Salisbury local takes a giant leap for cancer research

“He has not learned the lesson of life who does not every day surmount to fear,” said American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. It may have taken a few decades to ruminate with Rick Collins, but he would now concur full-heartedly.

In 2009, Collins, then 50 years old, mustered all the courage he possessed and jumped out of an airplane from 13,500 feet high to raise money for cancer research. “You can see the curve of the Earth,” he recalled. This year, he was joined by nearly 60 others and took to the sky for a third time on Sunday, Oct. 9.

Collins, co-founder of a law firm and award-winning bodybuilder, befriended another competitor, Dan Gazan, at a local gym who later died from cancer in 2001. “He always wanted to skydive and I wanted to do something he never got to do,” said Collins. A few years later he raised funds for the American Cancer Society and took his first giant leap.

Collins does not recall having a fear of heights as a child, but became dizzy and anxious while fixing his roof shortly before his first jump. “I was suitably terrified,” he said, “but courage is like a muscle that needs to be exercised.” However, he knew he would not back down since he was raising money for charity.

Skydiving is statically safe, but after completing the one-minute free-fall and six-minute canopy fall, Collins felt he had cheated death. “It’s exhilarating,” he said. “The feeling of empowerment never dissipates.”

Feeling rather invincible, Collins established Leap for Life and now annually jumps out of planes, along with many others from across North America.

“What terrifies me now is doing a solo jump,” said Collins. “You’re in control of your fate.” But that is exactly what he is planning for next year. “It’s the next level of terror.”

Since reaching 50, Collins said he has become more adventurous, climbing to the base of the Grand Canyon and planning to summit Pike’s Peak. He says people begin to slowly cut back on adventure as they age when they should push beyond their comfort zones. “Those who find the strength to face their fears have learned something about themselves that is invaluable,” he said.