UVA uses unique, sky high method for recruitment

Inside a U.S. Army airplane cruising at 13,500 feet over Charlottesville, Gertrude Fraser gazed out at the landscape below and weighed her options: To jump or not to jump?

“The reasonable side of my brain said, ‘Don’t jump!‘“ said Fraser, the University of Virginia’s vice provost for faculty advancement. “The other side of my brain said, ‘Just give in to it.‘“

She leapt out of the plane, strapped via harness to a member of the Golden Knights, the Army’s elite parachuting team. Hurtling to the Earth, Fraser thought, “I can’t believe I’m doing this,“ she said. “But the next thing I knew, I was feeling a sense of euphoria and a feeling of security. It felt like I was floating.“

A few moments later, Fraser landed in the middle of a UVa soccer field off Alderman Road. “It was cool,“ she gushed. “Just really, really cool.“

Fraser was one of 10 UVa students, faculty and administrators selected from a pool of volunteers who parachuted Tuesday morning with the Golden Knights.

The stunt was filmed for a video that will be mailed out in the coming months to every student who is accepted for admission at UVa.

“We want to show the dynamics and the diversity of the University of Virginia overall,“ said Sgt. 1st Class Jason Alexander, senior military instructor for UVa’s Army ROTC program. “We want to push the aspects of leadership and service. We don’t just go to school and attend classes here; we also teach you how to be a leader.“

The Golden Knights visited Charlottesville as part of an ongoing public relations effort that Army officials hope will drum up new recruits.

“This is an extremely valuable recruiting tool,“ said Lt. Col. Dave Standridge, a former commander of the Golden Knights who recently returned from a tour in Iraq. “It shows teamwork, professionalism. And it gives a human side to the Army. We’re not a bunch of robots.“

The Golden Knights have been visiting air shows and special events for nearly half a century, performing in front of an estimated 14 million spectators each year.

Prior to jumping Tuesday, a handful of UVa students stood on the sidelines of the field, nervously munching powdered donuts and sipping coffee. They watched wide-eyed as the first group of parachutists touched down in the grass a few feet away.

“Oh my gosh!“ said Kimberly Diaz, a third-year student majoring in economics and psychology. “I’m going to be screaming when I get up there. Somebody’s going to have to push me out.“

After his jump, Taylor Richardson, a third-year studying economics and history, said it was an “unbelievable” experience, but he doubts he’ll skydive again.

“Will I do it again? Well, I don’t think it could be any better than jumping with the Golden Knights,“ he said. “So I think I might just leave it with that.“