It's raining dogs in Athens, GA
(Photo/Instagram @UGAskydogs)
A look into UGA Sky Dogs, the official skydiving club at the University of Georgia
By: Camden Brown
How UGA Sky Dogs started
UGA Sky Dogs, formally named UGA Sky Dawgs, first became a club in 2014, but later went dormant in 2019. The club started back up into full swing in fall of 2024 when Caroline Bach and Hailey Gray, two UGA students with a passion for skydiving, decided to reestablish the club after having outstanding interest in that year’s UGA Engagement Fair. Their goal is to get even more students involved and skydiving certified.“There are collegiate skydiving competitions that we’d love to try,” Co-President Hailey Gray said.
(Photo/Skydive Monroe)
Club membership and what it includes
Like most clubs at UGA, any student can join the UGA Sky Dogs, no matter their skydiving experience. The club holds an interest meeting once a semester for any inquiring student, and joining their GroupMe, which currently includes about 330 students, grants membership to the club. There are no member dues, but individuals will have to pay for their own skydiving experience, which totals $200 per dive after the club's “Sky Dogs Discount,” given by Skydive Monroe.UGA Sky Dogs schedules jumps about once a month, which they call a “Dawg Day.” However, experienced jumpers in the club can help facilitate others jumping on weekends when a “Dawg Day” is not scheduled. Every skydive is at Skydive Monroe, located a 40-minute drive from UGA’s campus.
+ GroupMe
Co-President Caroline Back (left) and member Reagan Walker (right) take a photo after completing a dive at Skydive Monroe on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (Photo/Hailey Gray)
Benefits of skydiving
01
Boost in confidence
02
Can decrease anxiety
Data for first time jumpers
1.5 hr before jump
Anxiety Rating
Source: NLM
Immediately post
15 min post
03
Community & belonging
04
Increases stamina
"My first time jump was for my 18th birthday, not with the club. I knew after that I wanted to get a license. I waited for the club to be up and running before doing my AFF and getting my A license! Advice for new jumpers would be to think less and just do! Literally won’t regret it. Something that everyone should do at least once, and if you’re like me, once won’t be enough."
“The summer when I turned 18 was just one month after my dad had turned 50, and I could think of no better way to celebrate our milestones than by checking something phenomenal off my bucket list. I found it encouraging to be going with my dad, and when I jumped about a year later, this time with Sky Dogs, I realized that the community aspect of the ‘Dawg Day Out’ felt a lot like going with family. I want to get my Accelerated Freefall license to skydive on my own because at this point, I’ve only been jumping tandem - which is a great way to start! Being a part of skydogs has created an entire community of support, encouraging me to work towards that license. If a person ever considers it, they should go for it. I’ve never met anyone who jumped and regretted it. Not to mention, having so many other students alongside you at a place that wants to see you there, jumping with Skydogs at Skydive Monroe is part of what makes my college experience amazing.”
Ryleigh Pavlick
Kennedy Gibson
Caroline Bach
"I actually used to be so set on never going skydiving. My brother had been doing it for a while and finally convinced me to go with his wife to Jump Georgia in Sylvania. As soon as I got back to the ground, I was absolutely hooked. My brother's wife and my dad also got certified! The jump was so exhilarating and such a rush of adrenaline. That feeling of being alive was so apparent after the jump, and that’s kinda set me on the path of continuing to live like that."
Hailey Gray
"The first time I went skydiving was definitely an experience. Caroline Bach hyped up the sky dawgs experience so much, I knew I had to try. Everything from arriving on site to getting the skydiving certificate was amazing. As soon as I got there, everyone was so welcoming and fun. It seriously wasn’t possible to have nerves when Caroline Bach was next to you. Even going up on the plane, all I could feel was excitement. My jumping experience was a little bit different. After doing a bunch of loop de loops in the parachute, me and my instructor were too close to the ground to land back at the airport, so he had to make an executive decision to land in an abandoned baseball field. I was told this happens occasionally – it does not – and that it was totally fine, and people from the skydiving place would find us, they did not. We ended up having to knock on people’s doors nearby, and after having no luck, a nice man in a truck finally let us use his phone, to which no one answered. The nice man drove us back to the airport, and all was well. 10/10 experience for me I ended up going back a few months later and am planning on getting my license! I love Sky Dogs."
Madi Holden
“I did it with the Sky Dogs, and it was seriously such a great experience. I am definitely someone who likes to do adventurous things and step out of my comfort zone, so I got a couple of people to go with me and it was kind of an impulsive decision, but I would definitely do it again. The people were super nice and just make you feel really comfortable with what you’re about to do.”
Co-President
Member
Member
Co-President
Member
Title
Use this side to give more information about a topic.
