Hanging As A Team

University Recreation gave students the chance to hang loose –and secure– while exploring the high ropes course and zip line in Schenck Forest on Friday, Sept. 22. Facilitators gave participants the rundown on how the course is set up by putting everyone through ground school before setting them free to roam 40 feet high in the air. Ground school is a mandatory course that shows participants how to transfer their cables and work with their partner before getting on the full course.

Ryan Parno, the course lead facilitator and a senior at NC State, gave a special tour of the entire high ropes course, detailing specific team building objectives that certain elements of the course are designed to do. Elements such as the “Pamper Pole” are meant to increase trust within teams. Team members rely on their confidence in one another to help overcome challenges while extended in the air with minimum self-support. In this way, teams provide emotional as well as literal support for all members to succeed in the challenges presented.

Challenge Course facilitators want to make sure that participants are fully engaging in the challenges at hand. Encouraging organizations to fully commit themselves to the process allows them to maximize their experience on the courses. Carrying out this principal personally helped Parno to facilitate the buy-in and conviction of other groups who would participate in the elements of the course.

“It’s really a supportive community out here. No one is judging you…everyone is here to develop as a facilitator or participant,” says Parno.

Through her experience leading the activity, Parno has seen people come out of their shells and gain confidence in their leadership abilities, while increasing their levels of commitment in everyday leadership roles.

The facilitators hope participants can walk away with new skills and practical ways to develop as a team. They customize their programming based on each group’s set objective and goals beforehand. The hope is that each group can take away transferable skills to their everyday interactions. Facilitators like Parno play a critical role in leadership development through this activity.

The purpose of this trip was for participants to have fun traveling  across the obstacles with teammates who share similar element goals. For example, if someone wanted to do everything and go through the course quickly they would pair with someone who also wanted to do the same thing. Communicating with your partner successfully would be the defining factor of traveling through the course successfully –a principle learned in ground school. As partners made their way through the course, they had a variety of options to conquer their fears and put their mental toughness to the test. After climbing up a steep 40-foot net, partners had the option to travel across vertical nets, tight ropes, log beams and planks. Everyone could customize the course they wanted to take.

Nujude Ali, a junior at NC State, was a first-time high ropes course participant. Ali recalls jumping logs and her deep hesitation to try it at first. Once she went out there, she realized it wasn’t as bad as it appeared. “It was one of the least scary ones once I tried it,” Ali says. Going through the course with her friend also helped her overcome her fears and have the courage to try new things.

The high ropes course is accessible to NC State organizations, faculty and staff, campus affiliates and local businesses who want to increase their team building and leadership development. This activity is something everyone should try to expand their comfort zone!