23

Right Risk

California was the highest, over 100 feet. In Iowa, the roaring heartland winds nearly blew me off the ladder. In Germany, I kicked snow off the platform with my bare feet. The pool in Georgia was only 8 feet deep. In Saskatoon, Canada, the unheated water was in the low 40s. It rained the whole season in Seattle. I loved doing it at night in South Carolina. Virginia required a lot of aspirin. But it all started back in Texas.

A high diver remembers his first dive with the same fondness as other firsts in life—the first kiss, the first time you drive a car, the first time you buy a six-pack of beer, and the night you give your ...