“I’m Jumping”

Craig Stevens ’69 (BUS) set a skydiving world record when he and 34 divers over age 70 jumped in formation over South Florida, beating the previous record of 25 skydivers free-falling together. One by one, they leapt out of an aircraft and plummeted toward earth at 120 mph, maneuvering midair to link arms and form a 35-person configuration before scattering to safely deploy their parachutes. The record-setting group, which hails from across the globe and includes adventurers over 80, are all members of Jumpers Over Seventy (JOS). With 3,500 jumps under his belt, Craig considers himself one of the least experienced members — some have logged more than 20,000 jumps. Ironically, back when Stevens was a springboard diver on the UConn swim team, he says he feared even the three-meter-high diving board jumps. But during his junior year, a conversation with a fellow student who skydived sparked his curiosity. He tried it after college and has been soaring through the skies ever since. Do his doctors warn him against this risky venture? Quite the opposite — they say it motivates him to stay in tip-top shape. “Until I can no longer climb into the airplane, when they open the door at altitude, I’m jumping!” he says.