Father and Daughter (May 23, 2002)
By Morgan-leigh Norman
May 23, 2002

Being the daughter of a professional golfer, and not any professional golfer, but rather The Shark, my life is quite different than any other child. My father is often in the public eye, and as I want to spend as much time with him as possible, I am part of this world as well.

My father is viewed very differently among different people. Some see him as a golfer, some as a businessman and others as an artist designing golf courses. Although I see him in this realm too, I view him as something else before any of this.

I see him as my father, and an excellent one at that.

Lack of time is a serious issue among our family, but when the time is available, we spend it together and make the most of it. My father is willing to sacrifice crucial work and practice time to spend valuable time with all of us.

I could write a book about all the incredible adventures we have done together, but a choice few hold a special place in my mind and memories.

Since I was 15, one desire I had, and I wanted to do it as soon as possible, was to skydive. Due to laws and regulations, a person is not allowed to skydive until he or she turns 18. So, I made a pact with my father at that young age that for my 18th birthday, he and I would go jump out of a plane together.

Three years later, as my 18th birthday approached, that request was put back on the table. Long forgotten in my father's mind, probably due to his lack of enthusiasm with the idea, I reminded him of my one and only birthday wish. I remember the expression on his face at that moment was mixed with shock and hesitation. Despite this reaction, he willingly accepted, knowing the intense desire to which I wanted to do this.

Despite initial trepidation, Greg created a lasting memory for Morgan-leigh with last year's jump.

On the morning of our skydiving expedition he awoke early and prepared coffee and breakfast. I think his excitement was beginning to grow as he sensed my enthusiasm for this long-awaited day. I saw this transformation the minute I hugged him good morning, though there was still some uneasiness in his hug.

As always, he wanted to make me happy, and he knew to do this he would have to risk his life jumping out of a plane at 13,500 feet. With this in mind -- as we literally had to sign our lives away before the jump -- he apprehensively smiled and showed his newfound enthusiasm in sharing this experience with me.

After giving each other a high-five in mid-air, 10,000 feet above the earth's surface, I landed shortly after my father. The second the parachute was unhooked from my back, I ran into his wide-open arms and jumped on top of him.

After sharing an experience like that, we grew closer than ever before. The feelings we shared during this event were indescribable, and, to this day, can only be felt between the two of us. Even after deep-sea scuba dives at night, complete with shark encounters, we still felt a closer bond after hitting the ground from our jump.

A father-daughter experience hard to beat; one that I appreciated more than anything else knowing the apprehension that ran through his mind leading up to the jump. I will never forget this memory and it will always top the list of wild adventures we shared as father and daughter.

I thank him constantly for sharing such memorable moments with me, and for always being there to contribute to my happiness, no matter what the situation might bring.