Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
THE HEAVENS — I remember as a kid running to the playground at recess, knowing that I only had 15 minutes before class started again.
I'd dart for the swings as fast as my chubby legs would take me in order to be the first on the swing. Those things were in high demand, and even if you got to one of the swings first, you still had to deal with someone devising to "count" on you to shorten your turn. Kids figured out their clever ways to count to 100 way too fast, and then you'd argue that they cheated and you didn't get your full turn.
But when you had those few moments to yourself on the swing, you thought you were flying. I'd look down and I knew I was at least 200 feet in the air, if not more. I'd see planes flying overhead and thought, if I kept swinging and Zach Taylor wasn't "counting" on me, that I'd possibly hit that plane.
In my 7-year-old mind, this was the case. In my 33-year-old mind, I know I wasn't getting that much lift, but for some reason I still thought it was pretty extreme— until I saw this.
Red Bull built this mega-swing attached to two hot air balloons, and the most intense recess play thing was built. How intense is this swing? Well, you need a parachute to ride.
Check out the video while I head to my elementary to see if I can break my old record. As long as Zach's not around, that is.