{"id":16166,"date":"2025-10-03T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/its-a-bird-its-a-plane-its-the-fort-lewis-college-skydiving-club\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T21:55:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:55:13","slug":"its-a-bird-its-a-plane-its-the-fort-lewis-college-skydiving-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/its-a-bird-its-a-plane-its-the-fort-lewis-college-skydiving-club\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a bird, it\u2019s a plane, it\u2019s the Fort Lewis College Skydiving Club"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Jack
Jack Schuba, a Fort Lewis College student, performs a solo skydive as he works toward his skydiving license. As part of the FLC Skydiving Club, Schuba must get his license in order to compete with his club against other colleges. (Courtesy of Skydive Moab)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

MOAB \u2013 Rain turned the sandy flats adjacent to the Canyonlands Field Airport \u2013 where die-hard skydivers camp out before jumping with Skydive Moab \u2013 to a slick of mud that stuck to the bottoms of shoes and made cars slip and slide as they drove along.<\/p>\n

The Saturday rains created a slight sense of worry. If the clouds failed to clear by Sunday morning, it would be unlikely that Fort Lewis College students Michaela Ferris, Roman Speegle and Jack Schuba \u2013 three members of the reincarnated FLC Skydiving Club \u2013 could make their first dives before heading back to school on Monday.<\/p>\n

Ben Iverson, a licensed skydiver, FLC graduate and the club\u2019s faculty adviser, tried to appear unbothered as he made turkey sandwiches by campfire light for dinner. But he was worried: Skydiving is his passion, and for years his dream had been to share it with other people, which is why he started the club in 2025. This trip was the first realization of that dream, and the rain clouds threatened this outing.<\/p>\n

But for Speegle, a senior studying accounting and engineering at FLC, the prospect of having to delay his first jump did not seem to bother him that much. He was just excited to be out there and to be in a college club that would help him learn to skydive. More time on the ground meant more time to prepare.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Fort Lewis College Skydiving Club from left: Jack Schuba, Roman Speegle, Ben Iverson, Michaela Ferris, Maddy Kramer and Luke Hayes. (Scout Edmondson\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m ready,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been trying to run through most of the drills and the whole sequence from plane to ground in my head. I\u2019m kind of glad we have time to try and practice, but hopefully the weather lets us jump. I have really high hopes that it\u2019ll go great.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cold autumn wind blew in from the La Sal Mountains to the southeast, carrying rain. So, the club members climbed into their sleeping bags, curled up and went to sleep. In the morning, they hoped they would jump out of an airplane.<\/p>\n

\"Roman
Roman Speegle is seen during a tandem skydive a month before the first outing with the Fort Lewis College Skydiving Club. Divers jump from an altitude of roughly 13,000 feet and hurtle toward the earth at 120 mph. (Courtesy of Skydive Moab)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Return of the Skydiving Club<\/div>\n

Collegiate skydiving has been around since the 1960s, according to the U.S. Parachute Association\u2019s website,<\/a> evolving from a means of transporting soldiers into combat zones in World War II to an organized D1 college sport, with national championships being held in Florida every year. When Iverson learned that fact, he knew he had to start a club at FLC.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat drew me to the sport was the human desire to fly,\u201d he said. \u201cEverybody thinks about it. I just wanted to chase that natural instinct of wanting to fly through the clouds.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is actually the second incarnation of the FLC Skydiving Club, he said. Back in 2017, the club was started by Taylor Webb, but fell off because they were unable to find enough people with enough interest in skydiving to make the commitment, said FLC graduate Connor Bevel.<\/p>\n

\"Conor
Conor Bevel gives a shaka after completing a successful jump with the Fort Lewis College Skydiving Club in 2017. He has since gone on to become a skydiving instructor and inspired Ben Iverson to bring back the club. (Courtesy of Connor Bevel)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Ben
Ben Iverson jumps out of a plane above Moab, Utah. Iverson did his first jump at 18, and has been hooked ever since. (Courtesy of Ben Iverson)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cIt kind of died out because there weren\u2019t any jumpers,\u201d Iverson said. \u201cAnd now we have a perfect opportunity to restart the club.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, he got to work. He proposed the club to the school, which enthusiastically agreed to its formation and helped fund it. If he could prove there was interest and get students to get their skydiving licenses, the school would secure him more funding and help empower members to start competing against schools like Georgia Tech and the Air Force Academy.<\/p>\n

