Skydivers Over Sixty

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Added: Mon. Jan 19, 2009 7:43am
Posted in: Extreme

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Sixty never look so good. They’re a group of energetic men and women from age sixty to over 80 that like to hang together. Literally. They came to Deland, Florida from all over the US and from at least 5 other countries to take a crack at the world freefall formation record for skydivers over the age of sixty. Appropriately, their group is called SOS or Skydivers over Sixty.

They’re retirees, college professors, doctors, mailmen, teachers, business owners, automotive mechanics, and more. The only common denominator is an unmistakable zest for living, a joy for life or Joi de Vive as one women from Quebec put it.

Sure, they all have the normal aches and pains of those their age but they also have a big smile, a twinkle in their eye and a spring in their step. It was hard to find an overweight person in the group. Interestingly, they don’t view themselves as thrill seekers or dare devils. They say they‘re simply a group of people who want more out of their golden years than sitting on a couch watching TV. Like others who are Growing Bolder, these skydivers prove it’s never to late. While some have been skydiving for decades, others didn’t make their first jump until they were in their 50’s, or 60’s, or even their 70’s. That’s cool.

The world record was 43 skydivers connected in a single formation. Amazingly, just a few years ago, the record was in the 20’s. That speaks to the rapidly increasing numbers and skill level of older skydivers.

It takes intense planning and incredible execution to pull it off. And they did. The record now stands at 48. Their goal was to push the record to 60. That’s a major milestone for this group. They made three attempts at 60 and got pretty close but couldn’t quite pull it off. They’ll try again next year when they reconvene in California.

The SOS record will be documented in an upcoming episode of The Growing Bolder TV Show. To view a photo gallery of the big day click here.