Central Michigan Life

Issue date: 10/19/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Jefferey LaMonde Warren Cleary, 2007 CMU alumnus, puts on his skydiving gear Sunday afternoon with Central Michigan Skydivers, 5453 E. Airport Road. Cleary works for Central Michigan Skydivers as a videographer, packer and tandem master. [Click to enlarge]

When Farwell resident Lucy Mateman went skydiving for the first time Saturday, Warren Cleary followed her from the plane to the ground with two cameras strapped to his head.

Mateman said she decided to go skydiving as a gift to herself for turning 59.

For Cleary, 24, it was just another day at the office.

Cleary works as a photographer and videographer at Central Michigan Skydivers, 5453 E. Airport Road. He also is an assistant to owner Scott Schlosser.

"They all call me the video dude around here," said Cleary, who graduated from CMU in May.

The Georgia-native packs parachutes, cleans and takes phone calls, but mainly documents customers' skydiving experiences with video and photographs.

Cleary began an internship with Central Michigan Skydivers two years ago, coming to the business with 50 skydives worth of experience. His training continued when he decided to be a cameraman.

"They say you really should not have a camera on your head until you've done 200 jumps," Cleary said.

Cleary's helmet has a video camera mounted on its side, with a button atop the helmet that turns the camera on and off.

Also atop the helmet is a photo camera. The helmet has a sight mounted in front of the right eye so he can aim pictures. He takes still images by clicking a switch he holds in his mouth with his tongue.

"Warren's doing fine," said former Central Michigan Skydivers owner and current associate Des Sharky. "He just got his tandem rating."

The rating means Cleary soon will be able to dive harnessed to a first-time diver.

But sky diving wasn't always what Cleary imagined himself doing.

Cleary went to high school at Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Ga., where he was an active athlete participating in eight sports, including soccer, baseball, diving and the school's rifle team.

He also became an experienced outdoorsman and an Eagle Scout, he said.

Cleary spent most of his youth wanting to be a pilot, but discovered sky diving was his true calling when he took his first dive from a plane at age 18.

"When you're up (in the sky), nothing else matters," he said. "You're literally not a part of the world anymore. Being able to make money doing it, that's just a bonus."

Cleary followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather by coming to CMU in 2002. He initially studied for a business degree before switching over to recreation, parks and leisure services.

"My life plan has changed several times growing up," Cleary said.

Now, Cleary is moving up in experience and in standing as a career skydiver, with plans to dive for the rest of his life.

"I've made of list of things I haven't done yet," he said. "And it was a pretty short list."


lifeline@cm-life.com

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