The Parachute-Folding Contest

An Englishman and an Irishman were fierce competitors. One day, their discussion turned to skydiving, and they began arguing about who was best at folding a parachute. Unable to resolve their dispute on the ground, they decided to go up in a plane and judge by the mid-air performance of their ‘chutes.

The Irishman jumped first. He pulled his cord and started floating gently down toward the ground.

Then the Englishman jumped and pulled his cord. Nothing happened. He pulled his emergency cord. Still nothing. In a matter of seconds, he whizzed past the Irishman, plummeting like a stone.

The Irishman’s jaw dropped as he watched his competitor fall. “Well, don’t that just figure,” he called out as he ripped off his own parachute. “Ya can’t beat me at one thing, so you go and make a race of it instead!”