LIVIN’ ON THE EDGE

STORY BY EMILY CHARRIER

PHOTOS BY DANNY FULGENCIO

Aerial Photos By

JUSTIN BENDER

There are those among us who don’t truly feel alive unless their blood is pulsating through their veins, accelerated by the incessant beat of a heart racing with adrenaline. They spend their lives chasing that natural high, each for their own aim. Some like the rush, others need to push themselves to reach new challenges to feel complete. Whatever their reason, they have found something that gives them that necessary feeling of elation, whether it’s jumping from airplanes, swimming with sharks or racing automobiles. It may not be for everyone, but for these neighbors, the more extreme the better.

Free Falling

Talking to Jaime Barajas is kind of like talking to a Hollywood action star — he seamlessly transitions from his 2,300 skydives to climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to riding motorcycles across Central America. Throw in a villain and a sexy Bond girl and you’ve got one heck of a script.

“I think the secret to youth is having no fear,” he smiles.

Fear isn’t a part of his lexicon. He attacks adventure. But, despite his affinity for all things extreme, does not consider himself an adrenaline junkie.

“It gives me a lot of serenity, it’s relaxing,” the Preston Hollow neighbor says of jumping out of a plane from 14,500 feet. “You’re stressed out from your week at work but you step in the plane and you’re focused.”

Barajas credits the 1993 surfer/ bank heist cult film “Point Break” with inspiring his fascination with plummeting through the air at up to 240 mph with nothing but a parachute strapped to his back. If you haven’t seen it, there’s an iconic male bonding scene where the surfers-turned-bank robbers jump from a plane, forming a circle while free falling over Southern California.

Before then, he thought skydiving was only something open to military paratroopers. After seeing the movie, he was obsessed. His first jump was in his native Colombia, and it was like a fish to water — Barajas was meant to fly.

“I think the first time I did it, I did three jumps in one day,” he says.

Soon thereafter he moved to Texas to attend the Art Institute of Dallas, earning a degree that got him a job oddly suited for his high-adrenaline lifestyle: designing remote control cars for Plano-based Traxxas. Meanwhile, his fascination with skydiving continued to grow. He kept jumping, learning to work with teams of up to 40 other people to create complex formations while rocketing through the sky, before each spins away to deploy his own chute. He was living the “Point Break” dream — sans the criminal activity.

“It really absorbs you,” he says. “All you want to do is go jump.”

Barajas is a regular at Skydive Spaceland Dallas, located north of the city in Whitewright, Texas. Although the new runway that allows for larger aircrafts and higher altitude jumps helps, he says it’s the warm community that keeps him coming back.

“It is so welcoming,” he says. “No matter who you are, you fit in there.”

He’s met most of his best friends through his hobby, as well as his wife. Barajas trained her as she sought the license that allows skydivers to jump unassisted.

He says he’s never had a truly terrifying experience when skydiving, although he has had to rely on his reserve parachute on five separate occasions. In each case, his primary chute got tangled, something that can happen if the lines cross upon deployment. It’s really no big deal, he says dismissively, you just pull the cut-away line to detach it, then release the reserve chute.

“That’s what we train for, you have to develop that muscle memory,” he says while miming the motions. “When things go wrong, it’s really quick but it gives you enough time to make a decision.”

He adds that it’s riskier to drive to the drop zone than to jump, considering the statistics on automobile accidents versus skydiving accidents. “It’s a calculated risk, but the odds are on your side,” he says.

Barajas also is a high-altitude climber, who has been to base camp on Everest; Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere; Mount Elbrus in Russia; and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. He’s an adventurer at his core, a love sparked when he was a youth in Boy Scouts.

“We would always go exploring,” he says.

It’s a side of him he’ll never relinquish, even though he’s had to slow down this year as a new father to a 10-month-old son. “I told my wife I’m never giving up skydiving,” he says. “I think giving up the adventurous side of my life would be like giving up who I am.”

Sky Dancer

Stephanie Stewart does not consider herself an adrenaline junkie. She’s a bit more deliberate in her risk taking.

