had a close call
last May, Dorsey sustained his passion
for skydiving. During takeoff, the engine
on the plane stopped, similar to an acci
dent in 1999 which killed five Aggies.
However, on Dorsey’s flight, pilot Mike
Lowe successfully made a forced land
ing in the nearby field with no injuries.
“He did exactly what he was trained
to do, but in the worst possible sce
nario,” said Todd Spillers, Skydive
Aggieland’s owner.
“We were very lucky,” Dorsey said.
Although he swears it is worth it,
Lund said, “It’s a calculated risk.”
Despite skydiving’s repuation, plane
accidents are very rare and most of the
accidents are from skilled skydivers per
forming harder stunts.
“Or from the occasional old man with
a heart attack,” Dorsey said.
“Statistically speaking, it’s safer to
jump out of a plane than to drive home
afterwards. To me, it’s not dangerous,”
he added.
Eighty percent of skydiving fatalities
last year were from user error on landing.
Despite that fact, the parachutes
rarely fail.
“The parachutes themselves are
very safe. These things have been
designed and redesigned for 40 years,”
Dorsey said.
Contrary to common misconcep
tions, skydivers are not “adrenaline-
crazed-wackos with a death-wish,” as
Dorsey terms, but are people from all
walks of life. Anyone from poor college
students to the director of the George
PHOTO COURTESY OF PABLO PERAZZOLI
Bill Hall, an A&M graduate student, takes the ride of his life with tandem instructor,
Dave Lund, a senior history major.
Bush Library frequents Skydive
Aggieland, he said.
“We’re all about living life,” Lund
said. “You’ve not truly lived until you’ve
gone skydiving - and people wonder
why birds sing.”
1
EEL>T
Cory Morrow
Full Exposure
Write On Records
This new CD/DVD combina
tion is worth the wait for Cory
Morrow fans. With three studio
tracks and 13 tracks from a
2002 concert in Austin, the set
provides a good example of a
Morrow concert while still pay
ing attention to his songwriting.
Of the three new songs, "21
Days" is already receiving
statewide airtime on country
radio. Morrow wrote "GTMO
Blues" after a visit to
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and
does a good job painting a pic
ture of what servicemen's lives
are like on the base.
While the DVD of the Austin
concert isn't spotlessly pro
duced, there are plenty of
crowd shots and additional
footage that fans will enjoy.
The fact that the DVD is
included for free with the CD
makes this a must-have for
Texas country music fans.
-True Brown
Pat Green
Wave on Wave
Universal South
Texas country music recording
artist Pat Green's new album,
"Wave on Wave," might sound a
little different compared to his
previous works, but before you
start trashing all of your Pat
Green CD's and apparel, give
the new album a spin or two.
While it is a different sound,
the quality is better than ever.
He has grown up over the past
few years, he got married and is
expecting his first-born child
soon. This new maturity is evi
dent in his songwriting.
The title track from the album
is already getting major airtime
around the state and is popping
up on charts across the nation.
Green wrote and co-wrote 12
of the 13 songs on the album,
and every song is as good as
the last.
He may not be hanging out at
"George's Bar," or heading
"Southbound 35" on this
album, but the CD is the best
one yet from start to finish.
-Dallas Shipp
★★★★★
E BATTALI#
True Brown
Editor in Chief
ion (ISSN #1055-4726) is publisW*'
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and Monday through Ttaisday#'!;;
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aid at College Station, TX 71
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