Sophomore Martin Pentchev gathered the guts to jump off the massive cliff. His friends were cheering him on as he jumped and landed the 55 foot drop into the deep water. The exhilarating feeling Pentchev gets from cliff jumping inspires him to pursue thrilling activities like skateboarding. 

Pentchev has been thrill-seeking for around three years. His first experience was with gymnastics and tumbling. Even after he stopped gymnastics, Pentchev continued to do thrilling activities. 

“My coach would constantly get mad at me because I would always be doing something harder than what we were working on,” Pentchev said. “It led me to a group of people that inspired me to seek more.”

The main two pursuits Pentchev focuses on are cliff jumping and skateboarding. Both of these, inspired by his need for adventure, took time and dedication to learn. 

“Skateboarding is building up courage little by little. First pushing, then turning, then popping. It’s small steps,” Pentchev said. “For cliff jumping, it’s just full courage from the get-go. You can’t build up anything. Either you jump or you don’t, so you just have to go.”

When he’s participating in these activities, he says he gets to experience a natural thrill. 

“It’s like an adrenaline rush but better. I would consider myself an adrenaline junkie,” Pentchev said. “I would rather go out and risk my life than sit at home and do nothing.”

There are many parts of thrill-seeking that Pentchev enjoys. He likes hanging out with his friends, physical activity and the experience of trying new experiences. Although, the main thing Pentchev enjoys is the feeling he gets when he jumps or skates. 

“Typically when you’re having fun, time speeds up, but when I’m skateboarding it slows down,” Pentchev said. “It’s like instead of taking a second or two it feels like it takes a lifetime. You can see everything and really experience life.”

In the future, Pentchev plans to continue to thrill seek. He wants to continue to grow his skills and keep skateboarding and cliff jumping.