For students looking to dive into new activities throughout the school year, the Skydiving Enthusiasts Club provides an outlet for people to learn about skydiving, get a license and do something fun on the weekends outside of campus.
Haven Thompson, a senior majoring in nursing and president of Skydiving Enthusiasts, was vice president last semester when the club was created. Thompson said he plans to host introductory meetings every other week, help students get information on next steps for training and take those ready for their first jump to an airport in Cullman County, Alabama, a little over an hour away from Tuscaloosa.
“I go up there pretty much every weekend to jump from dawn to dusk,” Thompson said.
Initially, the club was intended to be an officially affiliated UA sports club, but due to risk concerns, the members are instead enthusiasts who support skydiving off campus.
“The club itself is about promotion for skydiving on campus,” Thompson said. “So I’ve been going to events such as Get On Board Day to meet new students, talk to them and get them interested.”
Thompson said GOBD was a success for recruiting, saying that there are 200 people in the GroupMe and many people ready to attend the interest meeting this Thursday.
The club’s main goal this year is to help new members get licensed and out in the air, Thomson said. He plans to have experienced skydivers on Zoom meetings to lecture members about gear, canopy flights and general advice about skydiving.
“It’s pretty small. It’s definitely very niche and not up everyone’s alley, and it’s also kinda expensive,” Thompson said about the skydiving club. “So really if I could even get three people interested in it, committed to it, that would make this fully worth it.”
Thompson also said that it took three months and 25 jumps to acquire a skydiving license. The license requires trainees to meet specific requirements and skill levels to show that the diver is safe and in control of their movements in the sky.
“The fear you get in the door [of the plane] is real, but the best decision I ever made was going out and jumping,” Thompson said.
