The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

High schools rope in team-building course

By Steve Enders

Standing at the top of a 30-foot pole, looking down and realizing that the only thing to stop you from hitting the ground is a rope and harness can be a humbling experience.

The Fremont Union High School District will soon have its own ropes course to play on, with elements like this that serve to build trust among students.

Other exercises include climbing on walls made of rope and walking across spinning logs. One wrong step or hand placement can leave the participant on the ground or dangling in midair.

The course is challenging and takes a lot of teamwork to get through--perfect for breaking down barriers and differences among peers, FUHSD Foundation fundraising chairwoman Nancy Harper said.

The $50,000 ropes course, paid for by donations from citizens and local businesses, will soon be built at Baylands Park. The city of Sunnyvale donated a portion of the park for the structure.

But the FUHSD has to clear some hurdles before the course can be built.

One of those is the weather. According to Harper, heavy and constant rains have made the ground too soggy to begin construction.

Also, according to Harper and Baylands Park supervisor Julie Oliver, the foundation must engage an agency or group to operate and maintain the course, as well as obtain the necessary building and use permits that will be needed to actually hoist the poles.

"It's something the city supports, but several things still need to be done," Oliver said, adding that it would be premature to say when the course would be built.

Harper was more optimistic, saying she hopes it will be ready by next fall.

The foundation is wooing the Northwest YMCA as a major partner and possible operator of the course. So far, she said, the YMCA has pledged to oversee liability at the ropes course.

Foundation members have been interested in building a ropes course since 1994, when a course at Alum Rock Park in San Jose was disassembled.

"The money's been raised," she said. "We're ready to build. The city is looking for final construction plans."

Baylands' Oliver said the city needs to inspect the building plans and make sure everything will be up to the city's standards. Because the course will be built at Baylands, which is on county property, it must also meet county construction codes.

District high schools plan to use the ropes course to help at-risk teens resolve conflicts. "They have more in common than they realize," Harper said.

She said that the course is great for breaking down barriers because it forces everyone to work together.

"You're part of a team, part of a group, and you're challenged to push yourself to meet the goal," Harper said. "You find out you have a lot more inside than what you've given yourself credit for."

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High schools rope in team-building course

The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper