A ropes course is a challenging outdoor personal development and team building activity which usually consists of high and/or low elements. Self-help or self-improvement refers to self-guided improvement—economically intellectually or emotionally—most frequently with a substantial psychological or spiritual The term team building generally refers to the selection development and collective motivation of result-oriented Teams Team building is pursued via a variety of practices Low elements take place on the ground or only a few feet above the ground. High elements are usually constructed in trees or made of utility poles and require a belay for safety. A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or A utility pole, telegraph pole, telephone pole, power (electricity pole, or telegraph post is a Pole used to support overhead Belaying is also a Nautical term describing the act of making a line fast to a cleat, pin or other fixed object Safety is the state of being "safe" (from French sauf) the condition of being protected against physical social spiritual financial political
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Terminology
Ropes courses are referred to using several different names, including Challenge Courses, Ropes Challenge Courses, as well as more idiosyncratic names such as Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience (Project COPE) course (used by the Boy Scouts of America). Project COPE is an acronym for Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience, a program in the Boy Scouts of America. The Boy Scouts of America ( BSA) is the largest youth organization in the United States with over five million Other related terms include Obstacle Courses, Assault Courses and Commando Courses, although these terms also have slightly different meanings, often more associated with military training than with education and training for the general public. An obstacle course is a series of challenging physical obstacles an individual or team must navigate usually while being timed
History
It is unclear where and when the first ropes course was created. Obstacle courses have been used by the military to train soldiers as far back as the ancient Greeks. These courses, however, were primarily used for the training of extremely fit individuals and not necessarily aimed at the development of the whole person as is common practice on ropes courses today. The use of belay and risk management systems on such courses was limited or often non-existent.
Many practitioners cite George Hébert as the originator of the "modern" ropes course. Georges Hébert ( 27 April, 1875 in Paris – 2 august, 1957 in Tourgéville, Calvados was a pioneering French A French naval officer in the early 1900’s, Hébert developed his own method of physical education, apparatus, and principles to train in what he called the “Natural Method,” which included the development of physical, moral, and “virile” qualities in an outdoor environment. Drawing from his naval background, Hébert patterned some of his obstacles on obstacles found on the decks of ships. A ship /ʃɪp/ is a large vessel that floats on water Ships are generally distinguished from Boats based on size “Hébertism” grew during and between the World Wars, becoming the standard for physical education training for the French military. A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking Many ropes courses and challenge course programs in French Canada and Europe are still known as Hébertism courses today.
Marble, Colorado, the site of the first Colorado Outward Bound course is cited by many as the location of the first ropes course in the USA, although this is highly unlikely. This page is on the organization For other uses see Outward Bound (disambiguation. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Patterned after a military obstacle course and similar to the course in use at the Outward Bound school in Aberdovey (Wales), the course was constructed of hemp ropes. Aberdyfi (Mouth of the River Dyfi or Aberdovey (the Anglicised spelling is still in common use is a Village on the Estuary of the River This article is about the cultivation and uses of industrial hemp not its psychoactive cousin Cannabis (drug. A rope is a length of Fibers twisted or Braided together to improve strength for pulling and Connecting. Belay systems were minimal or non-existent (Rhonke, Wall, Tait, & Rogers, 2003, p. Belaying is also a Nautical term describing the act of making a line fast to a cleat, pin or other fixed object 4). There is evidence, however, that the USA military was using commando style courses similar to the modern day ropes course prior to World War II and anecdotal evidence pointing to camps in New England using ropes course type elements as early as the mid 1920's. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the
Modern courses
Since the 1980s, ropes course sophistication has evolved considerably. Modern ropes courses incorporate sophisticated belay and safety systems using wire rope, friction devices, and climbing harnesses to manage what before were unmanaged risks. Risk is a Concept that denotes the precise probability of specific eventualities Recent technological advances in pole hardware and climbing equipment along with industry-accepted installation and design practices have greatly reduced the risk to end users and to the natural environment. UserStan Shebs for a timetable --> Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet (or See also Nature The natural environment, commonly referred to simply as the environment, is a terminology that is comprised of all living and Modern courses make use of a variety of materials other than trees, including utility poles and steel structures. Today’s courses can be found in a variety of locations, including wooded areas, open fields, or inside heated buildings.
