Over Easter weekend, Skydive the South—a small, homey drop zone in Tuskegee, Alabama—transformed. The hustle and bustle of people, parachutes and airplanes brought about by the DZ’s first Easter Boogie (and fundraiser for two charitable organizations) was astonishing. So how does a small Cessna drop zone put on a large event? With hard work, careful planning, great friends and a gamble! The drop zone staff brought in a turbine aircraft, found load organizers, rented a food truck and hired extra staff. And then they waited.
Unsure of potential turnout and slightly disappointed with pre-registration numbers, everyone worried about keeping the leased plane flying. Though the first day of the boogie, a Friday, got off to a slow start, people eventually started to trickle in, loads started flying and the organizers got busy. At one point, gusty winds unexpectedly grounded jumpers, but this weather intrusion only lasted about an hour. The day ended with a beautiful sunset jump and the promise that the next day would bring even more skydiving.
Saturday arrived with clear skies, light winds and eager jumpers, and the load organizers didn’t waste any time. Organizer Debbie Maline made sure to challenge the belly flyers by grouping jumpers by experience and interest. Ryan Mari organized freefly jumps, and David Hemphill flocked the wingsuiters. Instructor Kevin Carver kept an eye on all the activity, ensuring equipment and jumper safety.
Da Grub Spot served delicious barbecue throughout the day, keeping everyone fueled and motivated. Packers worked tirelessly to keep jumpers in the air. Tandem instructors and videographers turned back-to-back loads to ensure every scheduled and walk-in student made a jump. The busy day of jumping wrapped up with an extra-altitude sunset jump followed by night jumps. Amid the commotion, the DZ never lost its homey feel, and the night ended with drinks and tales by the bonfire.
Sunday brought a repeat of beautiful weather and ample jumping. Despite the late night, jumpers woke up motivated, and to everyone’s surprise the first load was up by 8 a.m. Again, a full day of jumping ended with a breathtaking sunset load. After the activity calmed down, the DZO gathered everyone to thank the staff and to recognize staff member Heather Oberloh for her extraordinary organizational skills.
So, the gamble paid off! To say this boogie was a success is an understatement. Hundreds of jumps, 30 loads, $1,500 raised for the Autism Society of Alabama and Great Leaps Learning Center, 31 new skydivers introduced to the sport and priceless memories were just the beginning. Plans are already underway to make next year’s event even bigger.
Skydive Atlas in Holdrege, Nebraska, recently won the Visionary Rising Star Award from the Holdrege Area Chamber of Commerce. The award goes to a Chamber member who has been in business five years or less and has demonstrated business success and community leadership.
Skydive Atlas opened in 2014 with a single aircraft and one tandem rig. The DZ has now grown to two aircraft and 10 tandem rigs. Based in a small town of fewer than 6,000 people, Skydive Atlas brings big tourism dollars to the area. The drop zone brings the most business from visitors two to three hours away than any other business in the town—estimated at some $110,000 per year. Additionally, Skydive Atlas often helps area charities in a variety of ways, including donating tandem jumps as raffle prizes.
DZO Sean Tillery accepted the award at the Chamber’s annual banquet on April 6. In addition to Tillery, a group of local jumpers attended the banquet to show their support
Maria Carver | D-36827