Ambition reflects the spirit of a winner. It is indicative of the undying thirst for more, no matter what more means. What’s truly remarkable is when ambition knows no age limit. Take skydiving, for instance; it’s exhilarating at any age, but witnessing someone descend in their later years is particularly inspiring. Today, we’re talking about a winning spirit, even at the age of 84, Kim Knor. Despite her age, Knor does not think it’s too late to inspire.

Knor is here to challenge preconceived notions about her age. She does a great job at proving that ambition doesn’t fade with time but, instead, matures like fine wine. She aims to reach 1,000 tandem skydives. On September 9 alone, she just got three dives closer to that huge landmark.

Knor’s History with Skydiving

Despite the era she grew up in, Kim Knor’s skydiving journey began in 1959. At the age of 20, she needed to forge her parents’ signature to be allowed to jump. However, just three years later, in 1962, Knor made history as a member of the first U.S. Women’s Parachute Team. Fast forward another three years and Knor had sold all her possessions and bought a round-trip ticket to Europe.

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“It was fantastic. I was a parachute bum for a year,” she said. However, all good things must come to an end and Knor’s year in Europe was bookmarked by a job in Washington DC. However, the shining light of the move proved to be when Knor met her husband-to-be. The couple met at the U.S. World Meet in Massachusetts where he was on the Yugoslavian team. While the two planned to build drop zones throughout their life together, fate had other plans.

Just one day after the birth of his son, Knor’s husband had an accident during a test jump. Three years and 11 surgeries later, doctors were able to save his legs and his life. However, his spirit for skydiving seemed all but repairable. “At that point, he said we are not jumping anymore,” Knor said. Again, fate disagreed.

How Knor Kept Going

After the demise of her husband at 58, Knor had a choice to make about returning to the skies. “It’s like eating potato chips, you don’t stop. You just keep doing it and doing it, so that’s where I am,” she said. As of today, the now-84-year-old has jumped in 10 different countries, including jumps with each of her grandchildren. She has made nearly 600 jumps in her lifetime and aims to continue. Knor estimates she will hit the 1,000 mark in four years, before she turns 88.

If she jumps up north during the summer and down south in the winter, she could meet her goal in half the time. Knor encourages young people to take their grandparents out to skydive, claiming it’s a sport for all ages. Knor has her sights set on earning the Gold Wings Skydiving Award through the United States Parachute Association after her 1,000th jump. We wish Knor the best of luck with her targets. Meanwhile, she also deserves credit for contributions to skydiving and showing us that this sport is possible, accessible and so much fun.

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