It takes
trust
Adventure Center teaches groups teamwork
By Colin Bishop cgbishop@indiana.edu
June 29, 2008
BELMONT — Watching a dozen teenagers swing through the tree canopy
in straps and harnesses, it’s hard to imagine there’s more
to the Adventure Center in Belmont than just fun and games.
But there’s a method to the madness.
“It’s all about communicating and problem solving,”
says Adventure Center Director Fritz Harbridge.
As one of many team-building challenge courses popping up around the
country, the Adventure Center’s philosophy focuses on creating a
sense of personal accomplishment and encouraging teamwork.
Participants work together to complete a set of physically and mentally
demanding elements spread out across the property’s 200-plus acres.
The message translates to a diverse clientele. Some groups work on corporate
team building, with goals focused on improving workplace relationships
and building bonds.
Many of the groups that visit are sports teams or youth organizations
that are trying to promote camaraderie and communication.
Others — bachelor parties, singles groups and kids on summer camp
outings — come just to have fun.
Harbridge said the experience has a universal message for all kinds of
groups.
“It’s about goal setting,” Harbridge said. “It’s
about trusting commands from your team, and communicating.”
And trust comes in handy four stories above the ground. Participants
scale up into the treetop course in pairs. Once they’re up there,
only a harness, a belay system and the watchful eye of their partner separate
them from the forest floor below.
The elements spread across the property include high wires, rope swings
and zip lines, as well as the focal point of the Adventure Center —
an imposing 50-foot structure called the Tango Tower, which looks like
an upended Viking ship, festooned with rope ladders and cargo nets.
In the shadow of the tower are two challenge courses — the low-rope
and the high-rope — each with about 10 different elements. The ground
level low-rope course includes problem solving exercises that focus on
teamwork and leadership. On the high-rope course up among the treetops,
participants team up and test their nerves.
Fear is a constant.
“Being afraid is good,” said instructor and former circus
tight-rope walker Tyler Kivland. “Even as the facilitators out here,
we all have a constant sense of the fear of heights.”
Most of the kids who came out to Adventure Center on a recent weekday
shared that sense of fear. The group of about a dozen 12- to 15-year-olds
was on an outing from a youth adventure camp in Sharonville, Ohio.
“I did this two years ago, so I’ve overcome some of the fear,”
said 15-year-old Jonathan Geers, “but it’s still pretty scary.”
The Sharonville campers have been coming to the Adventure Center for
the past several years.
“They like the challenge, and they like being outdoors,” said
camp chaperone Brandon James.
The group does a number of other outdoor activities throughout the summer
— paintball, canoeing, rappelling, rock climbing and camping trips.
But the Adventure Center is a highlight.
“This is always one of the favorites,” James said.
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