Some Iowa State students are discovering that the best place to get a good rush is from 8,500 to 10,000 feet above the ground.

Hashem Hashemi-Toroghi, instructor of the ISU Skydiving Club, said he has made 8,988 jumps in his lifetime and hopes to reach the 10,000 mark within two years.

Hashemi-Toroghi has been teaching ISU students the art of skydiving since 1979, when he became the instructor of the club.

“If you love challenges, this is what you should do,” he said.

The club currently has 12 members but is on the lookout to increase its membership.

Darrell Redman, club president and graduate student in interdisciplinary studies, said though plummeting speeds can reach up to 120 miles per hour, first-time jumpers shouldn’t worry because the group takes extra safety precautions to be “very careful.”

The club packs its own gear and uses an automatic deployment device that releases the parachute at a certain atmosphere to increase security.

“It’s very safe compared to other sports,” Hashemi-Toroghi said. “I really feel safer in the air than playing racquetball.”

Hashemi-Toroghi said it is important for those interested to seek more information about the sport before taking their first dive. Building trust with the instructor also is key, he said.

“My goal is to make it easy so anyone can do it,” he said.

The ISU Skydiving Club recently competed in the Collegiate National Competition and is planning more jumps when the weather improves.

Four members of the club will be jumping into central campus near the Campanile during Veishea. Hashemi-Toroghi said jumping at Veishea “will make the celebration more attractive and more exciting.”

“We think that is one way we can tell people about the activity,” he said.

Dues for the ISU Skydiving Club are $35 per year and participants must provide their own equipment. The cost of a tandem jump is $150 and includes both equipment and training.