The Skyliner

Issue date: 2/28/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Ryan Stone/The Skyliner

Theron Willis
Staff Writer


Two more obstacles have been added to the Challenge Course at North Greenville University. They are known as the Whale Watch and the Fidget Ladder.

The Whale Watch is a platform style seesaw where two or more people try to stay balanced on each side for as long they can, and the Fidget Ladder is a rope ladder with one end tied to the ground and the other end tied to a tree and the purpose is to try and climb the ladder without the ladder flipping you off.

These two new obstacles were planned and built by outdoor leadership majors for the Challenge Course and Design Implementation classes. The students were in charge of every facet of making the project happen from planning budgets and obtaining materials, talking with maintenance and grounds workers about clearing land for building, the actual building of the project and everything in between.

Trey Fouché, an Outdoor Leadership professor and director of the Challenge Course, is very proud of the students work and believes it will have a good impact on the school.

"The Outdoor Leadership students did an excellent job of researching and building the new elements which will benefit future challenge participants," said Fouche.

The Association of Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) inspects and improves every obstacle, including the newest additions to the Challenge Course, to make sure the structures are safe and built up to standard.

The sole purpose of the challenge course is not just fun and recreation but to teach life lessons as well. Jeremy Puskas, senior Outdoor Leadership, who was one of the students responsible for building one of the new elements, said, "Everything that we do at the ropes course has a purpose, it's not just about having fun. It's about learning things that can be applied to your everyday life."

There are different schools and church groups that come to North Greenville to use the challenge course.

One specific group that comes to use the challenge course is children from the Right Step program, which is a program sponsored by the Urban League and Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). These children have gotten in trouble with the law in different ways and are in the Right Step program for rehabilitation. Students from this program come to North Greenville once a month for a day and the challenge course is part of what they do while they are here.

Even though people at North Greenville are not allowed to blatantly share the gospel with these students because Right Step is a federally funded program Outdoor Leadership professors and students still try to share Christ with them through their example and actions.

The Challenge Course is open to North Greenville students on Mondays from 4 to 6 in the afternoon where it is facilitated by trained Outdoor Leadership students. If any NGU clubs or organizations want to participate in the challenge course and use it for their own group development purposes they can contact Trey Fouché.

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