| There
are, of course, disadvantages to being born
on leap day —which, incidentally, is one
correct way to characterize those born Feb.
29, according to the Honor Society of Leap
Year Babies, a Internet birthday club
dedicated to “leapers,” as it calls them.
To say
someone was born on leap year is incorrect,
according to the society, because leap year
refers to the entire year, whereas leap day
refers to Feb. 29.
The
most obvious disadvantage of being born Feb.
29, according to leaper James Dale Ray, of
Virgie, is “you don’t get a real birthday
but every four years. That’s kind of weird.”
Another disadvantage, said leaper Otis
Epling, of Marrowbone, is having to suffer
jokes from friends and family members during
non-leap years that they “don’t have to get
you anything for your birthday because you
don’t have one.”
Leapers are also disadvantaged by popular
Web sites and government agencies who “lack
leap year day awareness,” the HSLYB says.
Until recently, they were required to select
a different birthday to join YouTube,
because the site rejected Feb. 29 as a valid
birthday. The site has since corrected the
problem.
Some
states, Kentucky not included, require
leapers to list Feb. 28 as their birthday on
their drivers licenses, so that they do not
expire on a day that might not be in a
calendar year. Some hospitals allow or even
encourage parents of children born on leap
day to list their birthday as Feb. 28 or
March 1.
In
spite of the difficulties listed above, most
leapers agree the advantages of a leap day
birthday far outweigh the disadvantages.
There
is a .27 percent chance that a birthday will
fall on any given day of the year, with the
exception of Feb. 29. For that day, there is
only a .068 percent chance. This means
leapers represent only 684 leapers out of
every million people in the world.
Because their birthdays are so rare, most
leapers receive extra attention when they do
get “real” birthdays. Leaper twins Lisa
Hansen and Laura Nelson, originally from
Wheelwright, have been interviewed by local
radio personalities about their birthday,
and non-related leapers Allison Coleman and
Amanda Coleman, both of Pikeville, were each
mentioned at birth in local newspapers.
Another advantage of having a leap day
birthday is that birthday celebrations
become more fun.
“This
leap year, our friend Kym is having a Hannah
Montana birthday party for us, since we are
going to be 11 year-old girls,” wrote Hansen
and Nelson, both 44, in an e-mail to the
News-Express.
Leaper
William Warrix, 52, of Lower Pompey, said on
his fortieth birthday, a.k.a. his tenth, his
in-laws gave him “little kids’ fishing rods
and reels” as a joke.
“It
was fun” he said.
Another advantage for leapers is that, while
most typically celebrate on the last day of
February every year, it is not required.
They can celebrate their birthdays whenever
they choose. Leaper Karen Thompson said her
friends joke that she starts celebrating on
Feb. 28 and does not stop until March 2.
Other
leapers in the community include Megan
DeBoard and Mary Louise Mullins. To these
people and the rest of the area’s leapers,
the News-Express would like to wish you a
very happy birthday.
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