FLYING HIGH FOR SPRING BREAK
By Jesus Beltran II
HARLINGEN — Have you ever wanted to fly like a bird? Soar like an eagle? Feel the wind rushing up at you, as well as the ground? Well, then, you’ve probably been dreaming of skydiving for quite some time. It wouldn’t be a Spring Break if you didn’t try something risky, like bungee jumping. So why not go for the ultimate in heart-pounding adventure?
Imagine free-falling at a height of about 12,000 feet (approximately 4000 meters) from an airplane, over South Padre Island ~ all the while a jumpmaster is strapped to your back – a tandem jump.
For extreme beginners, tandem is a must. Trust me. You don’t want your first mistake to be your last. But if you’re already a licensed jumper, you’ll be able to make the jump, too.
Colonel Bill Maples’ group, STOP (South Texas Organized Parachutists), will be on hand to take adventurers to new heights this Spring Break. On the beach, behind the Radisson Hotel, STOP will be signing up jumpers for an adventure of a lifetime. Even if you’re not a college student, but are at least 18 years old, you can still make the jump.
Once you make the choice to jump, you’ll be transported to the Cameron County Airport. Your adventure begins with the lessons that will get you maximum fun with minimum pain. Part of your training is a video showing you what to expect in the jump. After, you will walk through the steps of how you’ll be exiting and landing and what to do in between. Remember, jumping with another person strapped to you is a lot more difficult than you might think. Since these are tandem jumps, you don’t have to worry about all that other stuff, like when to pull the rip cord or how to steer the parachute once it has opened. All you have to do is put your arms out and soar. Actually, pre-jump is when your instructor will get into more specifics about what your job is during free-fall.
“When you go out of the aircraft…depending on the student, you may do flips with the student,” Col. Maple explains. “But you always talk to the student about that first. It’s a lot of fun doing that.”
No matter how you make your exit from the plane, the tandem master will help you stabilize by arching. This is a move where his arms and legs go out to form the open part of a jumping jack. His legs are bent slightly back, hence the arching. You, as the “passenger”, do a variation on this. You open your legs a bit, also bent, between the tandem master’s legs. All this creates a drag, letting you fall a little slower.
Adding to the mass that you and the tandem master create to slow your fall is a drone. This is a type of mini-parachute that drags high above you. The drone’s main job is to keep your from an uncontrolled fall.
So, if this sounds like your kind of fun, then go ahead and find STOP behind the Radisson Hotel during Texas Week on beautiful South Padre Island. For more information, or to set up an appointment, call 1-866-245-5999 or send an e-mail to stopatspislandtx@aol.com.
Riding on and over the waves
By Jesus Beltran II
It doesn’t matter if you’re into ripping through or over the waves, South Padre Island is the place to be. Visit the island and you can find all sorts of water sports on either side ~ gulf or bay.
Among the activities that draw visitors to the Island is surfing. Originated in the Hawaiian Islands as a fun sport, today, surfing is also a highly competitive sport. On SPI, the gulf side of the island provides surfers with tame waves ~ not the monster ones you might find in Australia or California. Riding a wave has to do with a combination of balance, coordination and physical strength. But surfing also takes practice.
A word about safety. Before grabbing a board and jumping into the gulf, you should know how to swim. I know it sounds like a no-brainer, but like any sport, you should have the basics down before starting something new. Always have a partner, even if you do know basic water safety. Don’t worry about looking silly in front of a friend. Better safe than sorry, right?
The first bit of advice is to practice some of the following steps on sand. Once you can go through the movements quickly and fluidly, then it’s time to paddle out. A warning before we continue. The surfboard has fins on the underside; so make sure these aren’t broken in the process.
Lying on your board, you’ll have to paddle out into the water and past most of the breaking waves. You don’t want to stay too close to shore. The trick is to find the spot before the waves begin to crest and curl. You want to get into the spot where the waves are at their highest.
When you see a wave that you want, get in its way and start paddling in the same direction. Even after it overtakes you, don’t stop paddling. Once you feel it is pushing you along, it’s time for the big move.
Holding on to the edge of the board, do a push-up. When you feel steady, move your feet into position. One foot should go towards the front of the board while the other goes to the back. If you still feel balanced, go ahead and try to stand. Don’t forget to bend you knees and use your arms for balance, if you need it.
Lean into the wave a bit. If you’ve ever used a skateboard, you use the same maneuvers. What it is, is shifting the weight in the front, using your forward foot to steer. The rear foot is a type of anchor for the movements.
Wipe-outs are part of the deal for even the most experienced surfers, so don’t be discouraged. If you get tired of wiping out more often than not, you might consider taking surfing lessons at the Island. But, if you want to learn on your own, visit your local bookstore, library or go online for more tips.