Skydiving August 08

SKYDIVING - AUGUST 2008

The First Thirty by Jillip Naysinthe Paxson tells the story of a person's efforts to explore the world around him, to leave each place better than he found it, and the first thirty lessons learned along the way. The book was honored as NSDLC 2007 Multicultural Relations Book of the Year.

Greg Forbes Siegman is the real-life person upon whom The First Thirty is based.

This part of the site has photos, feedback and links regarding different weeks of Greg's life. Sometimes, it features speeches or book signings or art exhibits if they are featured here. Other times, it features events he hosted (or co-hosted) -- or memorable experiences like his first time skydiving.

In June 2008, Greg served as American Scholar in Residence for a program in Africa. While there, he 'took a leap' and went down a ladder into a crocodile pit -- even petting one of the crocodiles. After returning to the USA, he decided to take some more 'leaps'.

To see pictures and feedback from the Africa trip, go to www.WorldsGreatestPlaces.com , click South Africa

In August 2008, Greg decided to take one of those additional leaps - skydiving. He was joined for the day by several friends - all but one were experiencing their first skydive, too.

Important Notes: As much as it can be an incredible experience, skydiving is not for everyone - so you need to be responsible and check everything out beforehand. And unless you want your first jump to be your last...it's also essential to sign up with a company that knows what they're doing (so you land in one piece).

Greg and his friends went with Skydive Midwest (www.SkydiveMidwest.com ) after one of his friends researched different options.

After filling out the forms, they were taken to a training session. Then, they were each assigned a Tandem Partner -- someone who has jumped many times (in some cases, for as many as 25 years).

In between the training session and take-off, skydivers hang out and wait for their flight. It proves to be a chance to watch others drop down out of the sky - and to make some new friends in the process. Here are some of them:

It's also a time to relax, read, play catch (or, in Greg's case, wander around and check out nearby planes not being used).

The experts in-house prepared all the parachutes and related gear.

Once each flight got called for preparation, the Tandem expert put on the gear for their 'partners' - to ensure everything was snapped, attached, locked and in place as it's supposed to be.

Many people choose to jump in their regular clothes: t-shirts, shorts, pants. Greg decided to get the 'full experience' - and wore a Top Gun style jumpsuit for the dive.

(Which is not to say he is going to be mistaken for Maverick or Ice Man any time soon -- underneath his jumpsuit, he wore a Superman t-shirt and pajama bottoms).

The experience can have an international feel to it -- as many of those involved may come from other countries. For instance, Greg and his friends met people from places like South Africa and Germany -- and flags hang from the rafters to pay homage to those different cultures.

[Ironic note: In this instance, the three flags in the background happen to represent the three countries where Greg has given speeches in the past year -- USA, Canada and South Africa. To see pictures from the South Africa speeches, click Here . To see pictures from the Canada speeches, click here . To see pictures from a sample of the USA speeches, click here. ]

Many people - especially those making their first jump - consider spending extra to get the jump documented by video and photo. Each location is likely different. At Skydive Midwest, each person who opted for video and photo was personally assigned an additional partner - who took pictures, shot the video and made the jump along with the person (and Tandem Partner).

The additional partners took pictures and shot video that showed the person they were with (like, this man - left) before/during prep time...

...the flight up...

[Side note: One of the people who went - featured here - also participated in The First Thirty Elevator Project Africa. To learn more about it, go to www.TheFirstThirty.com and click Elevator Project - and then click Africa. Want to take part in the Elevator Project yourself? Email Feedback@TheFirstThitry.com )

...the actual jump...

...funny moments, like when Greg started channeling his Inner Superman...

...and when he couldn't resist flexing his muscles a little :)

(Commonly asked question: Some of these pictures look so clear and calm and serene - are they really jumping out of a plane from 12,000 feet? Answer: Yes. Just a case of great photography. Look closely at some of the pictures - like the person's hair or their cheeks - and you'll see they're clearly dropping - and dropping fast!)

At some point, the ground starts getting closer...

About 20 or 25 minutes after the plane took off, they were landing back to Earth...

Thanks to Skydive Midwest and everyone involved in a memorable day!

To order a copy of The First Thirty, go to www.TheFirstThirty.com , click Cart

To order copies for a class/company/organization/etc. email Books@IdeaListEnterprises.com

To pre-order a copy of The Silhouette Man, go to www.TheSilhouetteMan.com, click Cart