Since 2020, every year during the Independence Boogie, we announce the year’s Chicagoland Skydiving Center Legend. The CSC Legend of each year is awarded to an exceptional skydiver at the drop zone that calls CSC home. The honor isn’t always given out to the most talented jumper. Instead, more emphasis is given to their demeanor. And in their honor, a theme resembling them is created for the party, as well as  gifts and activities. 

There’s no getting around it, skydiving can be a terrifying prospect! At its core, jumping out of an airplane in flight involves trying to override one of the most primal fears we, as humans, have — the fear of heights. We are simply hard-wired to be scared of falling because we know instinctively that falling generally doesn’t end well, but here’s the significant bit… It’s SO MUCH FUN!

If you’re like many, the first time skydiving came up in conversation as something to do; it was after a few rounds with that one friend. At the time, even you had to admit that it sounded like a great idea, but now the sun has come up on a bright new day, and it just sounds… crazy! Fun, of course, but nuts. “It’s dangerous, isn’t it? Parachutes flat-out don’t work sometimes, right? I mean, YouTube!”

So we all know what we need to do before we start a great day of jumping. We also know what we need to do before each skydive. We’ve learned through experience that the easiest way to avoid an emergency in the air is to spot the problem on the ground. Gear check. Gear check. Gear check.

Becoming a skydiving instructor… The thought alone has so many different meanings, emotions, reasons. The list can go on and on.