Rise Above Program
Guided Skydiving Experience
Turn Fear Into Your Friend
We humans are fear-driven creatures. We can’t help it; it’s written in our DNA! We sense a threat and we react – it’s a reflex that has allowed the fittest of our species to survive, evolve and thrive.
Healthy fear motivates you; unhealthy fear holds you back, stunts your growth. More often than not, our fears are irrational – a figment of our imagination – but to us they are all too real.
Today’s the day! Let’s go to the other side of fear and experience the ultimate freedom!
Full Program - $390
Workshop Only
If you’d like to experience the ground portion of the program only without making a skydive, give us a call. We will fit you into one of our classes.
Note: The Rise Above program is for anyone interested in participating, not just those seeking to work through fear-related issues.
Intense & Significant
How It Works
WSC’s Rise Above program is a multifaceted, small-group workshop that guides participants through an inward journey of awareness, intention, action, and reflection. You will spend time with your fear – face, embrace, and ultimately conquer it – turning it from foe to friend.
Over the course of half a day, participants will navigate through five distinct modules:
Part 1: Acknowledge the presence of fear and the role it plays in your life.
Part 2: Understand the biochemistry of fear.
Part 3: Discover how skydiving serves as a powerful catalyst to transformation.
Part 4: Skydive and conquer your fear.
Part 5: Reflect and internalize your life-changing experience.
Perspective Shift
Why It Works
Traditional motivational programs are like a sugar rush – you feel awesome in the moment and awful post-crash.
You receive new ideas that make you feel on top of the world … renewed, even emboldened … and then you stumble into real-life challenges and fall. Not only do you lack the tools to get back up but you feel worse than before because you “failed.” The remedy is to go to the next session; to get more.
At WSC, you achieve new heights and evolve. You know you’re capable of extraordinary things – not because someone told you so but because YOU DID!
When you stumble, when you get scared of something new and unknown, you will be able to look over your shoulder and say to yourself: “I jumped out of an airplane for heaven’s sake, what is my problem? Bring it on!”
Part 1: Acknowledge
The Presence & Role Of Fear In Your Life
Rise Above begins with a conversation about fear. We explore its omnipresence in our lives and examine how it dictates our thoughts, behaviors, and actions.
We encourage you to share, to the extent that is comfortable, about your fear(s) within our small group. At WSC, we value authenticity, promote self-advocacy, and foster community – you will be welcomed into a safe space and accepted for exactly who you are.
Part 2: Understand
The Biochemistry Of Fear
In Part 2 we dig into the biochemistry of fear. We will understand the function of the primal, reptilian brain and the neocortex.
Your reptilian brain is responsible for instantly decoding data and acting on instinct in order to preserve the self. In contrast, your neocortex handles conscious thought, self-awareness, and verbal expression.
Understanding what actually happens when you are scared empowers you to override the impulse and set yourself free.
Part 3: Discover
Why Skydiving?
Tandem skydiving is a unique tool for confronting and conquering fear.
As you are leaving the airplane, you enter the space of pure presence. There is only right here, right now. The experience is intense, cathartic; transcendent.
Once you understand how the power of skydiving shifts your perspective and creates significant transformation, let’s go!
Part 4: Skydive
Process of Transformation
This is what it’s all about. The next six minutes may be the most meaningful six minutes of your life! Everything will happen very fast. It will be so intense you’ll be on the verge of sensory overload.
You are at 10,000 feet next to the open airplane door, your body is screaming: “DON’T DO THIS TO ME!” Your mind is blank. “What am I doing??” Your heart is racing and at the same time your spirit is soaring. You are in a state of pure presence. Right here, right now.
Your instructor guides you to climb out. Your body mechanically follows. The fear is intense and yet your spirit still soars.
And then: exit, exit, exit! Peak experience, sensory overload, tunnel vision. Just two seconds into it, you are on the other side of fear. In this moment, your relationship with fear changes forever.
You are free from gravity, from fear, from thoughts. You are plummeting to the ground at 120 mph and — in this most unlikely situation — you find peace. This is the essence of Rise Above. This is how lasting, significant change is possible.
Part 5: Reflect
Internalize The Experience
You triumphantly land in a new world. In fact, it’s not a new world, everything is the same; only your perception is totally different. Breathe. Release. Reclaim.
It may take some time to process everything you experience during the program. To begin, we’ll review your skydiving experience, taking time to acknowledge your emotions between boarding the plane and landing safely on the ground.
If you purchase video (recommended), you will relive and go even deeper into your experience. Seeing yourself from an outside point of view gives new perspective. The magnitude of what you just did is clear. Now you can assign meaning to your experience.
Rise Above Requirements
At Wisconsin Skydiving Center, we prioritize safety above all else and strictly enforce these tandem skydiving requirements:
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Have Questions?
For questions about tandem skydiving, check out our FAQs. If you have additional questions about skydiving or the Rise Above program, get in touch – we are here to support you.