Join Me For a Little Bungee (Bungy) Jumping
Why don’t you join me for a little bungee (bungy) jumping. It’ll be fun! Alright, truth be told, I’m probably not the most courageous when it comes to extreme sports. And when it comes to bungee jumping you definitely need some serious guts to try a sport like that. But I have to say, it does look pretty awesome! So…you are going first, yes?
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The idea of bungee jumping is believed to have originated from “land divers”. Back in the 1950′s a BBC crew managed to capture footage of some land divers while they were filming on an island in the South Pacific. The “dives” were actually a ritual being performed by young men as proof of their courage and a requirement for their passage into manhood. The young men would stand on a tall wooden platform, with vines tied to their ankles and take a leap of faith.
Another form of bungee jumping can be seen in the ceremony called the “Dance of the Flyers” or Danza de los Voladores. This ceremony is rumored to have roots dating back into Aztec history.
What we refer to today as bungee jumping apparently got its start on April 1, 1979. Not exactly your typical April Fool’s joke. The jump was made by five members of the “Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club” off a 250-ft suspension bridge in Bristol, England. While they were arrested a short while after their jump, that didn’t stop them. They even went on to jump from landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge.
Commercial bungee jumping didn’t get it’s official start until 1986 however. Since that time millions of people have tried bungee jumping in hundreds of different places around the world. It has truly become an extreme sport and one that only the daring will attempt.
As to the difference between bungee and bungy jumping, bungee tends to be more of a freefall experience with a little bit of a rougher ride while bungy is a little smoother of a ride and lower velocity. Either way you are going for a ride. So make sure your harnesses are fully secured, take a deep breathe and get ready for the time of your life. No, I insist, after you…
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