“When I was a kid, I would watch the other kids before I jumped in,” she says.

But what would you call ascending 30 feet in the air, held up by nothing more than your own body’s strength, if not daring? Very few would attempt the physical feat, and ever fewer would take it up after the age of 40.

But as soon as Stewart saw the graceful aerialists seemingly float through the air on suspended silks at Cirque du Soleil, she needed to try her hand at it. She didn’t let the fact that adult classes weren’t offered stop her ambition.

“I was completely mesmerized,” says the Preston Hollow resident.

It didn’t hurt that she is a lifelong athlete who has always kept her body in peak form. She was a gymnast as a child and a competitive swimmer in her teen and adult years. She works out at least five times a week, often multiple times a day with a swim in the morning and an aerialist class at night. But as a swimmer in her 40s, she began to lose muscle mass, and sought a fun way to keep her body engaged.

“I could go lift weights at the gym but that was boring to me,” she says.

So when she saw those aerialists flipping through the air, she decided it was the perfect mixture of exercise and excitement. Her company helps get new inventions to market, so she works in Las Vegas frequently. A friend connected her with Cirque du Soleil aerialists, who agreed to teach her their craft.

“I videotaped everything, so I could watch it and recreate it at home,” she says.

The gym frequented by her son, a gymnast who narrowly missed qualifying for the Olympic Games in Brazil, allowed her to hang “silks” and she started practicing. It’s all about conditioning, so first she learned to ascend and descend. Back and forth, from the floor to the ceiling, she climbed until it felt like second nature. Then she started with the tricks. She was fixated on learning “the helicopter,” in which an aerialist climbs all the way to the top and then, with the silks wrapped just right, drops, twirling down with their arms and legs extended like a helicopter. It was not a novice move.

“That was the first trick I said, ‘Oh, I have to do that,’ ” she says. “I thought, ‘I have to be better, I have to be stronger, I have to do more.’ ”

Stewart’s love of the art led her to Fanny Kerwich, an eighth-generation circus performer who established the Lone Star Circus, which offers classes for kids in addition to teaching at the Dallas International School. Stewart knew there was a market for adult classes based on how many people approached her while she worked the silks at her son’s gym, and soon the pair were expanding the business.

Lone Star Circus bounced around but recently found a permanent home in Addison. Stewart teaches three days a week, and her students range from teenagers to people in their 70s. She also began performing all over the city, from the annual Mary Kay convention to charity events seeking unusual entertainment danced from 50 feet above. To date, she has never experienced a fall or any other heart-stopping moments, she says — remember, she’s all about calculated risk with methodical training, a strong body and a focused mind.

“I may have had the best day, or the worst day, but you put that all away because you need to be engaged to do this,” she says.

Speed Racer

It took crushing three vertebrae in his back, losing an inch-anda-half of his height, before Matt Davis hung up his motorcycle racing helmet. But not before he had some stellar times.

“You’re going to get injured racing motorcycles,” he says. “You know that going in.”

The threat of injury was never a deterrent for Davis. As a boy growing up in Preston Hollow, he had the ultimate playground at his disposal.

“There were 200 acres of fields by my house. There were trails everywhere,” he remembers of a time before Dallas’ most exclusive neighborhood was built out with elegant homes. Those wide open fields were a haven for the neighborhood kids, who found endless ways to entertain themselves outside in a time before cellphones and Youtube videos. With two older brothers who rode mini bikes and motorcycles, it was only a matter of time before Davis felt the itch.

“They had done it, so I was going to do it better,” he laughs.

Much to his mother’s chagrin, he convinced his father to buy him a Honda Mini Trail 50 when he was about 10. He learned to maneuver with slick precision, especially around tricky turns, making him one to watch when the neighborhood kids raced each other on tracks they made in the open pastures.

“I didn’t have the fastest bike, but I was winning the races,” he says. “It’s all about being the last to brake and the first to gas, every racer knows that.”

