This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
OGDEN, Utah • A 101-year-old Utah woman found a paraglide ride complete with a few aerial tricks the perfect way to usher in her next century.
Mary Hardison also wasn't about to be outdone by her 75-year-old son, who previously took the leap of faith.
"I don't want my son to do anything I can't do, so I decided to go have fun like he did," Hardison told KSL-TV (http://bit.ly/r7haua ).
Hardison, of Ogden, glided to a gentle landing this week after flying hundreds of feet in the air with an instructor.
It was something she had never tried before.
But at 101, Hardison knows how important it is to have the right attitude when it comes to trying something new.
So she did, walking off the edge of a hill with instructor Kevin Hintz and letting the strong winds take them. Hardison's children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren watched and cheered.
"My initial reaction was 'No, You can't let her,'" said granddaughter Diane Swain. "Then I thought, 'No, I know my grandma well enough to know that it if she wants to do it, she's going to do it.'"
Hintze spun Hardison in the air, but that wasn't thrilling enough.
"She wanted me to go upside down — do whatever I wanted," Hintze said. "She was hardcore."
Hintze said Hardison was Cloud 9 Paragliding's oldest customer.
What will the woman who celebrated her 90th birthday by hitting every ride at Disneyland do next?
More paragliding perhaps.
"I'm ready to go again," Hardison said.
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Information from: KSL-TV, http://www.ksl.com/