A recent trend of themed courses (e. g. ropes course meets Disney World) has created a whole new genre of challenge course aimed at recreational pay-to-play users. New, mobile high ropes courses (originally designed by Jim Liggett of Ropes Courses, Inc. ) and climbing walls built on flat bed trucks have made challenge courses more readily available to the public for recreational purposes and are generating increased publicity. Recreation or fun is the expenditure of time in a manner designed for therapeutic refreshment of one's Body or Mind. Recent estimates by builders on the ropes-online listserv estimate that there are more than 7,500 challenge courses in the USA and that an additional 200 to 400 are built each year.
High course
A High Course can be a pre-fabricated course, built of utility poles, cables, and bolts, that is built by a contractor, or it can be a course that is hand built in a wooded area, where ropes and wire are attached to different trees. Ecologically a woodland is an area covered in trees differentiated from a Forest. A rope is a length of Fibers twisted or Braided together to improve strength for pulling and Connecting. Whether constructed by a contractor or personally, to make the course open to the public, strict regulations set in place by the Association for Challenge Course Technologies (ACCT) must be adhered to and the course must be inspected regularly to ensure its safety. [1]
Ropes courses can also be described as static or dynamic. With a static course, participants are attached to an upper wire, belay cable, with ropes and carabiners for safety. Safety is the state of being "safe" (from French sauf) the condition of being protected against physical social spiritual financial political If the participant dangles, they will be caught by the wire. On a dynamic course, participants are connected to a rope, which someone on the ground will be holding onto and belaying the participant on the course. Advantages of a static course include needing fewer facilitators, and being able to get more participants up on the course at one time. However, a dynamic course allows for participants to be lowered to the ground much more easily and can double as an additional element in the challenge course as it requires an overt show of trust in the belayer.
Usually participants must sign a waiver before being allowed to participate on the course. A waiver is the voluntary relinquishment or Surrender of some known Right or Privilege. Some participants may have a hard time completing the course due to its height and the physical challenge. Courses usually range from 25 feet through 50 feet tall. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit In order to climb up onto the course participants usually must climb, such as by using a cargo net, ladder or an artificial climbing wall. In Aviation, the term climb refers both to the actual operation of increasing the altitude of an Aircraft and to the logical phase of a typical flight (often A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps. There are two types rigid ladders that can be leaned against a vertical surface such as a Wall, and A climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with grips for hands and feet used for Climbing.
Low course
Low ropes courses consist of a series of real and imaginary obstacles designed to challenge groups and individuals to work together to accomplish a task. The classification of low ropes courses can be further broken into several types of activities:
Cooperative Game, Socialization Activity, Ice-Breaker: a fun activity designed to reduce inhibitions and break down barriers. These activities are often not based on a defined task but on a sequence of events. Users are often placed in positions where they are encouraged to try new things that may place them outside their normal comfort zones. Examples include: name games, people to people, raccoon circle. . .
Group Initiative: problems involving real and imaginary ground-based obstacles (either natural or constructed) that challenge a group to pool their resources and work together to find solutions. Success is achieved only when all members have contributed to the outcome. Examples include: The Muese, Spider's Web, Carpet Maze, Crocodile Pit, Whale Watch, Peanut Butter River, Ragging River, T. P. Shuffle, Nitro Crossing, and Group Wall
Trust-building games: activities designed to provide members the opportunity to demonstrate their trust in other members of the group through a series of sequenced actions. Examples include: Willows in the Wind and Trust Fall. A trust fall is a trust-building game often conducted as a group exercise in which a person deliberately allows himself to fall relying on the other members of the group ( Spotters
Low Ropes Elements: a series of cables, ropes, and obstacles strung between trees or poles, 12 to 18 inches above the ground, low rope elements present tests of physical strength, stamina, agility, balance, and flexibility, and invite participants to confront such emotional issues as the fear of falling, the fear of failure, and the fear of losing control. Risk is managed by group members who assume critical spotting roles. Examples include: Swining Balance Beam, Triangle Traverse, Tire Swings, and Mohawk Walk.
