Sunday, January 31, 2010

Blog Post #5

New Pretty Town advocates bungee jumping because if there is ever a fire, the pretties need a way to get off the roofs.

Bungee Jumping was originally an ancient ritual or right of passage for the "vine jumpers" of Pentecost Island in the Pacific Ocean Vanuatu group. Every year, the men of the island's tribe build large wooden towers, over 80 feet high. They then carefully select vines from the jungle which they then tie to their ankles before jumping off the top of the towers. Modern Bungee jumping began with a 4 man team from the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club jumping off the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, England, on April 1, 1979 (April Fools Day) dressed in their customary top hat and tails. The four neatly dressed adventurers (as the rules of their club expected) were immediately arrested.

During the late 1980's A.J. Hackett opened up the 1st commercial jump site in New Zealand and to publicize his site, per-formed an astonishing bungee jump from the Eiffel Tower!

Bungee Jumping flourished in France and New Zealand during 1980s and was introduced to the United States by John and Peter Kockelman from California in late 1980s. In 1990s facilities opened up all over the United States with cranes, towers, and hot-air balloons being used as jumping platforms.

http://www.athleticscholarships.net/extreme-sports-bungee-jumping.htm

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