{"676020":{"#nid":"676020","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Skydiving Club at Georgia Tech Reaches New Heights ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPushing themselves to new heights is commonplace for Georgia Tech students, but the Skydiving Club at Georgia Tech takes the challenge to the skies.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn April, six members of the organization \u2014 Victor Batistela, Jack Broadhead, Alex Broering, Beck Bruch, Yiming Guo, and Brandon Yu \u2014 set state collegiate records for the highest exit altitude with a jump at 14,300 feet and the largest formation. The accomplishment was published in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/parachutist.com\/portals\/parachutist\/parachutist\/archives\/July-2024\/HTML5\/index.html\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EParachutist Magazine\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe club, which dates back to 1969, had been dormant for several years before skydiving enthusiast Jack Broadhead, now an electrical engineering alumnus, arrived on campus in 2019. After finding his passion for skydiving working at a jump site in high school, Broadhead and a classmate revived the club, seeing an opportunity to introduce a new generation of Yellow Jackets to the thrill-seeking hobby.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The freedom is a huge part of what makes skydiving so exciting. Through the club, we meet people from other schools, and while we may be studying different things, we all come together over this shared experience of jumping out of planes and taking a break from the stress of schoolwork,\u0022 he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe record-breaking jump, which originated at Skydive Atlanta in Thomaston, Georgia, took place during finals week. Broadhead said the club members saw it as the perfect way to clear their minds. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to the adrenaline rush often associated with skydiving, Broadhead, who now has over 400 jumps under his belt, was initially drawn to it through the eyes of an engineer \u2014 a point of view that he feels other Georgia Tech students can relate to.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I was initially interested in the equipment, so my first jump wasn\u0027t necessarily for the thrill or the adrenaline. It was more about wanting to see this incredible equipment in action. Like so many, I had the impression that parachutes were thrown together by skydivers, but the engineering that goes into them is truly special,\u0022 he said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe club is open to all members of the Georgia Tech community, and no prior experience is required. The organization has around 25 members, and while a core group participates in each jump, events are geared toward all levels of interest, like indoor skydiving activities and movie nights. Broadhead is proud to have had a hand in reviving the club, whose list of alumni features multiple skydiving hall of famers and world record holders. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Skydiving seems crazy, but there is interest, and it fills a unique niche of connecting with new friends and blowing off steam at Georgia Tech,\u0022 he said. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStudents thinking about joining \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.campuslabs.com\/engage\/organization\/sport-parachute-club\u0022\u003Ethe club\u003C\/a\u003E are encouraged to follow its \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/gatechskydiving\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EInstagram account\u003C\/a\u003E for information on upcoming events, including an interest meeting to be held early in the fall semester.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Following its revival in 2020, the Skydiving Club is breaking records and introducing the thrill-seeking hobby to the Georgia Tech community.  "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFollowing its revival in 2020, the Skydiving Club is breaking records and introducing the thrill-seeking hobby to the Georgia Tech community.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Following its revival in 2020, the Skydiving Club is breaking records and introducing the thrill-seeking hobby to the Georgia Tech community.  "}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2024-08-15 13:26:57","changed_gmt":"2024-08-16 12:46:29","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-08-16T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-08-16T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"674594":{"id":"674594","type":"image","title":"The Skydiving Club at Georgia Tech\u0027s Record-Breaking Jump","body":null,"created":"1723729018","gmt_created":"2024-08-15 13:36:58","changed":"1723729018","gmt_changed":"2024-08-15 13:36:58","alt":"Georgia Tech Skydiving Club\u0027s Record Breaking Jump","file":{"fid":"258142","name":"Smile.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/08\/15\/Smile.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/08\/15\/Smile.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":283432,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/08\/15\/Smile.jpg?itok=kJXxSMI5"}}},"media_ids":["674594"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"42901","name":"Community"}],"keywords":[{"id":"167420","name":"student organization"},{"id":"168072","name":"skydive"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:Steven.gagliano@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESteven Gagliano\u003C\/a\u003E - Institute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Steven.gagliano@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}