Reports of Fountain Jumpers

Mikeandcris

Mikeandcris

Parents of 2014 Grad and F-15 Pilot
10-Year Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2009
Messages
366
Our son reports that firsties have been spotted jumping into the fountains the last couple days. Perhaps someone can fill us in on this tradition...is it after the last class or last final of your senior year. When did it start?
 
After your final final.

I don't know when the tradition started...before 2006 at least.
 
The cadets who were able to jump in on Friday are the lucky ones with no finals.
 
raimius said:
After your final final.

I don't know when the tradition started...before 2006 at least.
Click to expand...
Yeah....probably in the late 1950's...when the wing first got to USAFA proper...then sometime later they "filled the fountains in" and the only "big thing to do" was as a four-degree, to "cut through" the air "gardens" and not get caught...5 times and you were an ACE.

Then...sometime after I graduated...they "made them fountains again..."

Ahh...as Tevye would say: "Tradishun!"

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
it started sometime after 1985 from my sources. If we get enough input from grads, we may be able to pin when it started! So right now we have sometime between 1985 and 2006...
 
I think it was after 88 too, because I don't remember it--The Air Gardens, yes, fountains, no.
 
We got the picture last night about 11 PM of son climbing out of the fountain. His last final (Astro) was last night until 10. The cadets sure looked cold!

Stealth_81
 
Okay, I'll bite...

Air Gardens? What is/was that?
 
After some more sources today, I believe it started in early 2000. A graduate from '98 said they they didn't do it, but one from 2003 said he remembers a few who had done it. So Some time early to mid 2000 is when it became "a tradition".
 
It was definitely about 35F when I jumped in, after a night final! :eek:
...then discovered I had dropped my proxy card somewhere along the way.
 
Similar for mine. We jumped in after our biochem final as a group. It was snowing and I belief there was a slight layer of ice/slush on the fountain when we dove in. O_O. It was COLD. I immediately went into the shower for a long time when I got back!
 
Air Gardens

The east quarter of the Terrazzo, known as the "Air Gardens," is a 700-foot-long (210 m) space with an ordered geometry of lighted pools, lowered grass sections and maze-like walkways. You walk right by it going to Mitch's.
 
The practice of jumping in the fountains existed in 1968, as these photos show:

http://69.199.231.171/wiki/index.php/Jumping_in_the_fountains

The reflecting pools and fountains were filled in and levelled in 1975 due to drainage problems. Later, between 1998 and 2000 the fountains were re-excavated and filled with water again. I suspect that the practice went away during the time that the pools were filled in (for apparent reasons) and then the tradition was re-born when they were replaced with the current fountains.

Stealth_81
 
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