Hundreds of people got to see the Unites States Army’s Golden Knights parachute team jump into the opening ceremony of the College World Series on Friday night.
KMTV was the only news station riding along with them and got to see what the Knights do before a jump.
Before they got on the plane, each solider must pack up his parachute and added a flag representing the 8 teams in the tournament.
“I have never jumped into the College World Series, so it is something I am looking forward to,” said Kenneth Severin.
For these high flying soldiers, this is when the excitement starts to kick in.
“The nerves haven't quite hit yet, they usually don't until you hit altitude and you look down and see all those people,” said Justin Blewitt.
“I always have some butterflies going on in my stomach but that nervousness becomes a calm,” said Severin.
Once everyone is strapped in and ready to go, it was wheels up from Epply Airfield.
The goal was to reach 5,000 feet, and while the plane flies up to the right altitude the Knights are watching from the open doors and communicating the wind speeds they have to jump into.
“Every jump is a little different, every jump has a different aspect: some are at night, some are during the day, some are in front of a bunch of people, and some are in front of kids, so you have to tailor yourself to each jump and each situation and learn to enjoy it,” said Blewitt.
Once the right altitude is reached the soldiers jumped out.
From the ground people saw the Golden Knights lit up by sparklers on their feet. They seemed to fall in a rhythmic dance as they made their way to the stadium.
For some, this is when the adrenalin really hits.
”Then you crest the lip of the stadium and hear the crowd roar and that adrenalin hits again, I think [hitting] the stadium and hearing the crowd is more of an adrenaline rush than actually jumping out,” said Severin.
One at a time they all hit the dirt with smiles and a wave to the stands.
“The places we go, the things we do are all just a side benefit, to go out and meet the American public, share my story and let them know the army has many different sides to it,” said Severin.
