Houston Breast Cancer Survivor, 60, Among Senior Skydivers Attempting World Record Jump

HOUSTON - Sept. 8, 2015 - PRLog -- When Houston resident Marian Sparks was newly divorced, without insurance, and newly diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, she received life-saving treatment from The Rose, a non-profit breast cancer treatment center. Since her recovery, the skydiver has helped raise nearly $85,000 for The Rose clinics through the charity she founded, Jump For The Rose (JFTR).

This year, Sparks, 60, is celebrating two milestones: six years being cancer-free, and jumping as one of 40 “Skydivers Over Sixty” who are attempting to break the Texas and World record for the most skydivers above age 60 in a free-fall formation. The state record attempt is scheduled for JFTR's “Pinkfest Boogie” skydiving fundraiser at Skydive Spaceland in Rosharon, Texas on September 12 and 13, 2015. The formation will be large enough to see from the ground.

During the jump, Sparks and the other participants will free-fall from two jump planes, creating a pre-planned formation in the sky and holding it for a specific length of time. The jump will be filmed in the sky to document the record attempt. The first attempt is scheduled to begin at 8:00 am on Saturday, September 12 if weather conditions permit.

“It's kind of like a choreographed dance in the air,” Sparks explains. “We will do several 'dirt dive' rehearsals on the ground so all 40 skydivers can practice the formation. Then we'll start making our attempts in the air. After each attempt, the organizers review the video to see if we have achieved the record.”

Formation skydiving record attempts are invitation-only. Organizers choose experienced jumpers who are adept at safely controlling their bodies and connecting with other participants in the sky. For the safety of everyone involved, organizers cut from subsequent attempts anyone who can't perform their position. “We will continue to make attempts throughout the day until we achieve the record or run out of daylight,” says Sparks.

Several other record attempts are planned for the Pinkfest Boogie, which typically attracts over a hundred skydivers from all over the U.S. and as far away as Norway this year. Skydive Spaceland, located at 16111 FM 521 in Rosharon, is hosting the Jump For The Rose Pinkfest Mini Boogie.

“Everyone is welcome,” says Sparks. “If you're curious about skydiving, or just want to help support The Rose, it's a great weekend to come out. Even if you have no experience, we can get you trained for your first tandem dive during the event. Skydive Spaceland is donating $20 from each tandem jump ordered online at http://houston.skydivespaceland.com/shop/tandem-skydives/tandem-jftr/ through September 13,” says Sparks.

For more information about the Pinkfest Mini Boogie, visit the event's page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/events/1545914745684573.

About The Rose

The Rose clinic’s mission is to reduce deaths from breast cancer by providing screening, diagnostics and access to treatment for all women regardless of their ability to pay. The Rose offers advanced breast cancer screening and diagnostic services including mammograms, ultrasounds, biopsies and access to treatment to more than 35,000 women in the Houston area annually. Since its launch in 1986, The Rose has served nearly 500,000 patients and is now the leading nonprofit breast health care organization in southeast Texas.

About Jump For The Rose

Founded by breast cancer survivor and avid skydiver Marian Sparks, Jump for the Rose (JFTR) is a grassroots skydiving organization dedicated to raising funds for The Rose, a Houston-area breast cancer clinic. In its brief history, the group has hosted two successful Women’s Texas State Records and earned two National Women’s Sequential Skydiving records and earned a Women’s World Record in 2014. To date, JFTR has raised nearly $85,000 for The Rose.

About Marian Sparks

A six-year breast cancer survivor, Marian Sparks, 60, has more than 2,000 skydives under her belt. She holds several Texas, and National skydiving records. Sparks founded Jump For The Rose to help raise funds for The Rose, a non-profit breast health clinic that diagnosed and treated her breast cancer when she was newly divorced and without insurance. Sparks has been featured in two advertising campaigns for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, one of the organizations that supports The Rose's programs. http://abc13.com/video/embed/?pid=771985