His skills caught the eye of a neighbor who built motorcycles for professional racers. He saw potential in young Davis, and started taking him to the local racetracks like Mosier Valley and Rabbit Run where he watched with jaw agape as the riders flew past, sending plumes of dirt into the air. He was hooked.

“After that, it was every single day. As soon as I got home from school, I was on my bike,” he says.

At 14, he won his first race. And the trophies and medals kept coming. While most of his friends were cruising Forest Lane to pick up girls, he was mostly glued to the track, honing his skills.

It was as consuming as it was dangerous. He suffered multiple fractures throughout his youth, things he considers “minor” injuries. Once it was his wrist after his handlebars collided with another racer’s coming down off a jump. He was in Oklahoma, during the state’s biggest rivalry football game of the year between University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

“There were no doctors at the hospital, they were all at the game,” he laughs.

When he graduated from W.T White in 1981, he was on his own financially. Motocross proved too expensive to keep up with at the time. He took a break, got married and let the motorcycle collect dust in the garage. In the late 1990s, he met a friend who was into crosscountry racing, a new take on an old favorite for Davis.

“Motocross is sprinting,” he says. “Cross-country is about endurance.”

Races lasted a punishing 50 miles, often through inhospitable terrain such as mud, heavy tree lines and rocks. It was a new mountain to tackle, and Davis was headed straight for the top.

“I went to a race just to watch. I didn‘t get maybe 10 feet in the gate when I smelled that race fuel and had to sign up [to race],” he says. “Eventually I was state champion.”

That was the 2004-05 race season with Texas Cross Country

Racing Association — earning him a coveted racing jacket. He laughingly admits the prizes in motorcycle races are lackluster at best.

“We don’t spend a lot of money on our trophies,” he says. “It’s mostly about bragging rights.”

One year after his champion season, he suffered the devastating injury that would end his racing career. Despite surviving all manor of collision, this injury was sparked by a simple miscalculation on a landing.

“I rode off the track, I just thought I knocked the wind out of me,” he says. “The EMTs were kind of jerks. They rolled me over and said, ‘Oh s***.’ I said, ‘What do you mean oh s***?’ ”

Clearly something was wrong — very wrong. As mentioned, Davis suffered a compression fracture in three of his vertebrae. His recovery wasn’t terrible, he says. At the same time, a close friend also broke his back, nearly paralyzing him — it was three years before he could walk unassisted again. It was a wakeup call. Davis was the father to a 5-year-old, and wanted to be there for his son. So he stopped racing. “But I still like riding,” he admits.

One of Preston Hollow’s most high-profile neighbors, Mark Cuban, gave $1 million to the Dallas Police Department in response to the Orlando shooting that claimed 49 lives at a gay nightclub. In a press release, Police Chief David Brown said, “These funds will be used primarily to protect the LGBT community. We will earmark and track the expenditure of these funds to ensure its effective use in creating a safe environment.” This includes counterterrorism efforts and boosting police presence in Oak Lawn. Cuban said in the press release, “I’m proud to be able to help the City of Dallas.”

Jack Evans , who married his partner George Harris the same day the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, died at the age of 86. Evan and Harris were the first gay couple in Dallas County to marry at City Hall. A post from Northaven United Methodist Church, where they were both members and held a wedding ceremony, read, “Jack was gregarious, funny, a strong believer in social justice, and a mentor to generations of LGBTQ people, and their straight allies. He lived through remarkable social change for LGBTQ people, marveled at those changes, and was a key part in those social changes happening.”

Pre-kindergarten is now being offered at select Dallas ISD elementary schools for families who don’t qualify for free pre-K according to state guidelines. Three Preston Hollow area elementary schools, Nathan Adamas, Arthur Kramer and Walnut Hill now have tuition spots for 4-year-olds, including spots in bilingual classrooms. The cost is $700 a month for 10 months, and openings are first-come first-served. Visit dallasisd.org/prek or email paidprek@dallasisd.org for more information.

