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Bill Redeker Bill Redeker The air is thin and chilled up there, but it's so pure. You literally stick your head out into the rushing jetstream of air -- the lifeblood, that sustains our souls. And all of the sudden, you realize you are looking down upon 6 billion other souls and a world who's problems become minuscule. Yet when you return to the planet, you return to a different reality. A reality filled with questions like, "Weren't you afraid?" or "Oh my, isn't that sooooo dangerous?" These were the same questions I had to answer when the DP wrote an article about the University of Pennsylvania Skydiving Club ("Skydiving Club takes risks 'to prevent life from escaping us,'" DP, 11/7/97.) But after reading the article, I realize I may have broken the two foundations this club lies upon. The first foundation is if you come, you come with an open mind. And secondly, no crappy attitudes are allowed. In either of these circumstances, you cannot wholeheartedly give nor receive what this experience has to offer. Heck, I know some people crave the tragic or dark story or that they make the best articles. Clearly, skydiving sometimes affords itself as being an adequate vehicle for accomplishing both. But the difference with this club is, I have nothing to hide from anyone who comes to a meeting or has a question about it. Every so often, skydiving, like life, decides that it must take a person that we have loved and cared about. Sometimes it is a freak accident, but at other times, it's a person being reckless or another giving up on the journey of life. All these factors can contribute to the split and misunderstanding between those that skydive and those that do not. But for an experience that has redefined my perceptions, my willingness to live freely and which contributes to new the possibilities that continually shape my life, I cannot allow myself to bask in this glow alone without putting it out there for other people to consider and possibly have for themselves. Skydiving might not be for everyone and that, in itself, is fine. Every path is unique and each has its own dangers and rewards awaiting its traveler. So is skydiving dangerous? There is a danger; however, the danger can be minimized through training, proper equipment and adherence to basic safety rules. Am I afraid or fearful every time I go to jump? Yes, and the person who loses, or has no fear, in this experience has absolutely no right to be doing it. Fear is always an integral and necessary part of this experience. But then again, what you get out of it, and the bond you discover within yourself and to others, is part of it as well. And don't get me wrong here either? there are plenty of other places, closer to sea level, to do this as well. So what about those who do not make it, you know, the people that actually do die skydiving? About 1.5 million jumps were made in the U.S. last year, and there were 39 confirmed fatalities. Maybe this was 39 too many, but people leave this reality in an infinite number of ways; whether that be from dying of old age, getting cancer, being in a car accident, or yes, skydiving. At some point, you have to get out and live your life. But there's always this other consequence for doing so. And no matter what you do or don't do in your lifetime, you can't escape it. This club is not about who is a part of it, or how many members we have. It is about individuals looking to do something extraordinary, a chance to change their perspective and attitude about their lives. Skydiving is a very personal thing to each and every person that does it. And I wish there were some set of words that could adequately describe what you were going to feel from the beginning to the end of this experience. If there were, I'm positive everyone would try skydiving. The experience of human flight is one element of life that requires pure action in order to understand it because no amount of thinking, rationalizing, intellectualizing or philosophizing can justify what it means or feels like to skydive. We sometimes use words such as unknown, extreme, risky or dangerous to define or dissuade ourselves from trying something new or making a change in our lives. Ironically, we frequently fight and ignore these elements -- the very elements that define, govern and shape every aspect of our lives. I'm amazed at the number of people that can make it through the day, much less their lives, with this attitude. Skydiving might be all or none of these things, but life makes no guarantees to those who live it and I'd be a fool to try to convince you otherwise. Skydiving is life for me. But it's not the end-all or be-all; just a definite part of it. These words will ultimately mean little until you realize the truth to them yourself. Only then will you understand what it means to be free and why some of us are willing to jump from a perfectly good airplane?

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