OCR Text |
Show 10 Signpost Tuesday, May 8, 1984 t ... i ... : ' .' V ' ' 1 ' ' ' ' -. - ----- f I r r' v . . . . , I. . f v. ; - - - -' -.i'V - r ' - : . I ; ' Ik . v : I ' ; " . I , i. x . I , .... f-iiiiiiftiiil-i, ri -Jm Am M ifMwrfiMA .aiMimii.ini.niff hi 1 . . -r ... 1 m , , . , ,., 1.. . 1 1 m, i Floating Free CUmUjU You may not recognize him, but you've probably seen him a dozen times or more. How many of us have sat on the edge of our seats, eyes glued to the sky as the blooming chutist fioats effortlessly into the WSC football stadium? Kevin Bell, a WSC sophomore majoring in elementary education, is a member of the Ogden Sky Knights, a professional skydiving team which performs regularly at campus and community events. He has also jumped into the Ogden Stadium during Pioneer Days celebrations. Local radio stations have employed him' as a "high-rise"advertising medium. Need a skydiver, said Bell, "I'm available for hire." Yet, the real reason Bell dives is not for the money but for the excitement. Most of us shudder at the thought of falling; it is the stuff of nightmares. Yet for Bell, it is the ultimate source of fun. "I get an adrenalin high," he said. What makes Bell's pastime seem even more incredible is the fact that he is blind in one eye. Bell began skydiving in 1977. Until that time, he had been a "rodeoer", aggressively pursuing the rodeo circuit. But he got hurt one too many times. With skydiving, Bell explained, "there's no pain involved. It's all or nothing." Before a potential skydiver boards the plane for the first time, he must complete four hours of ground school. Bell describes this training as an absolute prerequisite to that first jump. "They (the instructors) familiarize you with all the equipment, teaching you how to react in the event of an emergency," said Bell. Remaining calm when lines are twisted or when a chute fails to open is also stressed. Bell was taught and firmly believes that parachute malfunction is not in and of itself dangerous. It is, rather, how the person reacts to the malfunction that determines the ultimate outcome. Of his first jump, Bell recalls not feeling especially scared. Coming immediately at the completion of-ground school, he felt very well-prepared. "I knew exactly what to do." Ironically, it was his second jump which frightened him the most. "I thought, I got away with it once. But will I again?" said Bell. As soon as he left the plane, however, his fear left him and he's been in love with the sport ever since. To Bell, the experience of skydiving is almost indescribable. "It's your basic beautiful," he said. When one thinks of skydiving, one imagines all sorts of spine-tingling sensations. The icy air bites at your face as you plummet rock-like to the earth. While the skydiver may initially feel a rush of air, Bell emphasizes that there is no actual sensation of falling. A basic law of physics states that a moving clock runs slow. This is the case with the skydiver, claims Bell. As he begins his descent everything appears to be moving in slow motion. What seems like ten minutes of free fall is actually only about 45 seconds. Bell explained that this illusion is the result of an initial burst of adrenalin which speeds up brain perceptions. At a height of 12,500 AGL (above ground level), falling at a speed of 120 m. p. h., the average jump lasts only about six minutes. Bell has jumped in all seasons, and in all types of weather conditions. Does the thought of snow jumping send shivers down your spine? Bell has done it. It was an interesting experience, he claims. "The snowflakes appeared to be moving upward." Jumping in a rainstorm is by far the most disagreeable to Bell. "It's painful," he said. "Those drops are like needles." Summer jumping is by far the most enjoyable for Bell for it is obviously the most comfortable. He especially enjoys jumping at dusk. It creates an interesting optical illusion. As he leaves the plane, the sun is well above the horizon. As he falls, the sun appears to set. By the time he touches ground, the sun is below the horizon. Bell does say "no" to wind jumping. Windy conditions not only blow the jumper off his landing mark, but may also interfere with the opening of the chute. Diving through clouds is considered another "no-no." A plane could be hidden within, Bell explained. As Bell is the first to admit, skydiving is not for everyone. It can obviously be a deadly sport. As evidenced by past fatalities, there is rarely room for human error. Bell, like many other skydivers, amateur and experienced alike, has faced a moment of crisis, that ultimate do-or-die situation. For Bell, it was an instance of "brain-lock", when he momentarily lost awareness of his altitude. He had been the first to leave the plane, for what was to be a group free fall. All were to meet at a given altitude, join hands for several thousand feet before separating to open their chutes. It seemed that an inordinately long time had passed, yet no other diver had reached him. When Bell looked up, he realized that his friends were far above him too far. It was then that he glanced toward the ground. He was entering the "ground rush" stage. Ground rush is a term used by jumpers to describe that point when impact is imminent. Bell immediately pulled his main chute cord, a mistake he realized later for this particular chute required 500 feet minimum to open. "I should have pulled my reserve," he said, a chute which would have opened after 250 feet. When Bell pulled the cord, he was at an altitude of 500 feet. Miraculously his chute opened at the 300 foot mark. "I've been a safer skydiver since that day," he said. As a rule, he now opens his chute at 2500 feet. Has that life and death situation made him afraid of skydiving? "Sure," said Bell, adding "it's good to feel fear. It is fear that keeps you safe." Yet for Bell, this fear is better termed precaution. "Dying is the fartherest thing from a skydiver's mind. If he thought he was going to die, he'd never leave the plane." |