Leave the Riding to Gus

The Sigma Chis at Colorado State have invented a sweetheart of a sport. They call it "parachute riding," and it works like this: first a parachute is laid out on the ground with all the shroud lines straight; then it is harnessed to the rider, who stands, sits or stretches out on a flat piece of heavy cardboard. Helpers then lift the chute so that it can fill with wind--all the while chanting "Come and help, Gus!" (the name for springtime gusts in the Rockies)--and away the rider goes over the grass on his cardboard chariot at speeds as high as 30 m.p.h.

The possibility that the chute might actually take off, taking the rider along with it, adds spice. That, in fact, is precisely what happened to Colorado State Junior John Junker three weeks ago. Gus helped too much, lofted Junker into a tree, fracturing an elbow and a leg.

But last week the Sigma Chis were right back at it, under the watchful eye of Senior Richard Delanoy, who has devised a safety measure for the sport. Four Sigma Chis line up downwind, like baseball outfielders; whenever Gus blows too strong and the rider seems on the verge of liftoff, the outfielders rush the chute and plunge headlong into it, thereby safely collapsing the nylon canopy. "It's exciting when you see that chute billow out and you begin to move," said A. G. Phillips at the end of his parachute ride. "You feel that you've got hold of the wind."

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