Teaching at a university certainly gives me interesting perspectives. Recently, as part of one of my classes in the recreation and parks major, we got to spend the day team-building and climbing. On our university campus, Peak Adventures Challenge Center offers a high-ropes course, open to students, staff and the public.
Students are required to take part in this day-long challenge as part of a writing assignment on motivation and adventure. In the above photo, I captured three students climbing on three different apparatuses.
One student wrote in her paper:
“Climbing up the pole was the hardest part of the journey. What makes this challenge so special to me is I can relate the tightrope challenge to my life. I would have never attempted this on my own, so why go now? Well, it was part of my grade. You would think that would be motivation enough, but no. My motivation was about my future and my career. How can I move forward and advance if I refuse to try new things?”
She got an A on this paper.
Speaking of perspectives, here is what she looked like on the tightrope from underneath looking up. The platform with the sign is 12 feet above my head.
Just a mere 40-feet in the air. No. Big. Deal.
Because my knee injury still prevents me from putting weight on the knee during a climb, I spent the afternoon UNDER the ropes taking photos.
These photos are submitted for Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Under. Feel free to join any time!
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Well, I’d definitely give her the job and I hope you’ve given her a copy of that photo! My son has just started high school and they went away on a two day camp which included a flying fox I think suspended from something like that. He didn’t do it but has done stuff like that at the Scout Jamboree. I went on an adventure Camp with Muscular Dystrophy Association and it changed my life. As a writer, I tend to be caught up in my thoughts and am not so action-orriented and as a person living with a chronic illness/disabillity, I was also very wary of stepping out there. However, the more you do, the more you do and hence ACTION became my word for 2016. Speaking of which, I been comatose in the heat here and more action is required!
Thanks so much for sharing this Terri and reminding me to keep up the physical challenges. It;’s all too easy to curl up in a ball and stay in your comfort zone.
xx Rowena
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Those are great insights, Rowena. Glad to hear more young people are getting these experiences! And get out there and take a few laps in the pool or ocean for me 🙂
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It looks like so much fun but I have been up there during a team building experience and I can tell you, you have to overcome paralyzingly fear to do it! Great photos, Terrri. I would give that student an I too. Her paper was fantastic!
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Thank you, PJ, so cool to hear that you have also had similar experiences!
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I remember sitting down on the line and crying! Haha! I was SCARED to death!
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This is a great experience for the students. It is affirming to try something new and potentially scary and see that you succeed at it. It will serve them well in their future!
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Thanks, Michele! I sure enjoy watching their growth!
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That is a fantastic take on Hugh’s prompt word, Terri. I hope your knee soon gets better 🙂
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Thank you to both, Judy!
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Hope your knee heals! The first photo reminded me of spiders in a web!
What a cool program and we were just talking about “sensation seekers” in a small group and I think there are times when everyone needs this kind of thing –
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Thank you! I thought exactly the same thing, like bugs caught on the screen 🙂
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Yes – bugs on the screen is even better – ha!
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I’m terrified of heights and admire anyone that takes on team building events like this one, Terri. However, it sounds as if it was a terrific day, especially for the student who got the ‘A’.
Great photos, even if they do make me shudder a little.
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Thank you! I so wished I could have been up there with them this time! I tell myself that I don’t have a fear of heights, but rather, a fear of falling from it 😉
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That’s what frightens me as well. Even with the safety harness on I’d have been terrified.
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My brother, dad, and I did one of these ropes courses through the forest last summer. It also had 5 ziplines across a river. It was a blast! Great words in there about trying new things and bettering ourselves, too.
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Thanks, Eric! I plan to zip line one of these days–may have to wait til I get to Hawaii again 🙂
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Lol…again?! I haven’t been once yet 🙂 zip lining is lodas of fun!
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Yeah, it’s been 10 years. Maybe next winter, (crossed fingers).
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Nice one Terri. And I love the quote from her paper.
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Thanks, DJ!
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Oh, that looks sooooo cool! I’d love to try that, even though I’m not sure I could do any of it! Contemplating putting something like that on The List! The video makes it look like a blast!
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Oh cool, I didn’t even look at the video. Thanks for checking it out!
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Yikes! I think I would have developed knee pain just at the thought of being up that high walking on a teeny little cord. At least zip lining happens fast… to fast to think too much about it.
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Haha, before my knee injury, I joined them up on those high wires. It is super scary, but exhilarating!
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What a great perspective from your student. It must have been an awesome day. If I was there I would have had a sore knee too. I know yours is real, I hope it heals soon.
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Thanks, Kathleen!
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