Girl Scouts Adventure Race - 9/23/06
“You can do it!”
The young girl took a deep breath, her legs slightly shaking as she tried to find a comfortable stance at the top of the 30-foot rock wall. Her small hands gripped tightly around the nylon rope as she prepared to lower herself to her anxious teammates down below.
“Do you have any questions?” John asked as he prepared to detach her from the safety line. Her head shook side to side, as if trying to speak right now was a little more than she could muster. “On rappel,” John yelled to her teammates down below.
The first few tentative feet were awkward and slow. “Straighten your legs and sit in your harness,” John encouragingly yelled down from his perch above. She took a minute to get resituated, shuffling her feet up the vertical rock wall while her hands searched for a more secure spot on the rope. Another deep breath and she was off. At first, the rope slid through the belay device in short, sporadic bursts causing a slight bounce as she went along. However, as she hit the halfway point something changed; the rope went through a little smoother, her feet seemed a little sturdier, her hands loosened there grip and a smile began to spread across her face.
High-pitched cheers echoed in the canyon walls as soon as her feet hit solid ground. There was barely time for hugs as the girls helped her unclip from the rope so they could move onto the next event in this all-day adventure race.
As I collected the climbing gear to hand out to the next team, I watched the girls transition from this event back to their mountain bikes. “Don’t forget your helmet,” one girl reminded. “I think I have the answer to the puzzle,” another girl shouted. “Can I have a bite of your granola bar,” asked another. I was impressed as I watched these young girls work together and take care of each other to accomplish the race. Although the rappel was one of the more individual events, each girl contributed in some way or another. Whether it was being back-up safety or yelling words of encouragement or simply putting aside their own desire to do the rappel for the benefit of the rest of their team, each girl played a part in getting the team entire team across the finish line.
Watching the girls ride away, I thought “I hope these girls got as much out of doing the event as we did out of watching it.” All I know is I am looking forward to next year!
The young girl took a deep breath, her legs slightly shaking as she tried to find a comfortable stance at the top of the 30-foot rock wall. Her small hands gripped tightly around the nylon rope as she prepared to lower herself to her anxious teammates down below.
“Do you have any questions?” John asked as he prepared to detach her from the safety line. Her head shook side to side, as if trying to speak right now was a little more than she could muster. “On rappel,” John yelled to her teammates down below.
The first few tentative feet were awkward and slow. “Straighten your legs and sit in your harness,” John encouragingly yelled down from his perch above. She took a minute to get resituated, shuffling her feet up the vertical rock wall while her hands searched for a more secure spot on the rope. Another deep breath and she was off. At first, the rope slid through the belay device in short, sporadic bursts causing a slight bounce as she went along. However, as she hit the halfway point something changed; the rope went through a little smoother, her feet seemed a little sturdier, her hands loosened there grip and a smile began to spread across her face.
High-pitched cheers echoed in the canyon walls as soon as her feet hit solid ground. There was barely time for hugs as the girls helped her unclip from the rope so they could move onto the next event in this all-day adventure race.
As I collected the climbing gear to hand out to the next team, I watched the girls transition from this event back to their mountain bikes. “Don’t forget your helmet,” one girl reminded. “I think I have the answer to the puzzle,” another girl shouted. “Can I have a bite of your granola bar,” asked another. I was impressed as I watched these young girls work together and take care of each other to accomplish the race. Although the rappel was one of the more individual events, each girl contributed in some way or another. Whether it was being back-up safety or yelling words of encouragement or simply putting aside their own desire to do the rappel for the benefit of the rest of their team, each girl played a part in getting the team entire team across the finish line.
Watching the girls ride away, I thought “I hope these girls got as much out of doing the event as we did out of watching it.” All I know is I am looking forward to next year!
posted by Anew at 10:45 AM
1 Comments:
John and Adrienne,
Thanks so much for being a part of the Adventure Race for the past 2 years - you guys are awesome! Rappelling was a main topic at the awards ceremony - you guys certainly made a lot of teen girls' day! Thank you!
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