I became a licensed skydiver on November 1, 2015. As I approach my one year anniversary, it got me thinking about how much the sport has changed me. As a Freefall University student, I learned about skydiving and how to fly a parachute. But, beyond the freefall, the knowledge and accomplishments I gained go far beyond what I imagined in the beginning.

Skydiving changes your life. The way you think, and the way you live are forever altered. I want to share my story with those considering this journey...and those who think they could never do something like this.

You can only make your first skydive once. Be sure you hang onto the memories with high quality photo and video. Trust us, you’ll want to brag to your friends and family about how you jumped out of a perfectly good airplane.  

We think adventure is better together! Sharing new experiences together creates a long-lasting bond between friends or family members. That’s why we are giving away FREE tandem skydives for you and a friend.

“...But I’m afraid of heights!”

Needless to say, we’ve heard it before. Notably, we’ve heard it from lots of people right before they experienced their first triumphant tandem skydive. Moments of fear don’t have to keep you from realizing your full potential. In fact, it’ll just convey extra bonus points when you land -- but if you need a little encouragement to get on that plane (or get out), you’re not alone. Here are five things you should know:

When Anne and I moved to Chicago in 2010 we had not competed in 4-way formation skydiving (FS) since 2007. We were living in Virginia, and it was not easy to find competitive skydivers in the area around that time. The wind tunnels were a long drive and the economy was in a downward spiral. Backpacking in the Shenandoah made a lot more sense on the weekends. Based on a friend's recommendation, we started jumping at Chicagoland Skydiving Center (CSC) in Hinckley when we moved to Northern Illinois that summer. Getting back to competitive skydiving was something we wanted to do but it would take a couple more years before we had the time to dedicate.