Definitions from "A Facilitator's Guide to Adventure Challenge Programming" by Mike Smith and David Brassfield.
 Zig Zag |
 Mowhawk Walk |
 The Wall |
Purpose
Ropes course programs can be designed to meet a number of educational, developmental, and recreational goals. Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency Recreation or fun is the expenditure of time in a manner designed for therapeutic refreshment of one's Body or Mind. High ropes course and climbing programs generally focus on personal achievements and ask participants to confront their personal fears and anxieties. Fear is an Emotional response to Threats and Danger. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific Stimulus, such as Anxiety is a physiological and psychological state characterized by Cognitive, Somatic, Emotional and Behavioral components Challenges may be physical and/or emotional. Physiology (from Greek grc φύσις physis, "nature origin" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study of the mechanical physical An emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide variety of feelings thoughts and behaviours In certain cases, high element programs involve the development and mastery of technical skills to manage rope belay systems used to secure other climbers as they move through the course. In such cases, outcomes often include exploring the fundamentals of trust, craftsmanship, and coaching. Trust is a relationship of reliance A trusted party is presumed to seek to fulfill policies, ethical codes Law and their previous promises An artisan, also called a Craftsman, is a skilled manual worker who crafts items that may be functional or strictly decorative including furniture clothing This article refers to the act of coaching people For other uses of the word see Coach (disambiguation Coaching -a definitionProminent Programs using low ropes course elements or group initiatives are most often designed to explore group interaction, problem-solving, and leadership. Group-dynamic games are Experiential education exercises which help people to learn about themselves interpersonal relationships, and how Problem solving forms part of thinking. Considered the most complex of all intellectual functions problem solving has been defined as higher-order Cognitive The word leadership can refer to Those entities that perform one or more acts of leading Some of the commonly claimed outcomes include enhancement of:
- Cooperation
- Decision making
- Self confidence
- Positive Risk Taking
- Cohesion
- Trust
- Self esteem
- Leadership
- Goal setting
- Teamwork
Research
Despite the rapid development of ropes course programming during the latter part of the 20th century and the increasing sophistication and professionalism in ropes course construction, there remains a lack of clear scientific consensus about the many claimed psychosocial training benefits of ropes course participation. Distinguish from Corporation. Cooperation, co-operation, or coöperation is the process of working or acting together Decision making can be regarded as an outcome of mental processes ( cognitive process) leading to the selection of a course of action among several alternatives Risk is a Concept that denotes the precise probability of specific eventualities Trust is a relationship of reliance A trusted party is presumed to seek to fulfill policies, ethical codes Law and their previous promises In Psychology, self-esteem reflects a Person 's overall evaluation or appraisal of her or his own worth The word leadership can refer to Those entities that perform one or more acts of leading Goal Setting involves establishing specific measurable and time targeted objectives A general dictionary defines teamwork as a " Cooperative or coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together as a team or in the interests of a common A key resource is Aram Attarian's 88 page annotated bibliography of research on ropes challenge courses. [2]
References
- ^ Association for Challenge Course Technologies (ACCT)
- ^ The Research & Literature on Challenge Courses compiled by Aram Attarian PhD, North Carolina State University, 2005-02, 88p 540kb pdf
See also
- Climbing
- Group-dynamic games
- Outdoor education
- Playground
- Team building
- Project Adventure
- Karl Rohnke
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