Taking a dive for cancer research

Sussex - When Cpl. Diane Vitale saw an advertisement in New Jersey Cops magazine three weeks ago about a skydiving event taking place at Skydive Sussex and Sussex Airport on Route 639 to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, she literally jumped at the chance to participate. Skydiving “is something I’ve always wanted to do,” says Vitale, a corrections officer for the Sussex County Sheriff’s Department in Newton. Vitale, a 21-year veteran of the sheriff’s department, doesn’t have a personal connection to any victims of leukemia or lymphoma. But she recognized that it’s a good cause and a chance for her and some fellow corrections officers at the Sussex County Jail to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime event. “The idea of being up in the sky seems awesome,” says Vitale. “It’s like being on top of the world.” The event, dubbed Cop-Drop 2006, was organized by Mahwah Ptl. Mike Connington, an avid skydiver who saw it as an opportunity to bring together fellow law enforcement officials and military veterans who either like to jump out of airplanes or want to try it. Connington, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in the first Gulf War, expected more than 100 officers from the New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to take part in the event on Sat., May 20. Connington himself planned to jump 21 times to honor troops serving overseas and other veterans. Vitale, an Andover Township resident, is no stranger to adventure. Although this was to be her first time jumping out of an airplane, she spent years as a competitive horseback rider and holds a brown belt in Judo. Vitale recruited four fellow officers from the Sussex County Jail to join her. They are Melanie Mitchell, Jason Kimble, Jason Yandary and Chris Lynch. Vitale says the five of them signed up for four hours of training before taking their jump. Sussex County P.B.A. Local No. 138 agreed to donate $500 for the group to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The registration fee for Cop-Drop 2006 was $25 per jump. The event began at 9 a.m. and continued virtually non-stop. Participants jumped from 10,000 feet and opened their parachutes at about 5,000 feet. First-time jumpers came down harnessed to a trainer. Connington said he would donate $20 of his own money for every police chief who jumped. The event was also open to military veterans. For more information, visit www.mahwahpd.org or www.skydivesussex.com.