Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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A Parachuting: natural By SALLY WILSON high Gamecock Sports Writer The crowds gathered below, peered overhead, squinting and straining their eyes to find the tiny speck. Suddenly it appears on the horizon of the clouds; as it descends toward the earth the speck increases in size and begins to develop shape and color. At a somewhat closer distance the form of a human being, strapped to some sort of enormous billowing canopy, comes into view. Children hide behind their mother's skirts. But they need not be afraid. For out of the wild, blue yonder comes not a creature from the outer limits; it's only a USC parachuter.. The sport parachute club at Carolina has been in existence for seven years. In 1974, members attended the National Collegiate Parachuting Championships at DeLand, Florida, and came back ranked 5th in the country. As a member of the Carolina Parachute Council, the club usually attends meets every two months. In these meets participants are divided into categories according to the number of jumps they've made. Individual accuracy, style, relative work and team accuracy make up the four dif ferent areas of competition in each class. This weekend, the club travels to Charlotte, N.C. for their first jump meet this fall. They will have a "fun meet" with Clemson in a few months, in which they will perform such stunts as jumping out holding a raw egg and hopefully ending up with it intact on the ground. In order to become a full-fledged USC parachuter, there are a few steps that must be taken. Each student must go through ten hours of ground training, including written tests, harness tests, jumping off walls to learn how to land and learning how to maneuver the canopies. Next comes five static line jumps in which the parachute opens up automatically. Free fall jumping is last, starting with a "hop and pop" jump, in which the student pulls the rip cord as soon as he leaves the plane. Subsequent jumps have from five to 30 second intervals before the parachute opens. Contrary to what some people think, parachuting is a relatively safe sport. But, as in any other sport, most injuries occur when students don't obey instruction. If a parachute fails to open, there is always a reserve one. And students are trained to cope with malfunctions. One jumper noted that the most injuries he has seen were a few sprained ankles. Okay, that sounds fine. But what about when the time comes to actually jump--to leap out from the security of the plane into a world of nothingness? Well, there is even a solution for fear. On the ground, a parachuter normally spends between 20 and 30 minutes packing his equipment. Next, under the hot sun, the parachutist pulls on a heavy cottom jump suit, clamps the packs and chutes on his back, and stuffs his head inside a helmet. By this time, quite a sweat has been worked up. In the plane, when that first initial blast of cool air hits as the door opens, the parachuter reacts instinctively by diving out into the refreshing sky. What could be more natural? But there is a lot more involved than merely jumping out of the plane. In competitive jumping a participant is judged on how close he can land to the target-a small red disk, approximately four inches in diameter. From 3,600 feet in the air this target is rather difficult to see. Wind is also a factor the jumpers must contend with. The procedure begins by releasing of a yellow streamer over the target. The distance is measured between the spot where the streamer lands and the target, and the parachuters jump from that distance on the opposite side of target. The equipment available varies greatly. "You carn spend as much as you want or as little as you want," said club officer Robert Trimmier, in reference to the costs of new and used canopies, jumpsuits, and containers. The club itself is made up of a very unique group of people. Such traditions as buying a case of beer on a person's first free fall keep the club in good spirits after long days of jumping. But the members are very en thusiastic about parachuting and are interested in getting more people involved in the sport. The club has about 20 active members practices at the Lugoff airfield on weekends and occasionally during the . week. Club officers are Robert Trimmier, Jay Judice. Lynn Wilson and John Gray. Club member Betty White summed up her feelings about the sport of parachuting. "You can get so much out of it in such a short period of time--it's a natural high," 44 ppI