If you’re looking for some aging inspiration, look no further, because Dorothy Hoffner is about to blow your mind.
At 104, Hoffner just became the oldest person to parachute out of an airplane in a tandem skydive. That’s right, skydive. At 104 years old—or to be exact, 104 years and 289 days old—beating the previous world record set by a 103-year-old in Sweden in May of 2022.
But it’s actually even more impressive than that. It’s not like Hoffner is someone who’s been skydiving since she was young and just happened to keep on doing it as she got older. She actually didn’t go on her first skydiving adventure until her 100th birthday.
On Oct 1, 2023, she joined the team at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois, for the world-breaking tandem skydive. Though she uses a walker to get around, she manages the physical toll of plummeting through the air at 10,000+ feet before parachuting to a skidding stop strapped to a certified U.S. Parachute Association (USPA) tandem instructor with impressive ease.
“Let’s go, let’s go, Geronimo!” Hoffner said after she boarded the plane, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Watch her do what many of us would be too terrified to attempt:
The way she rolls right out of that plane cool as a cucumber! Hoffner told the Tribune that on her first skydive, at age 100, she had to be pushed out of the plane. But this time, knowing what she was in for, she took charge with calm confidence.
“Skydiving is a wonderful experience, and it’s nothing to be afraid of,” Hoffner shares. “Just do it!”
That’s some seriously sage advice from someone who knows firsthand that age really is just a number. Learn more about skydiving with Skydive Chicago here.
Source: https://www.upworthy.com/104-year-old-woman-breaks-skydiving-record
