UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 25, Page 1
March 26, 1992
Outdoor program develops teamwork, trust and insight

     Zip wire, belay and lobster claws never had any meaning to me- until
my life flashed before my eyes as I plunged 35 feet from a small, elevated
platform, gliding across a clearing to a distant batch of trees.
     A trembling sensation emerged from my every nerve-causing a shrill
scream to echo across the area of woods behind Pencader residence halls,
probably jolting creatures out of their winter slumber.
     As my heart recovered its normal beat, I was ever more thankful to my
harness, for protecting me from injury and securing a safe return to Mother
Earth.
     Little did I know that spending a day with the women's lacrosse team,
participating in Project A.C.E. (Adventure Challenge Experiences), would be
one of the most challenging and exhilarating experiences I have ever had at
the University.
     Project A.C.E., a new program run by the University's Outdoor
Recreation Resource Center, has been created to develop teamwork,
communication skills, trust and creative risk taking.
     The program consists of a high ropes course, high initiatives and
low-level activities designed to challenge individuals and groups by
producing a problem-solving atmosphere, while allowing each participant to
gain knowledge of others and her or himself.
     Roger J. Spacht, director of the Outdoor Recreation Resource Center,
said groups of 10 or more staff or students may participate in the program,
which can be accomplished in a one-, two- or three-day schedule.
     Each program is designed to meet the objectives of the group and
includes setting individual goals, learning proper safety rules and
receiving feedback through group discussion.
     The morning was sunny, with a chilly breeze, when I went to Carpenter
Sports Building to meet the lacrosse team members and coaches. We were all
bundled in sweats carrying lunches, sodas and snacks.
     Our eight-hour schedule began with writing goals we intended to
accomplish for the day, or the immediate future, on index cards.
     I was a stranger to the group of about 30 women. But I soon discovered
I was accepted like a teammate, giving me the confidence and support I
needed to attempt the challenging tasks.
     After introductions, we learned how to belay, the essential means of
safety for the high-climbing activities.
     Next, we went outside to the field to engage in initiative games.
     These included a facsimile of "Duck-Duck-Goose" with a partner; a tag
game called "Flip Me the Bird" that used a rubber chicken as protection
from being "it"; and stepping across a "Human Ladder" to exert safety
responsibilities and build trust.
     After the team was split into two groups, we trekked down a wooded
path to the ropes course, located behind the Pencader residence halls off
White Clay Creek Road.
     "Wild Woozey" was our next venture, involving practicing body control
and trusting others. In it, two people had to walk from one end of
4-foot-high, criss-crossed cable wires-connected to two trees-to the end of
another set of trees set farther apart.
     After strapping on our harnesses, fitting our helmets and learning how
to transfer from one cable to the next, we were ready for the upcoming
challenge.
     Next, I climbed a 40-foot step ladder to reach the destination-the zip
wire. Each climber was belayed, while encouraging cheers from the group
members already on the ground helped ease the climber's nervousness and
fear of heights.
     Once I reached the platform and was safely connected to the zip wire,
soothing words did not stop me from shaking. I was slightly cold, but even
more, I was scared.
     I faintly heard "ZIP AWAY!" (meaning it is safe to jump) from the
facilitator located at the other end of the wire, but I was hardly ready to
take the plunge. Then I looked down-and my body froze.
     Promising cheers immediately woke me from my trance, and I searched
for the courage to jump. When I let go, a whirlwind of air surged
throughout my body as I was swept across the zip wire, letting out a
high-pitched scream for all to hear.
     "Am I still alive?", I asked myself, as I stopped swaying and sat
suspended in the air. Soon my senses returned, and I released a pleasant
sigh of relief as I was lowered to the ground.
     Gobbling my lunch as we walked back to Carpenter Sports Building, I
wondered what challenges were to come.
     Later that day we faced the 35-foot-high "Giant's Ladder" and
conquered a 12-foot-high wooden wall.
     Individual skills were matched with cooperative ventures that caused
our team to shout in unison at our success.
     When the entire the team rejoined, we shared our adventuresome
experiences and leftover snacks, sitting in the field, trying to catch the
last of the sun's rays.
     We learned how important teamwork and support are, even when we are
challenged individually. The program was successful in uncovering aspects
of our personalities, while teaching us how to overcome fears, take risks
and depend on others.
     But balancing on 40-foot-high cables, jumping off platforms and
climbing giant wooden ladders is not just recreation.
     Project A.C.E. also is used as a teaching tool, Spacht explained,
since all recreation majors must experience the ropes course to see its
potential for examining and treating physical and psychological problems.
     Eventually the program can address health issues, such as chemical
dependency and abuse, Spacht said.
     It also may be useful in the criminal justice field and used for
exercises in psychology and communication.
     The program will expand to serve off-campus business organizations,
school districts and corporations, Spacht said.
     "There are lots of opportunities to bridge the University community
with the outside community," he said, though the program intends to serve
primarily University students and faculty.
     Taking time away from textbooks and job applications to participate in
Project A.C.E allowed me to learn more about myself and was more rewarding
than any class I've studied for.
     "I hope you have a special bond beyond the team," Spacht told to our
weary, hungry group as we left the field that day.
     Watching the sun setting in the pink sky, I felt I had discovered a
bond-not only with the team but with myself.
     -Karyn McCormack