6th grade Camp Erdman 2006 - Confidence Pole and Wall Climbing

My head knows that I’m safe, but my body’s telling me, “You’re going to fall! Get down!” What happens when you climb up a 20’ telephone pole and try to stand on top of it in order to leap off into mid-air?! Well, legs start shaking, stomachs knot up, breathing gets shallow and, with all the body’s safety alarm systems screaming, it’s hard to even think! The Confidence Pole challenge helps students understand their own physical caution signals and how difficult it is to take a perceived risk, even when they KNOW that they will be safe. Whether students are able to climb two rungs up the pole, or climb up, touch the top and climb back down, or to actually stand up and jump off, they experience what it feels like to feel fear and still be able to take action. The Climbing Wall provides a slightly different personal challenge in that it involves planning out a route up the wall and a higher degree of strength and perseverance. “It was hard, but it felt great when I reached the top!”