by Brenda Cronan and Laurie Sulfow

As I pull into the parking lot of Park & Rec, I wonder, “What have I gotten myself into?” I have signed up for Leadership Lumpkin County, a community leadership program. Somehow, I didn’t dream that the first day of team building would actually be led by a Ropes Course Expert! Well, too late now–I’m here.

I met my classmates, a group of 15 strangers, and we started the morning with icebreakers and problem-solving initiatives. These activities gave us an opportunity to meet and get to know our classmates while playing interactive games. We learned to plan as a group, to practice listening skills, and actually to HEAR another’s perspectives! As an individual who is shy, sharing an idea in front of a group of 15 strangers pushed me past my comfort zone, but I relied on the support and encouragement of my group and faced the challenge head on. As we discussed different solutions, took actions on the ideas, and evaluated the outcomes, we began to learn that everyone is a valuable resource. How difficult can it be to toss tennis balls from one individual to another? Well, when everyone is talking and sharing thoughts and ideas (our class is a bit talkative!), it is a more challenging than expected. After a couple of attempts, though,we were successful in our effort, with everyone laughing and feeling much more comfortable.

Just a few words about our day chairs, Roger Greer and Lisa Shelnutt. Both of these individuals did a great job of moving us forward as a team by pacing activities that required more willingness to trust and expand our horizons each time. (Note to the next class: Lisa loves white powdered donuts!)

After a delicious lunch provided by Aramark, we moved to the Outdoor Challenge Course at Lumpkin County Middle School. Again Roger and Lisa did an excellent job of moving us into even more challenging activities. We had an opportunity to apply our personal leadership skills as we continued to solve group initiatives and built relationships. The Whale Watch (giant see-saw) was a really good place for us to begin. How much of a challenge can it be for a group of adults to balance a giant seesaw? With 15 different ideas, more challenging and time consuming than you would expect . . . almost an hour! Actually, the Whale Watch helped us in our next activity (Islands) by successful moving our group from one island to the next in a very impressive amount of time. Our day was filled with fun and continual laughter. We chuckled at our mistakes, and no one was judged wrong for an idea . . . there were no wrong ideas, just better solutions. After being given several tasks that required strengthening our level of trust, communication, and teamwork, we were provided an opportunity to reflect (discuss) after each challenge. Reflecting allowed a time to focus on the successes or failures and to share our thoughts about our experiences, which was helpful in moving us to the next level.

The challenges grew more difficult throughout the day, peaking with one final group challenge–the high element experience, THE CAT WALK. Our objective was to walk in pairs (two at a time with one partner leading) on a log 35 feet in the air! Of course, we were securely tethered to our belay team (classmates who were holding the ropes below) and encouraged by our partners, but it was still a major effort for many of us! Some of the comments I remember: “ I hope someone is getting a picture of this; my husband will never believe I am this far off the ground!” “I’m afraid of heights; I can’t believe I’m going to do this!” “I am so proud of myself!” “I can’t believe I climbed that pole!” “My hands are sweaty!” “I need to sit down!”