Born:

July 7, 1968

Personal:

I graduated from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1989 with a BS degree. I used to play competitive billiards in school and placed 5th at the Collegiate National tournaments in 1989 and 1990. I was the first woman in Milwaukee to play on a city-wide men's billiards league, so being a female in a male dominated sport is not new to me. I graduated from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1993. I moved to North Carolina and did one year of residency in surgery. It was during that time that I began skydiving.

Skydiving was something I had always wanted to do. I knew in my heart that once I started I would be hooked. So I waited until I knew I had a bit more monetary reserve. I have done all of my jumping at Carolina Sky Sports in Lewisburg. The people there were very supportive of me from the start (no "sky gods"). I loved my first jump and I completed their tandem program and got my A license in about 2 months. Since then I have made 196 jumps, most of them RW jumps. I have never had to use a reserve but I did have one scary experience.

There were 3 of us making a sunset jump from 9000 feet. I had just bought a rig but it was in California getting the Cypress hooked up. So, I had Paul Fayard put my main in one of the student rigs. The student rig had one of those belly band throw out pilot chutes and the spandex was somewhat worn. I exited first, doing freestyle. The next jumper was going to just follow me I watch my moves. I was having a great jump... it was a beautiful sunset. I did a couple of daffys and then a couple of backflips. Then I decided to reverse things and do a few front flips. One, two...and then suddenly something hit my right knee!! It was my bag...my hand had brushed my belly band and freed the pilot chute. I was still flipping from the momentum as a saw fabric coming out of the bag. The next thing I knew, my chute was about 3/4 open with half of the lines wrapped around my left leg!! Well I trained well as I student and I knew the routine. This was a malfunction...I instinctively reached for the one point cutaway handle. After a moments thought I realized that opening my reserve into that mess would be a disaster. I remember my next thought was that I was in trouble because I was hanging upside down by my foot.

I don't really have enough arm strength to do a pull-up!! But, that's just what I did. As the canopy began to spin, I grabbed the good lines, pulled myself up, and untangled my leg from the lines. I was still flipped through the risers twice, but a did a control check and everything seemed to be working. I landed without further incident. How lucky I was that the person watching me had the good sense not to stay directly over me!!

I had a moderate hematoma by my right knee and I still have an oblique scar around my lower left leg from my foot being entangled during line stretch. I think since that time, (my 35th jump) I have been much more safety conscious and take responsibility for what I use and jump.

Skydiving for me has been such an incredible escape from the world of medicine. I enjoy my job (I am now halfway through my residency training in radiology) but skydiving really relaxed me. The ability to fly had always been something I had so much desired as a kid. CSS is a great place to jump...the regular jumpers look out for each other as well as the students. And, certainly, jumping King Airs and the CASA every weekend doesn't hurt either.

©Copyright 1996 by Jan Meyer.