!!!
ATTENTION !!!
It's
that time of year again.
The birds
are chirping and the trees are blooming...
...why
not join the fun and schedule your adventure today!.
Dates
fill quickly.
For
information
please
call Fritz
at
812-345-0605
Bring A Group
Build A Team
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In Nashville,
Ind. building a team is an adventure |
Outdoor experiences
develop camaraderie, strengthen bonds |
Mandy Eid | | 11/16/2006
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Fritz Harbridge's excitement about the recent growth of Nashville's
Adventure Center, where he is the action and adventure director, is
evident even over the phone.
The 2-year-old facility, located 30 minutes east of Bloomington, sits
on 283 acres of wooded land with trails weaving through the entire
landscape. The facility is designed to improve team building and group
communication.
The center is part of a chain of similar facilities for which Experiential
Resources Inc. has built ropes courses. With locations across the
nation, this chain has grown 40 percent in the last four years, Harbridge
said. He plans to implement some of the successful features of similar
sites and accommodate an even wider variety of groups in the future,
including greek organizations and sports teams.
Harbridge, who previously worked with the YMCA, learned about the
center through his colleagues. After tiring of office work, he sought
a job that would give him more interaction with nature and the outdoors.
With the property's thick forest and woodsy atmosphere, the Adventure
Center was the perfect fit.
The facility is equipped with several team-building challenges, including
two low ropes courses, a 40-foot climbing tower and a 15-element high
ropes course. Each challenge requires a different level of teamwork
and is dedicated to helping participants improve relationships and
communication.
"What we do here is team building," Harbridge
said.
Overnight accommodations are provided upon request at the site of
the center, ranging from camping sites to the Bridge House, an indoor
facility equipped with bathrooms and a kitchen. There are also six
cabins, which can sleep a combined total of as many as 48 people.
Those are the center's most popular accommodations, Harbridge said.
The Adventure Center welcomes groups of 10 or more and strives to
help solve group problems. Groups ranging from Big Brothers Big Sisters
to bachelor and bachelorette parties are encouraged to help each other
solve challenges, depending on the particular group's individual goals.
The center has also seen a variety of school groups, sports teams
and sororities and fraternities. According to the Adventure Center's
Web site, it was started "with a dream to provide experiences that
will change people's lives and make the world a better place."
Hosted by facilitators, groups have been able to accomplish their
goals consistently, Harbridge said.
"We have been able to
hit it every time," he said, referring to the successes the Adventure
Center has helped create.
The Adventure Center, which is open year-round, rain or shine, leads
its groups by the motto of "challenge by choice," which means recognizing
that each individual has a different personal goal, depending on level
of comfort. While this could mean climbing to the top of the climbing
wall for one person, another person might be content with stepping
onto the first peg, Harbridge said.
Facilitators like Harbridge encourage participants to accomplish their
individual goals while recognizing their role as a part of the whole.
Facilitators serve to keep participants safe and to make events more
challenging and creative, encouraging "communication and delegation,"
Harbridge said.
Mark Voland, a case manager at Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central
Indiana, planned a retreat at the Adventure Center last March with
the intent of improving team building and communication among 15 male
adolescents and their big brothers.
After spending a night at the center and completing the low ropes
courses and the "Tango Tower," the nickname for the climbing wall,
Voland said the trip was "definitely worth it." It helped improve
communication among the boys and their big brothers, strengthening
their connection while allowing for better mentoring. Voland said
the trip was "excellent," and he intends to lead another retreat in
March.
The Adventure Center will accommodate groups by providing food or
a catering service, but many groups choose to bring their own food
when staying for longer periods of time. Prices vary according to
sleeping arrangements and use of optional services.
For more information about the center, visit its Web site at www.theadventurecenter.net. |
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