Skydiving Club Aims to Let Skyhawks Fly

By Roy Adams

A new skydiving club at Fort Lewis College aims to attract novice skydivers with little to no experience in the sky.

Skydiving offers a unique experience for students who want to experience a diverse culture of encouragement and acceptance by welcoming skydivers of any caliber, Taylor Webb, club founder and president, said.

Collegiate skydiving has been around since 1958, Webb said.  It offers students a very exclusive opportunity to explore the skies in a competitive environment, she said.   

Each year the United States Parachute Association holds collegiate national championships.  The events include: accuracy of landing, freestyle, formation skydiving, and a lot more.  For the first time ever FLC students will be competing in these championships, Webb said.

If students wish to compete in these they must attend the next scheduled meeting, October 12th.  After paying a club fee of $1000, students are given the opportunity to learn to dive competitively by participating in her various training courses, Webb said.  

Webb is a certified skydive instructor who will be doing the instructing of students herself.  She aims to help students feel the satisfaction of jumping out of a plane, she said.

“To those who have felt the wonderful sensation of freedom in the clear blue sky, there is no explanation needed, but for those who have not, none is possible,” Webb said.

This club is 100 percent aimed at novices, Webb said.  Yet, there are a lot of trained skydivers on campus like Junior, Logan Hulett.

Skydiving is one of those things that you can just lose yourself with.  Nothing feels like the wind rushing around you, or lift off when jumping out of the plane, Hulett said.  

Even though he is not in the club, he encourages anyone who can to join.

Meetings are held on the second Thursday of every month.

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