Bring, Bring Hello Grade 9 ..Oh you want your story back!!!

But here I go

August 1999

About 2 months after coming back from New Zealand.

I was in West Edmonton Mall the biggest shopping mall in the world if anyone cares about big shopping malls. James , Shaun and I bussed to the mall. I can't remember why we were there. We had been looking around the mall and were getting quite bored. We were standing on the 2nd floor opposite Far Side, Chapters and Below the Belt looking down into the submarine tank wondering how far down it was to the water. I can't remember if it was James or Shaun that brought up the dare idea of jumping into the water from the 2nd floor. As soon as I heard it I decided that I was going to do it for the right price $$$$$ we discussed it and they said they would pay me like $150.00 cdn and I said sign me up!!! That was a lot of money back in the day!!!!!

We went walking around and decided to plan the jump and the getaway, don't forget the pictures that are here for your viewing pleasure. We headed around west-ed talking to randoms and made a quick stop in Far Side the skate board shop and told the guy working what I was planning on doing. He said I was crazy but had seen it done once before in a skateboard video by ZERO he said he would pay me an additional $100.00 if I was to jump naked I said pegs not (but I do want to streak one day...I was planning on streaking for the New Years that year. It was the new millennium and all.. but there were too many cops around and it was (-30) or something ridiculous. So I ran around Church Hill Square in my boxers instead still got some pretty funny looks and laughs. But didn't get arrested and still woke up with a chance to have a family Lucky AMA came and started my car that night. Cold weather in Edmonton..shebas!!

Anyway enough about that and back to the story so the guy in Far Side had also warned us that the security guards by the submarines would chase us if we were to go through with the whole jump and said that we could get arrested Its not like theres a no jumping sign or anything hahahaha

I decided that I could get out of the water quickly enough before a security guard could catch me ( Well Nolan you had a run a 1:59 as a 15 year old and only Mark Lynch and your brother have run this fast as 15year olds in Alberta..this is true!!) jokes!!! so my chances of getting caught were pretty slim or were they?

I bought a green wrestling mask from San Francisco for disguise and James bought a disposable camera and we were ready to go!!

James was standing on the bridge to be ready to take photos and photos he did take!! Shaun was on the 1st floor waiting for me to chuck down my clothes before the jump. He was wearing a green wrestling mask as well; the whole scene must have looked so funny for onlookers!!!! With my adrenalin running rich I through down my clothes, put on my wrestling mask and got over the railing in nothing more than a pair of board shorts, had one last look to make sure that there were no submarines doing the rounds, glanced at the dolphin tank and then jumped. As soon as I hit the water I wondered if I would touch the ground, but I didn't. I began to swim towards the side of the water towards the rocks as fast as I could. I grabbed the rocks aggressively but slipped a few times I was panicking at this time thinking oh sheba it would suck to get caught right about now! I couldn't see very well with the mask all wet over my face, I finally made a firm grab and pulled myself out of the water. Shaun was waiting with my stuff and handed me a sweater and I slipped my shoes on and we were off running as fast as our legs would carry us. Trying not to bull over any casual shoppers well running...by this time we had created quite the scene and there was an audience that had grabbed the security guards attention but we were away clear before they could get to us! It must have looked like we had just robbed a store with our masks on and sprinting through the mall! We sprinted towards the doors below the movie theatre and got into our getaway car...wait weren't you guys like 15 and had to bus there?..Oh ya. I mean ran outside pretty far away laughing like the little kids that we were and caught a bus home after meeting up with James. Not a bad way to make a $150...here I am!
 

Pictures ..enjoy!

When I did the jump I was only the 2nd person to have done that. I believe it has been repeated by a few people in funny costumes, a few that I know and by a drunken guy who never did make it out of the water and died. (RIP) Story was in the papers a few years back..

Kids don't try this at home!