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Although she has never skydived, 16-year-old Jamie Cupples says she knew it was the profession for her the moment she heard about it at a school presentation.
“Something immediately clicked, and I told everyone ‘this is what I want to do’,” Jamie says.
From there, the Red Beach teen set a course towards her dream, which meant applying for the NZ School of Skydiving. She recently heard she has been accepted onto the six-month course in Parakai.
It begins in April and Jamie will be one of the youngest trainees.
She left Rangitoto College in August, having completed Level 2 NCEA early, to pursue skydiving.
Her love of adventure sports, including bungy jumping and motorbike riding, is a good start and already Jamie has proved that she has a head for heights – she trains in trapeze with React Studio, a circus company on the North Shore. Last year she performed in a duo trapeze act with her twin sister.
The NZ Skydiving School course covers a wide range of techniques and includes 200 skydives and 12 weeks of work placement. Jamie’s aim is to be a free-fall camera operator – the one who takes the video footage of other skydivers.
“Ultimately I want to be an actress, but you need to be 19 to get into the school I want to join,” Jamie says. “I think part time professional skydiving would be a great fit with that.”
Until the course starts in April, as well as holding down three jobs, Jamie is doing additional fundraising to help pay her equipment costs.
She has hired a trailer and is collecting unwanted metal, car or truck batteries, and delivering them to Alexanders Scrap Metal in Silverdale.
“You don’t get a lot of money, but it’s satisfying to help people and good recycling,” Jamie says.
If you have any unwanted metal items she could collect, email j.cupples15@gmail.com or phone 027 938 8687.
