LV woman shows aging is a breeze

Friday, Jan. 23, 2004 | 4:37 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

January 24 - 25, 2004

Raised in a Chicago home where "we were as poor as church mice," Las Vegan Kay Garske has always sought value for her dollar -- and a little excitement.

She did not get value for her money several years ago riding in the passenger seat of a race car speeding around a Las Vegas oval at 155 mph.

"I got only two laps for $100, and when it was over I said, 'Is that all there is?' " Garske said. "I go that fast driving on the highway to get home."

But three years ago, she says, she had a great time tandem parachuting out of a plane, free falling for 2 miles. It was so exciting Garske says she is going to repeat that thrill at 9 a.m. Wednesday -- wind permitting -- shelling out $199 as a birthday present to herself.

The sky-diving granny will turn 85 that day.

"When I see old people with humps on their backs and in wheelchairs, I feel so sorry for them because some of them didn't take care of themselves," said Garske, widow of Joe Garske, the founder of Tee to Green golf products, who in 1955 made his fortune by inventing the Par Aide Products golf ball washer.

"I may be 85, but I feel like I'm 35."

Bruce McAnnany, deputy administrator of the Nevada Division of Aging Services, says seniors with Garske's attitude "are fantastic."

"I believe seniors can do anything they set their minds to, especially if they do not start to believe the myths of aging," he said. "Our surveys have shown that 85 percent of Nevada's senior population (265,000 people over age 60) say they are in good health."

The Division of Aging Services funds more than 220 programs statewide with $10 million, including money from the tobacco industry settlement. And while none of those programs provide activities as radical as jumping out of a plane, most encourage people to stay mentally and physically active, McAnnany said.

"Studies have shown that people who are well educated tend to have less memory loss as they get older," he said. "And over the last 20 years of the Senior Olympics program in Las Vegas, we have seen the benefits of staying physically fit for people into their 90s."

A number of programs, McAnnany said, address younger seniors staying active and avoiding getting overweight and suffering consequences that include diabetes and hypertension.

Those ailments apparently are more of a risk to one's life than jumping out of a plane.

Michael Hawkes, president of Boulder City Airport-based SkyDive Las Vegas, a tandem skydiving school that has instructed 150,000 first-time jumpers, said his company has operated 13 years without a fatality.

"There are risks to everything any of us do," he said, noting that in about one in every 5,000 jumps, the main cord does not deploy. But he said the backup cord has always deployed. If all else fails there is a computerized deployment mechanism that kicks in automatically at 2,000 feet, he said.

But risk-taking, Hawkes says, is why Garske and others take leaps of faith.

"Many people say they'd like to try parachuting at least once in their lives, but less than 1 percent of the population ever fulfills that dream," said Hawkes, who has made 5,000 jumps over the last 26 years.

"Customers come to us for the adrenaline rush -- they want to be scared and thrilled. They want to feel weightlessness and a strong wind in their faces."

Hawkes said that while customers as old as Garske are rare, she is not the record-holder. That honor goes to a 94-year-old customer.

The company's rules for tandem parachute jumping, in accordance with federal regulations, require all jumpers be 18 or older, be under 245 pounds, be sober and be in good physical condition.

Garske says she got the go-ahead for the jump from her doctor last week.

She walks one to two miles per day, lifts weights three times a week, plays golf twice a week, takes vitamins, drinks carrot and celery juice, gets eight hours sleep and keeps her mind active by playing bridge on Tuesdays.

Hawkes said his company, a member of the 34,000-member U.S. Parachute Association, also reserves the right to refuse business if a potential customer appears frail or otherwise unhealthy.

The instruction period for students is a half hour to 40 minutes, depending on how many questions students have, Hawkes said. They can change their minds right up to the second before they -- and the parachutist who is strapped to their back -- jump out of the plane.

Garske, recalling her 2001 jump, said, "You can't describe the feeling -- the rush you get -- from jumping. All I can say is if you have a fear of heights and speed, don't try it."

A jump from 15,000 feet includes a 60-second free fall that covers two miles at about 125 mph. The cord is then pulled "and you are jolted real hard," Garske said. "But the rest of the way down is nice and soft."

Garske said for this jump she will concentrate more on her landing. Last time she couldn't get her feet down and landed on her stomach, with parachutist Simon Wade, a veteran of more than 15,000 jumps, landing on top of her. She again is scheduled to jump with Wade.

"This time I'm also going to try to take in the view better," Garske said, noting she spent most of the first dive looking at another skyjumper who was videotaping her jump. "There will be no videotaping this time."

Hawkes said the panorama from 15,000 feet is breathtaking. Jumpers can see parts of four states and get a bird's-eye view of Hoover Dam and the Strip.

"I'm happy when I see older people come in here and try parachuting," Hawkes said. "After the jump I've heard many of them say they could just kick themselves for not trying it sooner."

Garske, a local resident since 1969, said she likes getting her money's worth, whether it is buying a loaf of bread or taking a cruise. She's taken 20 of those, including one to the Caribbean, from which she returned just last week.

Still, Garske remembers times in her life when she "barely had two nickels to rub together" -- times that made her appreciate what she now has.

"My first job as secretary to the president of Knox Glass Bottle Co., in 1936 paid $10 a week," Garske said. "I gave my mother $5, my church $1, put $1 in my savings acount and lived on $3. My first year, I earned $420."

A meal for her and two friends in a gourmet Strip restaurant recently cost her $400. "I thought, goodness, I paid almost as much for one meal as it once took me a whole year to earn. And the portions were so small I didn't even get my money's worth."

Kay and Joe Garske raised three children. Their son Steve Garske today runs their company, which offers more than 60 golf products. Two of his three children work in the business.

While Garske says she loves to dance and has a good social life, she has remained single since Joe's death in 1983. A thin woman with reddish gray hair, who looks younger than 84, Garske says she is careful of opportunists who prey on mature widows.

"Most of the men I meet are either gay or married," Garske said. "Besides, I'm not looking for marriage at this point in my life."

As for what her next adventure might be, Garske said she hasn't made up her mind.

"I'm open to suggestions," she said.

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