Those Born Without Wings Should Jump Instead
One of the coolest things about being a reporter is trying new things every day, and on occasion trying something very few people get the opportunity to do. This week was the annual Tyndall Air Show. I was glad to find out we had an air show this weekend because I’d never been to one before. I figured I’d be on the ground with my camera shooting up at the planes and parachuters, ooo-ing and aaaa-ing with the rest of the crowd… a good way to spend my Saturday reporting. What I didn’t expect was to be up above shooting down below, catching the air show from an angle hardly anyone gets to see. But that’s what I did.
Saturday I went up with the U.S Army Golden Knight Parachute Team! Sitting on a plane next to an open door, strapped to my camera, I got a unique angle on the opening ceremony and a better understanding of how it all works. The team of 6 were all fun to watch and get to know. They have several traditional rituals they go through before jumping, including a cheer on the ground to get themselves pumped up. Each team member has worked with the others for about 4 years, and every individual has a special hand-shake with every team-mate. They told me the handshake was one of the hardest things they had to learn during training. Before jumping, they do their personalized handshake for every team member, miming it in the air if they’re too far apart. Some of them also gave me “knucks” before leaving the plane. Just by spending a day with them, you can tell how much they love their job for whatever reason, which, when I asked one member why he wanted to jump from planes, he replied, “they just keep leaving the door open.”
As much fun as it looked, however, I don’t think I’ll be jumping out of planes any time soon. Just watching their bodies get smaller and smaller so quickly, I had a tiny heart attack each time a member left the plane. I prefer being strapped to my camera, and the best seat in the house.
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Those Born Without Wings Shouldn’t Fly
It’s my first Spring Break in Panama City, which I guess in short means a slower drive down Front Beach Rd. and a background of honking and waving as I try to shoot video for stories outside. I think I may be absorbing some Floridian tendencies however, as I cringe at the bikinis walking by eating ice cream in 50 degree weather while I eat a warm pretzel in my hoodie and jeans. I guess it’s their spring break; they paid to come down and they’re going to enjoy it!
I used this opportunity to take my own spring break, and retreat back north, to my home in D.C. I love to travel, so I do frequently but unfortunately, I’d forgotten that I have perhaps the worst travelling-luck on the planet. A trip for me is usually an adventure, and if it involves a plane-ride, adventure is guaranteed. I’ve been stuck for an hour and a half on the runway of a French airport, (It felt like so long I practically mastered the French language) I boarded a plane in Las Vegas only to leave again and wait for another because of mechanical malfunctions, (very re-assuring to the passengers) I’ve taken off the ground only to hear the pilot’s voice through the intercom say, “we’re going to try and beat this storm before it gets there but we may have to turn around and spend the night in Memphis.” One of the most memorable was after a smooth 15-hour flight from China… almost home, but having my flight cancelled from Chicago to Virginia because of wind. Who decided to build the biggest hub in the windy city? One very long van-ride with my professor and several classmates later, we arrived back home to wait another day for our luggage.
This time, my luck decided to hit me by surprise… Literally. Driving to the Pensacola airport, I stopped at a red light, only to be hit with a sudden realization that another traveller hadn’t. A tow-truck carrying 2 cars plowed across the median and into the driver’s side of my car. Being the goal-oriented person that I am, my first thought was, “Oh no, I hope this doesn’t make me late for my flight!” Then I checked to see that I was okay. The other driver was very apologetic, and the tow company took my car while I left for D.C so that they could fix the two smashed-in doors and broken windshield wiper control (it had snapped off as I lurched forward) I thanked God I was okay and had a very smooth flight home for once! I thought maybe my luck was changing, from bad luck in the air to bad luck on the ground.
Of course, my flight back was delayed.
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February Sweeping me off my Feet
Working in news, February means more than chalky abbreviated hearts and bouquets of roses. It means sweeps, and not the good kind that this title would lead you to believe. Today is the beginning of our ratings period, which for us reporters translates into longer workdays, more investigative stories, and a vast amount of time consumed by tediously scanning documents into pdf form and posting them to the web.
But, I can’t argue because for me, this sweeps month means lots of time spent on the beautiful beaches! That’s because I’m tearing into the issue of who owns the beaches; asking questions like, “are they public or private property?” and, “where do you draw the line?” Almost every reporter has a special assignment during this time, so basically any time during any given week of February you can scan the newsroom and notice at least one person sifting through documents, making countless phone calls, ripping their hair out, or they’re just plain bald from doing so the week before. In the end, you can look back at a finished product that goes more in depth that the usual 1 and a half minute special, and walk away knowing you dug deeper and left the viewers with hopefully, a thorough understanding of the issues.
Maybe after this month I’ll know beach property like the back of my hand.
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About Me
I was born and raised just outside the nation's capital in northern Virginia, and recently graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a major of Broadcast Journalism and minor in International Relations. I studied abroad for a while in Italy and also traveled to Shanghai, China for a journalism class. During college I worked at CBS6 in Richmond, VA as well as FOX5 in Washington D.C. I'm glad to be in sunny Florida and look forward to making Panama City my home for the next few years...
Recent Entries:
- A Death, a Birth, and a New Year
- Difficult Times to Give Thanks
- World of Couch Potatoes
- Trying the Trolley - Day 5
- Trying the Trolley - Day 4
- Trying the Trolley - Day 2
- Trying the Trolley - Day 3
- Trying the Trolley - Day 1
- A Year-Old Newby
- Throwing a Bone
- Relay for Life a Success!
- Sometimes Too Removed
- Those Born Without Wings Should Jump Instead
- Those Born Without Wings Shouldn’t Fly
- February Sweeping me off my Feet
Other News13 Blogs:
- The Casual Historian - Larche Hardy
- Derby Girl - Enocha Van Lierop
- The Newby - Jessi Chapin
- Gainesville, Georgia's All American Girl - Tuquyen Mach
