Editor's note: Up & Coming Weekly is sending our staff writer Ashley out and about in the local area to try new things. She will report on her experiences to help readers decide if they want to try the adventure, too.

Skydiving has never been on my bucket list. I’m risk-averse to a fault, cripplingly afraid of heights, and as the mother of a teenager and a toddler, sort of too tired to do much of anything most of the time. But every once in a while, opportunity comes knocking, and we must answer that call with courage, or at the very least, a sort of dubious caffeinated interest.

I’ve passed by Paraclete XP Indoor Skydiving too many times to count since moving to Cumberland County in the summer of 2020. However, I still remember the exact words I thought as I passed its ultra-modern brick facade for the very first time: yeah, no. I didn’t exactly understand what “indoor skydiving” was; I just knew it probably wasn’t going to be for me — until about a week ago.

I was invited to join a group about to embark on an indoor skydiving adventure. While my first instinct was to say, no way, another part of me asked, why not? Sure, there was a better than 100% chance I’d do or say something horrifically awkward. Still, the initial fear didn’t outweigh the potential to meet new people, have fun and try something daring. Besides, it’s not every day you get invited to skydive inside the largest vertical wind tunnel in the United States. So, armed with the jittery confidence that only a 16-ounce iced coffee can provide and all the knowledge I could glean from three views of an indoor skydiving tutorial, I felt mostly ready.

My top-notch Google sleuthing revealed that I should wear comfortable clothes and shoes underneath the jumpsuit Paraclete would provide, and once there, I was cautioned to remove all of my jewelry. Paraclete XP also provided goggles, helmets and earplugs prior to entering the tunnel, so nothing special was required to get started. Our instructor, Fabrizio, or Fabi as he introduced himself, was fun and patient as he walked us through the four hand signals he would use in the tunnel and demonstrated how we should position our bodies. After Fabi answered a few more of our anxious questions, that was pretty much it — indoor skydiving certified in under ten minutes.

Despite my training, I was still a bit nervous, so I settled myself in at the back of the line. I watched as person after person before me stepped to the entrance of the wind tunnel with fingers clutched in nervous anticipation and exited with smiles to rival those of professional daredevils. If they could do it, I felt sure I could too, and though fear tangled my stomach into knots, I stepped to the door of the tunnel and let go.

The feeling of flight as I fell into the force of the fans beneath me was immediate, and I couldn’t help the shaky grin that sprang to my lips. Fabi was right there with me in the tunnel, holding me up and helping me maintain my position. Though I seemed to forget every hand signal we’d gone over — I was flying, and it was amazing. I wasn’t worried about how I looked or whether I was doing it wrong. I just let myself be free to have fun and enjoy the moment. My second time through the wind tunnel, a new instructor stepped in, and together we zipped 60 feet into the air, the faces of onlookers growing distant below us. I’m sure I screamed loud enough to be heard from space, but not once was I scared. Altogether, I spent about two minutes in the chamber, but the feeling it gave me lasted far longer.

While I don’t ever see myself jumping out of a plane or running with the bulls, my aerial adventure has made me a bit more open to trying new things, tackling my fears and challenging myself to say “yes” when new experiences come my way. And though I’m probably no less risk-averse than I was before, I am perhaps just a little bit cooler.

Paraclete XP Indoor Skydiving is located at 190 Paraclete Drive in Raeford.