Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Parachutists jump off tall buildings for leap day

AAA??Feb. 29, 2012?2:43 PM ET
Parachutists jump off tall buildings for leap day
WAYNE PARRYWAYNE PARRY, Associated Press?THE ASSOCIATED PRESS STATEMENT OF NEWS VALUES AND PRINCIPLES?

Base jumper Jeff Provenzano leaps off the top of the The Water Club hotel in Atlantic City, N.J., Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. People jumped off tall buildings all around the country Wednesday, but no one got hurt. It was all part of a Leap Day promotion being filmed for an energy drink commercial. In Atlantic City, two parachutists jumped off the top of The Water Club, the Borgata?s luxury hotel, and landed safely in the parking lot. Similar jumps were planned in Miami, Detroit, Las Vegas and other cities.(AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Base jumper Jeff Provenzano leaps off the top of the The Water Club hotel in Atlantic City, N.J., Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. People jumped off tall buildings all around the country Wednesday, but no one got hurt. It was all part of a Leap Day promotion being filmed for an energy drink commercial. In Atlantic City, two parachutists jumped off the top of The Water Club, the Borgata?s luxury hotel, and landed safely in the parking lot. Similar jumps were planned in Miami, Detroit, Las Vegas and other cities.(AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Base jumper Othar Lawrence parachutes to the ground after jumping off the top of the The Water Club hotel in Atlantic City, N.J., Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. People jumped off tall buildings all around the country Wednesday, but no one got hurt. It was all part of a Leap Day promotion being filmed for an energy drink commercial. In Atlantic City, two parachutists jumped off the top of The Water Club, the Borgata?s luxury hotel, and landed safely in the parking lot. Similar jumps were planned in Miami, Detroit, Las Vegas and other cities.(AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Base jumper Jeff Provenzano is wrapped in his parachute after he jumped off the top of the The Water Club hotel in Atlantic City, N.J., Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. People jumped off tall buildings all around the country Wednesday, but no one got hurt. It was all part of a Leap Day promotion being filmed for an energy drink commercial. In Atlantic City, two parachutists jumped off the top of The Water Club, the Borgata?s luxury hotel, and landed safely in the parking lot. Similar jumps were planned in Miami, Detroit, Las Vegas and other cities.(AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Base jumpers Othar Lawrence, right, and Jeff Provenzano stand on the ground after they jumped off the top of The Water Club hotel, back, in Atlantic City, N.J., Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. People jumped off tall buildings all around the country Wednesday, but no one got hurt. It was all part of a Leap Day promotion being filmed for an energy drink commercial. In Atlantic City, two parachutists jumped off the top of The Water Club, the Borgata?s luxury hotel, and landed safely in the parking lot. Similar jumps were planned in Miami, Detroit, Las Vegas and other cities.(AP Photo/Mel Evans)

(AP) ? People jumped off tall buildings all around the country Wednesday, but no one got hurt.

It was all part of a "leap day" promotion for an energy drink.

In Atlantic City, two parachutists jumped off the top of The Water Club, the 43-story luxury hotel next to the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, landing safely in the parking lot.

"That was awesome!" exclaimed Jeff Provenzano as his feet hit the ground in the parking lot, his chute still billowing above him in the stiff wind. "There was a burst of wind; 450 feet! It was awesome!"

Provenzano, 35, from Arizona City, Ariz., was the first off the roof. He said he's made about 200 such jumps around the country.

"Right before you start off, the nerves start to get to you a little bit," he said. "Once you take the first step, you know you're committed. And when you're in the air and the chute comes out, all the fear is gone and then it's just exhilaration."

Taking three quick steps toward the edge, he hurled himself over the side, plunging straight down for a second or two until he pulled the rip cord on his parachute and it snapped out behind him, slowing his descent and bringing a smile of relief to his face.

Similar jumps were planned in Miami, from the 36-story Conrad Hotel; Detroit, from the top of the 73-story General Motors headquarters at the Renaissance Center, and Las Vegas, from the 43-story Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2012-02-29-Leap%20Day%20Leap/id-43da239a50934c65af3120bd50779b14

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