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!”