Dallas Academy

950 Tiffany Way, Dallas 75218 / 214.324.1481 / dallas-academy.com Founded in 1965, Dallas Academy’s mission is to restore the promise of full academic enrichment to students with learning differences in grades 1-12. A meaningful connection with each student is established to overcome barriers to success. Dallas Academy offers students an effective program and strategies to meet the special educational needs of bright students with learning differences, while including the activities of a larger, more traditional school. Classes are small, with a student-teacher ratio of 6 to 1 where students are encouraged, praised, and guided toward achieving their goals. Diagnostic testing is available to students throughout the community.

Highlander School

9120 Plano Rd. Dallas / 214.348.3220 / www.highlanderschool.com Founded in 1966, Highlander offers an enriched curriculum in a positive, Christian-based environment. By limiting class size, teachers are able to build a strong educational foundation to ensure confidence in academics, athletics, and the creative and performing arts. Highlander offers a “classic” education which cannot be equaled. Monthly tours offered; call for a reservation.

Holy Trinity Catholic School

3815 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas 214-526-5113, htcsdallas.org For more than 100 years, Holy Trinity Catholic School, has been committed to the religious, intellectual, emotional, social and physical growth of each student. This commitment is carried out in a nurturing atmosphere with an emphasis on social awareness, service to others, and religious faith in the Catholic tradition.

The Immaculate Heart Program at Holy Trinity School was initiated to fully realize our school’s mission of developing the whole child by meeting the needs of one of the most underserved and underperforming groups in catholic schools, children with dyslexia.

Kessler School

Pre K – 6th Grade / 1215 Turner Ave, Dallas TX 75208 / 214-942-2220 / www. thekesserschool.com The Kessler School offers an innovative academic environment that gives students a solid foundation, confidence, and a love of learning. Located just minutes from downtown Dallas; The Kessler School’s mission is to “educate the whole child,” and provides an individualized approach to teaching – meeting the student where their needs are. Students are educated socially through community time, physically through daily PE, academically through a wellrounded curriculum, and spiritually through a fostering of awareness and individual growth.

Lakehill Preparatory School

Leading to Success. 2720 Hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931 / lakehillprep. org Kindergarten through Grade 12Lakehill Preparatory School takes the word preparatory in its name very seriously. Throughout a student’s academic career, Lakehill builds an educational program that achieves its goal of enabling graduates to attend the finest, most rigorous universities of choice. Lakehill combines a robust, college-preparatory curriculum with opportunities for personal growth, individual enrichment, and community involvement. From kindergarten through high school, every Lakehill student is encouraged to strive, challenged to succeed, and inspired to excel.

Spanish House

Four East Dallas Locations / 214.826.4410/ DallasSpanishHouse.com

Spanish Immersion Program in East Dallas! Nursery, Preschool, Elementary and Adult Programs available. Our new K-5 Dual-Language Elementary School will be open for the 2016-2017 school year at 7159 E. Grand Avenue. Please visit our website (DallasSpanishHouse.com) or call 214.826.4410 for a tour.

White Rock North School

9727 White Rock Trail Dallas / 214.348.7410 / WhiteRockNorthSchool. com 6 Weeks through 6th Grade. Our accelerated curriculum provides opportunity for intellectual and physical development in a loving and nurturing environment. Character-building and civic responsibility are stressed. Facilities include indoor swimming pool, skating rink, updated playground, and state-ofthe-art technology lab. Kids Club on the Corner provides meaningful after-school experiences. Summer Camp offers field trips, swimming, and a balance of indoor and outdoor activities designed around fun-filled themes. Accredited by SACS. Call for a tour of the campus.

Zion Lutheran School

6121 E. Lovers Ln. Dallas / 214.363.1630 / ziondallas. org Toddler care thru 8th Grade. Serving Dallas for over 58 years offering a quality education in a Christ-centered learning environment. Degreed educators minister to the academic, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of students and their families. Before and after school programs, Extended Care, Parents Day Out, athletics, fine arts, integrated technology, Spanish, outdoor education, Accelerated Reader, advanced math placement, and student government. Accredited by National Lutheran School & Texas District Accreditation Commissions and TANS. Contact Principal Jeff Thorman.