80-year-old skydiver defies fear, expectations, age
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – An 80-year-old Brownsburg woman defied fear, expectations and age when she jumped out of a plane at 13,000 feet and gleefully soared through the air, fulfilling her longtime dream of skydiving.
Judy Robbins – a fun-loving, adventure-seeking mother of six, grandmother of eight and resident of Brownsburg Meadows Assisted Living – said she spent more than 60 years waiting to dive through the skies.
“When I first started thinking about it, I was about 18,” she told 24-Hour News 8. “I just never thought I’d get to do it.”
Robbins said she was in “total disbelief” when her senior living community helped arrange a tandem dive for her at Skydive Indianapolis in Frankfort.
“I couldn’t believe it was finally happening,” she said. “I thought I’d be scared to death and I wouldn’t be able to sleep the night before; I [actually] slept like a log.”
The daredevil octogenarian described herself as “hard willed” and “stubborn,” saying she refused to let herself back out of her long-awaited skydiving adventure. Whatever apprehension she had evaporated by the time she strapped herself to her tandem partner and stood in the doorway of the plane, preparing to jump out.
Robbins also enjoys fast cars, boats, motorcycles and the company of furry friends, her family said. Her other bucket list items include taking a cruise, going on a high-speed ride at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and getting married again.
“I just love life!” she exclaimed. “Do things you love. Try new things. Don’t be afraid to have dreams.”