As the music pounded and the team raced, so did John Bornberg's heart.
The blond, sunburned UF engineering student struggled to crawl into the harness of the 12-foot winged mountain on wheels he'd designed in preparation for flying day, or "Flugtag" in German.
Bornberg, three other UF engineering students and one UF graduate participated in Red Bull's annual Flugtag tournament in Tampa on Saturday.
The competition requires teams to design, build and "fly" their contraptions off a 30-foot ledge into Tampa Bay.
"Most just drop rather than fly," Bornberg said.
The UF team, dressed as different Greek gods and bearing the title "By the Beard of Zeus," did not place in the tournament but managed to fly about 22 feet, one foot farther than the third-place team.
Distance is only one factor in judging the competition. Contestants are also judged on the creativity of their craft and a short skit performed before their plunge.
Team captain Chris DeMarco, who dressed as Greek god Hermes, sent an e-mail to UF engineering students earlier in the year asking if they were interested in starting a team.
Bornberg and Brandon Crone replied immediately.
Kyle Ricker and DeMarco's wife, Tricia DeMarco, also signed up.
The team brainstormed design ideas, eventually settling on a fixed-wing parafoil, which Tricia DeMarco said is "kind of like a parachute."
They presented their plan to UF engineering professor David Bloomquist for any suggestions the former glider consultant could give.
He not only approved the project but also handed the team $500.
For about two months, they each worked about 70 hours on their original design, using mostly bamboo donated by local Kanapaha Botanical Gardens.
Tricia DeMarco, who dressed as Athena for the contest and was asked by small girls for "pictures with the princess," said she hopes another UF team follows in their flight path.
"It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," she said. "An outrageous one that I don't think I'll do again."
