Fred Nagelschmidt and advisor Leon Roullard falling from 10,000 feet.
by Phil Chandler, Owner of Right at Home of Ventura County, Home Care Agency
In the first of an occasional series, the Breeze interviews local residents about their bucket lists – or “what we wish to accomplish before we are shuffled off this mortal coil”.
You may remember the movie “The Bucket List” starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. It was an engaging story about two men facing a terminal illness. They were able to leave their shared hospital room and accomplish some amazing feats, and have a lot of fun and laughs along the way.
Creating your bucket list will help you to remember what you enjoy in life, and can cheer you up. It is energizing, and just talking about what is on your list can motivate you to get it done. There is no right or wrong activity; it is completely up to you. You can write your list any time of your life and describe any activities you dream of. It will remind you of what you enjoy in life, suited to your physical ability and risk tolerance.
One local Ventura resident, Fred Nagelschmidt, has always wanted to skydive. For his 92nd birthday, he called up Skydive Coastal California at the Camarillo Airport and booked a flight. Fred has always been an adventurous soul. An avid runner, he has run marathons (26.2 miles), and five ultra-marathons, which are 50 to 100 miles. He would train by running from Ventura to Santa Barbara and back. The last marathon he ran was 12 years ago, when he was 80 years old. Even at 92, Fred is in great shape.
On the big day, Fred was suited up for a tandem skydive with Leon Roullard , the Drop Zone Manager and USPA Safety and Training Advisor. Leon has been skydiving since 1997 and makes about 500 jumps per year. After a short class on what to expect and some do’s and don’ts, they left the ground in a Cessna 172. Fred’s wife Mona, left the airfield with their son Chris and drove over to the drop zone a few miles away. After climbing to about 10,000 feet, it was time to go. They were freefalling for about 40 seconds, reaching 120 miles per hour. When Leon pulled the chute at 5,000 feet, they floated the rest of the way to the drop zone for about seven minutes. After the hurricane strength wind of the freefall, the float was calm, quiet, and peaceful. Fred was able enjoy the view of Catalina and the Channel Islands all the way to downtown Los Angeles. Leon let Fred steer the square canopy until they were ready to land, then Leon took over. Lean had several cameras capturing different angles to memorialize the event. Fred enjoyed it so much he wants to do it again in August.
For more information, call Bucket List Skydiving at 322-4763 or visit www.skydivecoastalcalifornia.com .
If you have an interesting bucket list story to share, call Phil Chandler at 389-5320.
