Cadets attending military college know what it entails: strict routines, sky-high expectations and a dedication to the lifestyle they signed up for. And during exam week in particular, their stress level is likely at its peak.
To cope with that, it is sometimes necessary to blow off a little steam. For one cadet, his stress relief was jumping off a fourth-floor balcony onto a pile of mattresses.
A cadet at the Virginia Military Institute jumps off a fourth floor balcony onto a stack of mattresses. (12VMICadet/YouTube)
In the video posted to YouTube, the cadet can be seen standing on a balcony in what appears to be the sleeping quarters at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. As his fellow cadets cheer him on, the man jumps from the ledge on to a huge pile of “hays,” the thin, standard-issue mattresses each cadet is given.
Check out the entire video below:
Fortunately, the man hits his target. The dangerous feat ends up being a success, and the cadet pokes out from underneath the mattresses to the hoots and hollers of his classmates. The video pans around to show seemingly hundreds of other cadets who witnessed the stunt
No other context or information is offered with the video, and the name or status of the individual who jumped is unknown. The video description only states, “During exam week cadets need to have a little fun. He jumps off the fourth stoop into a bunch of Hays (mattresses).”
A cadet at the Virginia Military Institute jumps off a fourth floor balcony onto a stack of mattresses. (12VMICadet/YouTube)
Given the prowess of the Virginia Military Institute, it is unlikely the jump went unnoticed by school administrators. With the sheer number of cadets causing quite a commotion in the public space, and the incident being viewed hundreds of thousands of times online, the dare is will documented.
A cadet at the Virginia Military Institute jumps off a fourth floor balcony onto a stack of mattresses. (12VMICadet/YouTube)
The Virginia Military Institute is the oldest state-supported military college in the United States. Founded in 1839, the college has produced a number of well-known military officials, politicians, celebrities and public figures over the last two centuries.
The institute offers students baccalaureate degrees combined with strict military discipline. As of 2019, the Virginia Military Institute had a total enrollment of more than 1,700 cadets.