First-time jump stories
Subtitle
(Photo/Camden Brown)
(Photo/Camden Brown)
(Photo/Instagram: @haileyy.gray)
(Photo/Camden Brown)
(Photo/Stephanie Gibson)
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Transcript
It's raining dogs in Athens, GA
(Photo/Instagram @UGAskydogs)
A look into UGA Sky Dogs, the official skydiving club at the University of Georgia
By: Camden Brown
How UGA Sky Dogs started
UGA Sky Dogs, formally named UGA Sky Dawgs, first became a club in 2014, but later went dormant in 2019. The club started back up into full swing in fall of 2024 when Caroline Bach and Hailey Gray, two UGA students with a passion for skydiving, decided to reestablish the club after having outstanding interest in that year’s UGA Engagement Fair. Their goal is to get even more students involved and skydiving certified.“There are collegiate skydiving competitions that we’d love to try,” Co-President Hailey Gray said.
(Photo/Skydive Monroe)
Club membership and what it includes
Like most clubs at UGA, any student can join the UGA Sky Dogs, no matter their skydiving experience. The club holds an interest meeting once a semester for any inquiring student, and joining their GroupMe, which currently includes about 330 students, grants membership to the club. There are no member dues, but individuals will have to pay for their own skydiving experience, which totals $200 per dive after the club's “Sky Dogs Discount,” given by Skydive Monroe.UGA Sky Dogs schedules jumps about once a month, which they call a “Dawg Day.” However, experienced jumpers in the club can help facilitate others jumping on weekends when a “Dawg Day” is not scheduled. Every skydive is at Skydive Monroe, located a 40-minute drive from UGA’s campus.
+ GroupMe
Co-President Caroline Back (left) and member Reagan Walker (right) take a photo after completing a dive at Skydive Monroe on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (Photo/Hailey Gray)
Benefits of skydiving
01
Boost in confidence
02
Can decrease anxiety
Data for first time jumpers
1.5 hr before jump
Anxiety Rating
Source: NLM
Immediately post
15 min post
03
Community & belonging
04
Increases stamina
"My first time jump was for my 18th birthday, not with the club. I knew after that I wanted to get a license. I waited for the club to be up and running before doing my AFF and getting my A license! Advice for new jumpers would be to think less and just do! Literally won’t regret it. Something that everyone should do at least once, and if you’re like me, once won’t be enough."
“The summer when I turned 18 was just one month after my dad had turned 50, and I could think of no better way to celebrate our milestones than by checking something phenomenal off my bucket list. I found it encouraging to be going with my dad, and when I jumped about a year later, this time with Sky Dogs, I realized that the community aspect of the ‘Dawg Day Out’ felt a lot like going with family. I want to get my Accelerated Freefall license to skydive on my own because at this point, I’ve only been jumping tandem - which is a great way to start! Being a part of skydogs has created an entire community of support, encouraging me to work towards that license. If a person ever considers it, they should go for it. I’ve never met anyone who jumped and regretted it. Not to mention, having so many other students alongside you at a place that wants to see you there, jumping with Skydogs at Skydive Monroe is part of what makes my college experience amazing.”
Ryleigh Pavlick
Kennedy Gibson
Caroline Bach
"I actually used to be so set on never going skydiving. My brother had been doing it for a while and finally convinced me to go with his wife to Jump Georgia in Sylvania. As soon as I got back to the ground, I was absolutely hooked. My brother's wife and my dad also got certified! The jump was so exhilarating and such a rush of adrenaline. That feeling of being alive was so apparent after the jump, and that’s kinda set me on the path of continuing to live like that."
Hailey Gray
"The first time I went skydiving was definitely an experience. Caroline Bach hyped up the sky dawgs experience so much, I knew I had to try. Everything from arriving on site to getting the skydiving certificate was amazing. As soon as I got there, everyone was so welcoming and fun. It seriously wasn’t possible to have nerves when Caroline Bach was next to you. Even going up on the plane, all I could feel was excitement. My jumping experience was a little bit different. After doing a bunch of loop de loops in the parachute, me and my instructor were too close to the ground to land back at the airport, so he had to make an executive decision to land in an abandoned baseball field. I was told this happens occasionally – it does not – and that it was totally fine, and people from the skydiving place would find us, they did not. We ended up having to knock on people’s doors nearby, and after having no luck, a nice man in a truck finally let us use his phone, to which no one answered. The nice man drove us back to the airport, and all was well. 10/10 experience for me I ended up going back a few months later and am planning on getting my license! I love Sky Dogs."
Madi Holden
“I did it with the Sky Dogs, and it was seriously such a great experience. I am definitely someone who likes to do adventurous things and step out of my comfort zone, so I got a couple of people to go with me and it was kind of an impulsive decision, but I would definitely do it again. The people were super nice and just make you feel really comfortable with what you’re about to do.”
Co-President
Member
Member
Co-President
Member
Title
Use this side to give more information about a topic.
First-time jump stories
Subtitle
(Photo/Camden Brown)
(Photo/Camden Brown)
(Photo/Instagram: @haileyy.gray)
(Photo/Camden Brown)
(Photo/Stephanie Gibson)