\u201cFort Lewis is awesome. They empowered me to start this club,\u201d Iverson said. \u201cI feel like a lot of colleges would be quick to say, \u2018Nope, that\u2019s too dangerous, it\u2019s not happening.\u2019 But Fort Lewis was like, \u2018Let\u2019s make this happen.\u2019 And they gave me the resources to be successful in restarting the club.\u201d<\/p>\n

Statistically safer than driving a car<\/div>\n

\"Ben
Ben Iverson explains how a parachute\u2019s canopy works to Jack Schupa, Roman Speegle, Luke Hayes and Maddie Kramer. (Scout Edmondson\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The next challenge would be convincing students to invest time and money \u2013 25 jumps and $3,090 to get fully licensed, before buying helmets and parachutes, which can tack on another $5,000. Asking people to jump out of a plane flying 13,000 feet above the ground can be a tall order, Iverson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a super-intimidating sport,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re jumping out of an airplane. Enough said.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, as Iverson pointed out in the club\u2019s first informational meeting on Sept. 8, skydiving is statistically safer than driving a car. According to the USPA<\/a>, which collects data on skydiving fatalities, there were only nine deaths out of 3.88 million jumps in 2024, averaging out to 0.23 deaths per 100,000 jumps.<\/p>\n

\"Ben
Ben Iverson runs through the different parts of a parachute at Fort Lewis College. Skydiving rigs have an Automatic Activation Device, which is an altimeter that monitors a skydiver\u2019s altitude above the ground. If a skydiver fails to deploy their chute above a certain altitude, the AAD deploys an emergency chute automatically to save the person\u2019s life, Iverson said. (Scout Edmondson\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

While skydiving is in no way completely risk-free, safety standards have improved since it became a widely available sport, and deaths continue to decrease. The USPA is regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration, and prospective skydivers must pass a series of rigorous written and physical tests to ensure they have what it takes to do it safely.<\/p>\n

As for cost, Iverson said, becoming a licensed skydiver is quite achievable. Skydive Moab\u2019s certification program is pay-as-you-go, meaning the $3,090 cost can be spread out over time. With Iverson being a licensed coach, students can get qualified instruction without leaving Durango. Additionally, parachutes are available for rent at Skydive Moab.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a student, and every paycheck I would put $50 into a savings account,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I finally had the funds, I booked my ground school and did my very first solo jump the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iverson hopes he can offer students not only advice and technical instruction, but also provide them with an encouraging, friendly face to help make the process a little easier.<\/p>\n

He needed to prove the club was viable by having students make successful jumps. That way, he said, he would get more funding to hire other coaches, buy parachutes for the club, and pay for food, gas and lodging when they eventually went to compete against other schools.<\/p>\n

The first meeting concluded with notable interest in the club. About 10 students stuck around after Iverson\u2019s presentation. By the second meeting on Sept. 24, when he ran through how a parachute works and how to deploy the it, four students came and signed up for their first jumps the next weekend.<\/p>\n

Skyhawks take flight, and a club is reborn<\/div>\n

\"Roman
Roman Speegle practices deploying his parachute (safely on the ground) during a meeting at Fort Lewis College. He wears an altimeter on his wrist, and practices how to deploy his chute without losing stability while falling at 120 mph. (Scout Edmondson\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The morning of Sept. 28 did not bode well for skydiving. Gray clouds hovered over the Utah desert, and it had rained through the night.<\/p>\n

Speegle, Ferris and Schuba were cheery, and Iverson said a weather window was in the forecast. Bagels and coffee were served over a Coleman stove, camp was broken, and the four hopefuls slipped and slid in their cars over the muddy ground.<\/p>\n

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