November 2, ZDDO
BASE jumpers enjoy wild, wondeiful West Virginia
Todd Vo&slorf: 7>te Seahawk
A fearless jumper desends from the New River Gorge Bridge during
the annual festival celebrating the completion of the West Va. bridge.
SCOREBOARD
MEN’S Soccer
Record: 4-11-1 (1-4-0 CM)
Wed. Nov. 1
WILLIAM & MARY (Late)
yPLLEYBALL
Record: 4-20 (0-8 CAA)
Wed. Nov.1
COASTAL CAROUNA (Late)
MEN’S & Women’s Tennis
Wed. Nov.1
at Rolex Regbnals (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Day One: (Late)
MEN’S Golf
Mon & Tue. Oct. 30-31
at ODU/Seascape Invitational (Kitty Hawk, N.C.)
UNCW: 306-308=614 (16tti out of 20 teams)
Schedules
Women’s Soccer
Record 8-11 (1-7 CAA)
Thu. - Sun. Nov. 2-5 TEA
at CAA Championships (Virginia Beach, Va.)
Round One (Thu ):
UNCW vs. James Madison at 5 p.m.
Men’s Soccer
at Old Dominion
Tue - Sun. Nov. 7-12 TBA
at CAA Championships (Virginia Beach, Va.)
Volleyball
Fri. Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.
AMERICAN
Sat Nov. 4 at 2 p.m.
GEORGE MASON
Mon. Nov 6 at 7 p.m.
CAMPBELL
Men’s & Women’s Tennis
Wed - Sun. Nov. 1-5 All Dav
at Rolex Regionals (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
WOMEN’S Golf
Mon & Tue. Nov 6-7 All Dav
at Edwin Watts Palmetto Women's
Intercollegiate (Liaway Island, S.C.)
Swimming and Diving
DUKE
Men’s Basketball
Sat Nov 4 at 7 p.m.
CHARLOTTE STARS (Exhibition)
Women’s Basketball
Sun. Nov 5 at 2 p.m.
NWBL (Exhibition)
BOLD indicates home game
The world’s longest single arch
steel bridge spans the New River
Gorge in West Virginia. Every year
on the third Saturday in October,
jumping and rappelling from the
bridge is legal.
The New River Gorge Bridge Fes
tival celebrates the Oct. 22, 1977
completion of the bridge. It has been
held every year since 1980. The
bridge, located in Fayette County,
West Virginia, is the second highest
in the country at 876 feet and crosses
the second oldest river in the world.
The four-lane bridge is part of US-
19 Corridor “L” in southern West Vir
ginia. For the festival, the southbound
lanes of the highway are closed to ve
hicular traffic from Fayetteville on the
south side of the bridge to a half-mile
past it on the north. Vendors selling
everything from food and drinks to
furniture cram into every space avail
able on the closed portions of high
way, but not on the bridge itself. The
bridge is reserved for pedestrians who
marvel at its height and beauty but also
the beauty of the river and surround
ing mountains. The magnificent fall
foliage presents a superb background
for the festival.
There are those who come to the
festival for other reasons besides the
food and the fall foliage. BASEjump-
Erica Harbatkin
STAFF WRITER
The athletes line up at the start
ing line. The starter gives instruc
tions and fires the gun. The race is
off. There could be a hundred
people in the race, many of whom
probably have amazing stories of
how they arrived at that starting
line. Senior Mary Gill, UNC
Wilmington’s No. 2 runner for the
year, however, has probably cleared
more hurdles than most hurdlers.
The determination is evident in her
eyes as she fights for position and
breaks to the front of the pack. That
ers and repellers attend the festival
because it is the only time of the year
where they can “legally” enjoy their
sports at this particular bridge. The
other 364 days of the year it is illegal
to jump or rappel from the bridge.
The “BASE” in BASE jumping
stands for Building, Antenna, Span
determination was always crucial in
Gill’s voyage to the top.
Gill started in athletics at a young
age when one of her friends was tak
ing a recreational gymnastics class.
She began taking gymnastics classes
once a week and immediately fell in
love with it. She soon began com
peting on a higher level and aspired
to participate in college gymnastics
on scholarship, eventually compet
ing on the national level.
During Gill’s senior year in high
school, the track coach approached
her to ask if she would fill a miss
ing void in the school’s 4 x 800
team. Her older brother had been a
and Earth, and is referring to the ob
jects, manmade or natural, from which
these people enjoy jumping. The sport
has actually been around long before
skydiving. People have been hurling
SEE JUMP, Page 1 6
good runner, so the coach hoped the
talent might be in her genes. Gill
accepted the offer, the 4 x 800 team
made it to the state meet and Gill
fell in love with track.
“I just completely stepped out of
the gym and stepped into running,”
she said.
Gill elected to attend UNCW her
freshman year. Her start in college
athletics marked the beginning of a
long, uphill journey.
“I came in wanting to be at
where everyone else was, and I
didn’t realize you can’t just jump
Bee Bill, Page 1 7
Perseverance pays off for senior Mary Gill