This Tuesday the CT Corps traveled to Bristol, CT to participate in a ropes course as a last team bonding activity. The weather was a beautiful 75 degrees and there was plenty of shade in the forest. Our instructor for the day was Johan, a young bearded SCA look-alike. At the ropes course the team was challenged to work together, become flying squirrels and conquer many a fear of heights. Together the team helped each other over a giant wall, completed obstacles without ever breaking contact, propelled each other to fly up through the trees, and tightroped 40ft off the ground. Below are some highlights from the corps:
“Besides having a fear of heights, and having to scale a 10 foot wall the ropes course was a relaxing and fun afternoon. I was surprised how well the whole group completed the wire traverse (although many of us have been working with each other for two years). And the Ethiopian food was the perfect way to end the day!” -Kate
“While I couldn’t participate in many of the activities, it was still really great to see my teammates working so well together. Everybody was working so hard and being supportive of each other, I was happy to see how we’ve grown over the past year. I can’t believe it’s almost over already!” -Erin
“Our last SCA day was my favorite 1-day excursion. I enjoyed all of our challenges at the ropes course – even the wall! I was so impressed at the strength of our vertically-inept team as we launched individuals over the 10 foot wall. I giggled hysterically just as a flying squirrel should and used all of my tiny back muscles for balance as I traversed the 40 foot high multi-vine. I maybe sore today, but I would do it all again tomorrow!” -Kayla
“We started our team-building experience by introducing ourselves to our excellent instructors and sharing our goals for the day. My goal was to cry, and since Stacy almost immediately shoved me on the ground during a highly competitive game of “Elf, Giant, Wizard”, I probably should have been more specific. I was remembering walking between activities at the ropes course last year as a group and thinking, “Oh man, look at these guys! We’ve spent so much time together this year! And some of us are probably never going to see each other again!” and tearing up for what was to be the first event in a pretty consistent cry-fest until the non-returners said their final goodbyes. I was hoping for a repeat of this kind of sentimental episode, and although we all got pretty roughed-up and faced death a few times, I managed to hold it together until the very end. Our fearless leader Johan shared his thoughts about spending an extended time with any group of people and…okay, I’ll be honest, I didn’t really listen to what he was saying. I was just looking for any excuse to cry, and I got my wish! Success.
Thanks guys, and thanks Johan, for a great last SCA day. I’ve spent almost two years with some of you, and one of you I met only once for four hours, but you’ve all had an extreme, lasting, and equally important impact on my life.**
**Don’t take this personally, I’m still disoriented from swinging from ropes 40+ ft in the air.” -Jenna
“The ropes course is definitely a highlight of this year. We got to climb trees, walk on wires, and pretend to be a squirrel flying through the air. Sadly, it is one of the last things we will do as a Corps. We are finishing our year of service next week and will be saying goodbye soon. I don’t want to get all mushy, but I can’t wait to see all the amazing things our Corps members do in the future!” -Bijal
“It was a really great experience bonding with my teammates over conquering a challenging rope-course. It was a really fun experience that I got to share with my teammates. The most challenging part of the day, definitely had to be the team traverse where we all had to cooperate together. It definitely showed our strength as a team and we accomplished it together brilliantly.” -Kevin
-Jeff, Stacy, Kate, Erin, Kayla, Jenna, Bijal, Kevin and Chamae
