jump into 9. lake only 30 mUes from
IRP. One of the jumpers was given
a check for $2500, put into his right
hand of the only 11mb which was not
broken, not to mention his internal
injuries and facial lacerations. Work
that out psychoanalyzers.)
This month's event was the third,
with over 8,000 in attendance. Jumping
was from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and all
riders who didn't get to jump today
picked UP the count a.'1,j jumpe-j in signUP order the next event. Yes, speaking of jumpers, a unit of the Army
Airborne from Ft. Campbell, Ky. was
on h9.nd an.j if any young soul wanted
to sign up they weren't going to stop
him. But I don't think the Lieutenant
was happy with the lack of interest in
parachute packing.
With a blast of an aerial bomb and
drum roll, 26-year-old Steve Hibbard
aimed his Kaw 500-3 toW'.U'd the middle
of the lake, got a bit sideways and dropped into the 125 ft. range. They pulled
him out hurt and clutching his left leg.
Steve's wife had to push on that pollce
captain, the one wearing the boots, even
after she told him who she was, she
just made the ride to Ml!thodist Hospital in Indy. Duane Newman stopped
his 250 H-D halfway UP, reran it falling a way backwards just before breaking water. On the bank a mike was
M
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"Leaplnc" Lendi Howell. He
cot off belo'e bike ca,twheeled into the bank.
The crowd started pushing on the fence,
the police started pushing on the crowd.
One of the pollce divers on the boat
said, "I hate to think what'll happen
if they don't let him jump." Ail)ther
said, "I'm not going gun-toting in that,"
and sat on the boat pointing out all
the known "Pill-H,~ads" on shore.
M.~anwhUe officials were trying their
damnest to get an ambulance, any ambulance, by radio. "Leaping" Lendi was
making passes up and down the ramp;
it was getting dark, and a big argument
was shaping up below between some guys
from Florida and the officials. It was
claimed that Lendi was listed as 31st
and had bought his now 10th place. A
policeman planted himself in the middle
of the group and the disturbance went
no further.
The ambulance finally arrived and
Lendi didn't waste any tim e getting all
the wa.y back, then Iayed the whip to
the Ka w taking the same Ilne as Beaman.
He shot off Ilke a rOCket, but unlike
Beaman "Leaping" Lendi got off on the
de-scent and landed in good shape, $2500
to the good. The Kaw cartwheeled into
the bank handlebars first, pressed deeply into the mIld smoking Ilke a bomb
which didn't explode.
"Money by ri ght means if you can;
if not, by any menn ."
Horace
AND THEN .....
indianapolls, Ind. The politicians have
started to move: Two days following the
Sportsman's Paradise jump contest on
July 3, David Beaman remained in critical condition from a fracture of his
back. A hospital spokesman said it's
possible that Beaman and another jumper (not nam·ed) might not walk again.
The same news report quoted Hancock
County Sherlff Robept Sebastion as saying he will confer with the- county prosecuting attorney to see if any laws are
being violated by the jumping. "They
seem to have a pretty low value on human Ilfe over there," Sebastian said.
If it goes
David Beaman on the way to the hospilal.
thrust down at him; he said he was
alright but one of his friends wanted
assurance, and slapped Newman aside
his head. Newman w1 it, but he couldn't hear.
Beachboard took two steps toward the
bank and collapsed; when they put him
into the ambulance he complained of
his back.
"Crash" Caudle aboard a 200 Suzuki sailed into the $100 area with no
sweat, the first to come out standing.
He ran up the hill to get his check
happy as a lark. Then Steve Strather
on a 500 Triumph went over the top
and balled out in mid-alr and came out
with $250 and walked aW'lY. I wish I
could say the same about David Beaman.
From the boat we could see him making
his approach with his Kawa.saki 500-3
cranked on full. "Sonabitch, he's coming
too fast, he's gonna break everything
he's got," a diver said running to the
front of the boat. B~aman went over
Ilke an incoming mortar round, and
somehow I don't rem~mber him coming
down, just hitting the opposite bank with
that lOUd, sickening thud. B:~aman bounced into the water face UP with the
divers screaming "Move it, Move it,
Move ttl" The Kawasakt was imbedded
into the mud at water level, like a
knife in a tree. Beaman was pulled
ashore with what seemed like nothing
connected and his eyes had rolled hack.
It was a damn bad trip and I didn't
want to watch anym:>re. David Beaman,
24, was driven 50 mUes by ambulance
to Anderson, Ind., and it was later
reported he has a fracture of his back.
He had jumped 198.9 ft.
John Vanderveen, riding a Kawasaki,
was now on the hot seat. None of me
ambulance crew had returned and John
was as nervous as a cat. Wnen asked
by an announcer If he was ready after
the last jum;l, John Said, "Yah, I just
don't want to hit no. bank." The ambulance came and on came Vanderveen,
but he was stopped at the halfway mark
because the ambulance had stalled and
the crew needed a jumper (?) cable
to get it started. When John did go off
he made UP for it all, $1000 worth.
Jerry Adams sailed easUy in to the 50
ft. range, only they had a hard time
finding his llttle ZundapP. The divers
said the dude went further under water
than on top. Steve Clapp hit hard on
his Triumph and skipped over the. water
like a stone. He wasn't in good shape
on his arrival ashore, so they shipped
him to 9.n Indtanapolls hospital.
With the 8 o'clock closing time approaching there wasn't an ambulance
within 11 miles. "Leaping" Lendi Howell and his Kaw 500-3 were UP. Howell ....as/is one of the very few who didn't
have som ething broken from his two
previous jumps; a veteran, If you will.
But the rub was Lendi had not done
well, financially or otherwise. You see,
last week he had dabbled off the jum;l
and became the subject 01 harassment _
for that precious time which he had
wasted.
:The waiting alI!lost killed everyone:
in the dirt,
.
we've got it.
(If it goes on
what goes in
the dirt,
we've,ot
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