Brag Bout

By Jo Erlinda G. Nebres
Printed in Philippines Today, April 01, 2009
http://www.philippinestodayus.com

Many think skydiving is a crazy thing to do especially for those who haven’t tried this kind of sport. It is the natural human reaction in inclination to take high risks. Every skydiver came to that process.
Skydiving isn’t about paying money for aircraft to fly way up in the sky and then jump out of an airplane or helicopter or balloon from about 14,000 feet. It is not even difficult to jump out of the aircraft to soar in the air. It’s not even a difficult extreme sport to experience. You just need commitment and a touch of insanity to accept the challenge, to face your fear and doubts.
The only difficult part is to make a decision whether to skydive or not. But when it’s over, you have something too great to brag about what you just did.
At first, you can’t describe the sensation of flying and floating in the air and what you just saw, only to elicit a wide-eyed grin like “I can’t believe I just did that!”
Embracing that thrilling experienced won’t die there. Recalling what you just saw and reminiscing the feeling makes you want to do it over and over again. A feeling of flying! The astonishing sense of freedom!
Skydiving or parachuting is all about the sensation of flying and freedom. That’s the very reason why skydiving became a sport when before skydiving is part of a job for rescuing or mission for paratroopers during war.
Do you watch a bird fly high? Are you curious what are up there? You can learn how or experience it once but there are health requirement to do this. After all, this is a sport. Every sport requires a reasonably good physical shape. In this kind of sport, you are required to wear about 35 lbs of equipment, endure opening shock, and maneuver the canopy, land, and possibly trudge great distances on foot. There is a weight limit. You will experience 30 degree swings in temperature, atmospheric pressure changes, 4-6 hours of lecture, and lots of beer!
Skydiving might be a grueling sport it seems but it is worth doing! There is not a plane that can give you an awesome sight to view 360 degrees around you, to see a great distance, horizon and its beauty with no obstructions. To feel you are a part of that sky, where you can freely move your body. Whether you want to fly forward, backing up, to move sideways, and how you’d like speed up your fall or to slow it down. Yes, you are definitely flying! You can maneuver your body to the limit that you cannot do on land like doing the flip and twist or standing on your head. No limit on how you want your body to move. Truly, the sky will be your playground!
To know why many are getting whacko over skydiving in the Philippines , email gagabytes@gmail.com.
Take off your fear and remember the first rule, “Enjoy the view!”
Happy flying!