Adventure by ground or by sky?

Matt Candelaria

The Signal

With spring break right around the corner, most students are already excited and ready to blow off some stress. The everyday routine of college momentarily comes to a pause for a week and gives students some free time to get out and have some fun.

Instead of going to a bar, heading to the beach or staying at home and watching a movie, go out and have some adventure.  Do something that can be a highlight of a lifetime.

Tired of getting tickets, but have that extreme need for speed? Luckily, Grandsport Speedway in Hitchcock is the place to put the brakes on the tickets, and put the peddle to the metal.

Racing Adventures, held at the speedway, offers a speed track where anyone can take his or her car and really test its engine. They also offer two cars for racetrack driving.

First, weighing in at 3,000 pounds is the corvette. This vehicle holds a V-8 engine to deliver the type of power that can make anyone smile. Also, there is a Cobra Repliracer. This open top car can go 0-60 in 4.2 seconds.

“I think it’s ingrained in our society,” said David Zubick, chief instructor and operator.   “We are a car society. We love our big, fast, V-8 powered, rumbling cars; we’ve grown up with it and people just want to go fast. I think a lot of guys and girls have always dreamed of driving a racecar, or being a driver, or at least just trying it out.”

Racing Adventures offers two types of driving schools, the Racing Adventures driving school and Groove Union.

“Racing Adventures is a higher end professional school,” Zubick said. “Groove Union is a more casual type of school.”

Both schools are offered at least four times a month at Grandsport Speedway. The schools last no more than two days.

Racing Adventures also offers ride alongs for those wanting to trust the professionals. The ride alongs last five laps.

The track offers specific dates to drive a private car or take a ride with one of the drivers. For more information on the track, go online to www.racingadventures.com.

Want something a little more uplifting? Some adrenaline junkies set their sights to the skies.  Skydive Spaceland offers a stay-on-site bunkhouse, with equipment needed for the jump, a pro-shop and a shower house with laundry facilities.

After filling out a waiver, jumpers take a 20-minute course, then it’s time to take to the skies. First-time jumpers do a tandem skydive where they are strapped to the back of a professional jumper so they can enjoy the ride.

“They’re initially attracted to the excitement and adventure, and doing something that they see in the movies that looks exciting,” said Jason Hyder, manager and chief instructor.  “In almost all cases they’re very excited with brief moments of anxiousness and maybe a moment or two of fear that turns into elation very quickly.”

Age is typically not a concern on jumps. Skydive Spaceland has societies for the young at heart, Parachuters Over Phorty and Skydivers Over Sixty.

“It really is for anyone from ages 18-80,” Hyder said.

Be forewarned, this can be an extremely addicting activity.

“My first time was very nerve wracking, but it was fun,” said Becca Waisath, radiology major at Lamar University.  “I decided to come back and jump again because I love it; I would do it every day if I could. It’s just so much fun. It’s addicting.”

Jumping out of a plane is not an everyday activity for most jumpers, but for instructors it is done frequently and the nerves are always there.

“I feel a cross between excitement and nervousness before I jump,” said Jon “Boston” Hartley, Tandem Instructor, who has been on nearly 5,000 jumps.

Skydive Spaceland’s website is www.skydivespaceland.com.

Take a hot air balloon ride for a more relaxing yet still exciting trip. Texas Air Adventures, owned by Dale and Laura Tibodeau, is located in Houston. To get an idea of how big this hot air balloon is, compare it to a soccer ball. A soccer ball is 1 cubic foot of air. The hot air balloon is 105,000 cubic feet of air. Passengers get a view of the Texas landscape around the greater Houston area.

“Our passengers describe their balloon ride experience with words like amazing, surreal and wow,” said Laura Tibodeau.  “They typically tell us this was one of their top life experiences.”  More than one person can go on a ride.

“The number of passengers is a result of the weight and balance for that balloon,” expalined Dale Tibodeau.  “For our balloon, we can take 650 pounds of passenger weight.  But, as our flights are all private flights, the number of passengers is typically two.”

Balloons can fly in Houston all year. Taking a flight during spring, passengers will be able to check out the bluebonnets. Flying during fall, passengers can witness the beauty of the fall foliage from above. Each season offers something different. For some people this is a trip that they want to experience more than once.

“Absolutely,” Laura Tibodeau said.  “In fact, some couples book their next flight at the conclusion of their first flight.”

For more information about Texas Air Adventures go to www.texasaa.com.

Editor’s Note:
These sports are not called extreme without reason and unfortunately accidents do sometimes happen. On March 2, two skydivers collided in mid-air, causing the parachutes to get tangled. The skydivers fell 100-200 feet. Scott James died at the scene; Arthur Bill died later that day in the hospital.