Venture Crew 615 Goes Rock Climbing!

The neat thing about being a teenager in the Columbia County area is the great opportunities located nearby. Besides being close to Lake Thurman, the Savannah River, and Fort Gordon with all the outdoor recreational opportunities they provide, we are also close enough to Atlanta and its surrounding areas to take advantage of those activities we do not have locally.

 

One of those activities is rock climbing. None of our local high schools has a rock climbing, caving, kayaking or other high adventure group. There aren’t any rock climbing gyms or formations in the local area either. However, this has not stopped 9 teenagers from Greenbrier, Lakeside, and Evans High Schools from participating in these fun activities. They have discovered there is a coed group for those teens who are looking for fun and adventure in the outdoors. They belong to a Venturing Crew!

 

Venturing is a youth development program for young men and women who are 14 (and have completed the eighth grade) through 20 years of age. Venturing's purpose is to provide positive experiences to help young people mature and to prepare them to become responsible and caring adults. The program is based on a unique and dynamic relationship between youth, adult leaders, and organizations in their communities.

 

Wesley United Methodist Church, as part of its outreach to local youth, established Venturing Crew 615 by matching their people and program resources to the interests of young people in the community. The result is a program of exciting and meaningful activities that helps youth pursue their special interests, grow, develop leadership skills, and become good citizens. Venture Crew 615 focuses on those adventures the teens members want to do.

 

On January 5^th and 6^th, the Venture Crew traveled to Kennesaw, GA just Northwest of Atlanta for an exciting night of indoor rock climbing and bouldering at the Cascades Indoor Rock Gym.

 

Besides the athletic and mental challenges of safely climbing and rappelling 35-foot walls, free climbing inverted surfaces, and bouldering high above foot-thick crash mats, the crew members had to plan, organize, coordinate the event, and conduct fundraising to cover the costs before they faced and overcome their individual fear of heights. 

 

They had to certify their knot tying and belaying skills before being allowed to climb or belay their friends.  After certification was complete, the gym manager turned the whole rock climbing facility over to the crew for the night and the crew made the most of it!

 

Besides the rock climbing, this was also an opportunity for team building and making new friends as they participated in other events through out the night and into the early morning. By the time the crew departed at 9 AM the following morning, they were exhausted, but already planning and organizing their next event – sea kayaking!

 

Rock Climbers on this event included from Greenbrier High School, Heidi, Ethan, Jenna, Kirk, Ryan and Daniel.   Will  from Evans High School and Jonathon  from Lakeside High School also attended. Also attending were perspective Ventures, Emma & Megan from Greenbrier Middle School and three adult Crew Advisors.

 

For more information on Venture Crew 615 and their activities, please contact Mr Dee Castillo at DEMARJA@aol.com or Bob Hoelscher at bobhoelscher@yahoo.com       

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