Tandem Team Chicago Camp Day 1

2010 Miss Illinois Whitney Thorpe

Tandem Team is in Ottawa, IL at Skydive Chicago for the Annual Tandem Camp. The Team is conducting tandems for local Center of Influences in support of the Chicago Recruting Batallion and in preparation for the Chicago Air and Sea Show 14-15 Aug.

T0day started of slow and rainy. With low clouds and rain, Team members boarded the UV-18 to see what altituded the cloud layer was at. To much surprise by all, they were able to jump from 9000 feet. Although it was sprinkling during the entire jump, it was a great start for this weeks Tandem camp. As the jumpers were walking back to the hanger, team leader SFC Elliott was gearing the first load of passengers.

Up first was Miss Illinois Whitney Thorpe.  Miss Thorpe of New Baden was crowned Miss Illinois 2010 on June 19, 2010 at the Norris Cultural Arts Center in St. Charles. She is a  recent graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University with a degree in biology and minor in psychology. You can read her full biography and learn more about Miss Illinois Scholarship Accociation at her website. Mr Sean Harden and Mr Glen Brooks were the lucky other two jumpers on the first lift. Each landed with a new found perspective of the freedom of flight.

It was a short day today with two more lifts and another special guest. We had the honor to bring Benny the Bull from the Chicago Bulls along for a ride in the Twin Otter. You will have to see all the antics at Benny’s website when it gets posted. Lets just say it made for an interesting afternoon.

Its going to be a fast week with lots of tandems as usual. Tomorrw the Team will conduct more tandems and end the day with a demonstration into the Chicago Bears Training Camp.