Born:

June 25, 1958 Uxbridge, England

Personal:

I grew up as a dependent in the US Air Force. We moved around a lot and I never really settled anywhere long enough to learn and adopt a sport. Even today, I don't understand the finer points of football or basketball. It was as much a surprise to me that I started skydiving as it was to people who knew me. If it hadn't been for the help and prodding of friends along the way, I'm sure I'd still be a bookworm and even perhaps a gourmet cook! My life is simple - I work hard, I play hard. Skydiving helps me keep perspective on the important things in life - especially when work seems all encompassing,

How I Became a Skydiver:

My first jump was a surprise gift from a skydiving friend. Up until that moment, I'd managed to avoid having to do by rationalizing that I didn't have the time or especially the money to spare. It was January 1983, the Issaquah, WA Drop Zone was a mud bath and I got to jump a old 28ft round canopy. I climbed out on the step, slipped so I was sitting squat on the step and started falling backwards. My instructor/jumpmaster Bill Jeswine (designer of the Chrysalis cutaway system) drug me back in the plane for a go around. The second pass didn't go much better and the resulting photo would not lead anyone to think I'd turn into a regular skydiver. After 2.5 non-jumping years of working manifest the owner asked me to test jump a Goliath. They were big squares suitable for students and he wanted a novice opinion on their handling. While I wasn't a jumper, I had certainly learned a lot about the sport (listening to all those "no shit, there I was stories.."). So I did it, and then one more, and one more until finally I was graduating and had to face the decision to buy my own gear. I would never have imagined I'd still be jumping today, 10 years and 1500+ jumps later. (Remember that friend that got me into the sport? He quit about 8 years ago!)

Skydiving Accomplishments:

1500+ "exhilarating, gotta have more" skydives

1995: All Star Challenge: 5 Cessna/10-way Meet: First Place, Snohomish, WA

1995: Women's Largest Freefall Formation: Unofficial World Record, 103 Women, DeLand, FL

1994 NW Regional Championship: Second Place 4-way, Kapowsin, WA

1994: All Star Challenge: 5 Cessna/10-way Meet: Second Place, Snohomish, WA

D-License 11192

Gold Wings (1000 freefalls), Gold Freefall Badge (12 hours)

WSCR (Women's formation 8way or larger), AG632 (Adventure Girls)

ELK3 (Elk Formation Skydive), SCR, SCS

Board Member for Seattle Sky Divers Club 1994, 1995, 1996

Occupation:

Regional Manager for Microsoft Support; responsible for Personal Operating System products including MS Windows 95. Sounds stuffy, but its exciting, fast paced, fun and interesting and hey - employees get free soft drinks and juice! <g>

email: debonair@NOSPAMpobox.com remove NOSPAM

My Own Tale

©Copyright 1996 by Jan Meyer.