People love independence. Independence implicates total autonomy, and therefore freedom, because they don’t have to depend on other people for assistance or permission. Turning 18, without a doubt, provides the biggest distinction of this newfound freedom as students throughout Central High explore their independence through daring do’s and new experiences.

Senior Olivia Magruder is one such person since she chose to mark her 18th birthday in a way few others do- with skydiving.

“My neighbor’s son owns a skydiving company, and my mom did it a few years back. I hear them talk about it and wanted to finally try it out for myself,” Magruder said.

The company in question was Skydive STL, with nine locations within the state of Missouri. They have developed a flourishing business that allows people to fulfill some of their highest dreams- literally. Magruder is no exception to this either, as she has wanted to skydive on her 18th birthday since she was 12 years old.

For all first-time skydivers, they have to be attached to an instructor; this is called tandem skydiving, but it does nothing to minimize the experience, something Magruder’s experience emphasizes. Once the diver leaves the plane, they will free-fall for 45 seconds, reaching speeds over 120 miles per hour before the parachute opens, and they stay in-flight for five minutes, drifting down to the ground.

“I enjoyed every part of it. It was a little scary when I was hanging out of the plane, but otherwise it was super exciting and thrilling,” Magruder said.

Magruder doesn’t plan to stop here, though. She is already looking forward to doing it again because she loved it so much, specifically at a beach area next time.

Her mother, Amy Brecher, who teaches at Parkway Central, shares her own perspective on her daughter’s experience.

“When Olivia told me she wanted to go skydiving for her 18th birthday, I was all for it,” Brecher said. “I did it about five years ago, so I felt comfortable with her going. Some good friends of ours own Skydive STL. I completely trusted them to keep her safe and help give her an incredible experience.”

Knowing the company well did help to minimize her concerns, but not completely, as she is still Olivia’s parent. “I was never really nervous as we were waiting for her to jump, but I definitely felt a sense of relief when she was back on the ground,” Brecher said.

Brecher continued, saying that she is glad Olivia is interested in these activities because she enjoys seeing her daughter do things she loves.

“I would definitely support any other thrill-seeking activities she wanted to try,” Brecher said.

Senior Sierra Voudrie chose a different kind of milestone for her eighteen- she got a tattoo.

“I decided to get matching tattoos with my mom a long time ago because it’s something we’ve always wanted to do,” Voudrie said. “We got tattoos that say ‘no matter what’ because this is something my mom had said to me throughout my whole life, just implying that no matter what she’ll always be there for me.”

It was an experience the two had been planning for years, and her birthday offered the perfect opportunity.

“We knew for a while we wanted to get these, but just recently decided to do it,” Voudrie said. “I don’t plan on getting anymore right now, but if I did I would keep with small and dainty tattoos nothing big, and also something meaningful.”

Because Voudrie’s parents already had experience with tattoos, they were wholly supportive of her doing the same.

“My mom has one other tattoo other than our matching one, and my dad has 2 full sleeves of tattoos,” Voudrie said.

Voudrie actually got her tattoo before turning 18 as she and her mom had already made the decision.

“We thought why wait when we could just get them sooner,” Voudrie said. “The experience was really simple and good, and it was exciting getting it since I had wanted it for so long.”

Contrary to popular opinion, Voudrie said the pain was completely manageable.

“I would describe the ‘pain’ as kind of just cat scratches, it’s really not bad,” Voudrie said.

Thrill-seeking isn’t limited to just students at Parkway Central; Brandon Franck, Central’s engineering teacher, finds his thrills on cliffs and rock faces.

“I randomly went to Upper Limits once and was hooked,” Franck said. “In my mid 20s I was running quite a bit and one thing I loved about running is that you are pushing yourself hard even if your body wants to stop. You have to mentally be strong enough to keep pushing through the pain and discomfort. You get the same feeling when you are on a climbing route.”

As Franck moved from running to climbing, he quickly found how much he loved the physicality of the latter. “I love pushing my body to its limit and constantly trying to get better,” Franck said.

There is beauty in pain, however, as Franck has climbed in amazing, scenic locations all across the United States, including Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Kentucky.

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Brandon Franck

Mr. Franck at the summit of the Grand Teton mountain in Wyoming. It has an elevation of 13,775 feet. Photo courtesy of Brandon Franck.

Everyone has their favorites, though, and Franck is no exception when it comes to climbing locations.

“One climbing area I really love is called the Red River Gorge in Kentucky,” Franck said. “I usually travel there 3 or so times a year to climb.”

Franck describes how, no matter the location, keeping your mentality in check is an absolute necessity; being tens of feet above the ground cannot be the moment you start freaking out. 

“Managing fear on the wall is essential. Before starting a hard climb you have to be aware of your emotions and your breathing. It can definitely be scary and exciting all at the same time,” Franck said.

Despite the amount of focus climbing requires when it comes to staying in control, Franck describes how once you get there, it’s bliss. “One of the really cool experiences is when you get into a flow state and everything seems to go as planned. It’s almost a meditative experience,” Franck said.

Reaching that meditative state is by no means instantaneous, as Franck says, how rock climbing is an inherently dangerous sport, but he has learned to manage that fear, something that’s a very useful life skill. “Because I am going up a wall, I can take a pretty big fall,” Franck said. “You are tied to a rope so you are not falling to the ground but you could still fall 20 feet or more.”

The beauty of climbing is that it’s a self-motivated sport, something Franck resonates with.

“[While] I only climb recreationally but always trying to challenge myself and compete against myself to do better,” Franck said.