A Washington state woman diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth is remarkably believed to have set a skydiving record. Tania Finlayson, who has no control of her limbs and has been non-verbal since birth, recently completed the historic tandem jump with instructor Zephaniah Knottnerus.
Following her husband Ken and their 20-year-old son Michael out of the plane, Finlayson and Knottnerus jumped from 17,694 feet, reaching a speed of 125 mph. In doing so, they believe they have set a new state record for the greatest droguefall distance and maximum vertical speed droguefall.
For the uninitiated, a droguefall parachute is a small chute deployed immediately after jumping out of a plane. Its purpose is to stabilize tandem jumpers and slow them down enough to allow for their main chute to open safely.
Yet Finlayson, who uses a customized computer communication system, is no novice skydiver. She has more than 50 jumps to her name, she told ABC News. 'Skydiving feels like freedom to me,' Finlayson said through the computer. 'For a little while, I am not defined by my disability.'
She is now awaiting confirmation on her data from the United States Parachute Association (USPA). The USPA defines a 'drogue' as a 'trailing drag device' used to slow a diver down in the air and 'regulate the fall rate of tandem skydivers.'
Finlayson said it felt 'really special and honestly, a bit surreal' to have completed the record-breaking skydive. 'Skydiving is one of the rare experiences where we can all fully participate side by side and that means everything to me,' she said.
