Skydiving club takes flight at North Dakota State
Jumping out of a plane may seem crazy to some, but for new members of the Skydive Club, it is a rush that can’t be duplicated any other way.
The club started as the result of efforts from Becky Baird, senior nursing major and instructor at Skydive Fargo, and two of her friends.
“ I’ve been skydiving for six years, and I guess I just wanted to get something started so people could learn about skydiving,” Baird said.
The club will introduce students to different aspects of skydiving and train them to skydive. Training will take place at Skydive Fargo.
Skydive Fargo is located at the West Fargo Airport and is a nonprofit organization that aims to teach people how to skydive safely.
While the jumps will take place in warmer weather, during the winter months Baird hopes to train a group of students at a wind tunnel that simulates skydiving.
Many students probably wouldn’t skydive because of safety issues, but the sport has become less of a danger over the years with technological advancements.
“ The biggest thing is that skydiving is a relatively new sport and it’s progressing and it’s gotten a lot safer,” Baird said.
Joining the club gives students the opportunity to learn about the sport as well as try it out in a wind tunnel before actually taking the plunge. Other than that, the club will allow skydiving enthusiasts and newcomers to meet and share their interests, Baird said.
During winter break, there is a competition in Florida for college students to show off their skydiving skills. Events in the competition include formation skydiving, landing accuracy and just-for-fun skydiving.
“ You just have to do it once. It’s a feeling you can’t really achieve any other way,” Baird said.
The first meeting of the Skydive Club will be 4 p.m. Tuesday in the University Chambers Room in the Memorial Union. For more information about the club, contact Becky Baird at ndsuskydive@hotmail.com.