I Did the FGCU Challenge Course- and Survived
By Ariana Milian
I wake up on a warm morning in November with a knot in my stomach. I get dressed into clothes most people are comfortable in, but today, I am not: a t-shirt, shorts, and sneakers. I figure “why even bother with my appearance?” as I fashion my unkempt hair into a messy ponytail. I know I need to get food in my stomach, but my nerves overtake my appetite. I force myself to finish a small banana and a cup of coffee.
Today is the day I have an appointment to conquer Florida Gulf Coast University’s Eagle Challenge Course. I will meet my sorority sisters Sami, Jojo, Kayla, and Noa at the course, I asked them to come with me for moral support. It’s not the course I’m afraid of, it’s not knowing what to expect out of the day. I’m also not a very “outdoorsy” person, and so being outside for hours at a time with no shelter doesn’t really make me want to jump for joy. I don’t ‘do’ outside. I hate camping, running, hiking, or swimming in lakes or the ocean. I definitely don’t do nature, it’s better to look at from outside a window than interact with. The longest I’m outside at any given time is when I’m on the golf course.
I once got stung by a bee and touched poison ivy at sleep away camp, all in one summer. Yeah, the outdoors are not for me.
I text Kayla that I’m on my way to the course, which is about 6 miles northwest from my house.
“I’m nervous,” I mention. “I don’t like heights, I don’t know what to expect, and I just hate the unknown.”
Soon after I send the text to Kayla, my phone buzzes and displays her response.
“I’ve done this course a couple times, you’ll be fine, and you’ll have us to cheer you on.”
I trust Kayla, and I know that if she can do it, I can do it. Kayla is 22, slim, with tan skin and long, straight brown hair. I’ve known her for about 2 years, and I’ve never seen her without a water bottle in her hand, it’s her trademark. Kayla is one of my favorite people in the sorority, and I know she’ll be honest with me.
The Eagle Challenge Course is a ropes and challenge course about 18 miles north of FGCU. FGCU Outdoor Pursuits operates the course, and runs on a “challenge by choice” basis. Essentially, they’re not going to make you do an obstacle or course you’re not comfortable doing. I remind myself of that as I leave my house.
On my way to the course I feel a sense of dread, but I notice the tension in my body. My shoulders are tense and have risen up toward my ears, my knuckles are white as I grip the steering wheel, my left leg is shaking, and I try to calm these nervous twitches with a quick meditation that my mom has had me do since I was a kid.
When I pull onto the property the course is on, I see that my friends are already there. The grounds look like an abandoned summer or Boy Scout camp, and a small shed sits quietly at the foot of the course.
I say hello to my friends, and we’re greeted by one of the students who helps run the course. She tells us the challenges we are going to face and explains “challenge by choice” as she passes out waivers for us to fill out and sign.
“I just need you to sign these waivers before we do anything,” she says with a smile. “If you don’t exactly know all of the information on the waivers, don’t worry too much. We are going to make sure you get back in one piece.”
We nod our heads sheepishly, and as we fill out our forms I turn to Noa.
“These waivers aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. Are you nervous? I’m nervous. I feel like I’m signing my life away. If I die, tell my parents I love them and I leave everything to my cats.”
She smirks and playfully smacks my arm.
“Don’t be so dramatic, Ariana. You’ll live, or else the university will have to deal with a lawsuit and a PR nightmare.”
Noa was my roommate freshman year, and we’ve been close ever since. She’s actually the one who encouraged me to join the sorority. She’s short and athletic with medium- length brown hair. When you look at her you can tell she’s a dancer. Noa is very pretty, but my favorite thing about her is how kind and welcoming she is. I always say that if everyone could be like Noa, there would be world peace.
I can hear that she’s being facetious, but she’s right. My dad always says “dead clients don’t tip,” but their families also file wrongful death lawsuits. Somehow, I think I’m okay.
After we finish signing our lives away, two more of our guides walk into the shed. One of the women I recognize from high school band.
“Vanna!” I say, excited. I feel a little better now that someone I know and trust will be guiding us.
“Hey Ariana,” she says, but then turns back to business. “Today we’ll be doing a couple exercises and taking you up on our high course. You’ll have to work together as a team to complete the challenges, and then we’ll strap you in and teach you how to be safe on the course before we go up.”
Okay, I think to myself, at least we’re starting on the ground.
She brings us to this large log and instructs us to stand on it, holding hands for balance. Our challenge was to arrange ourselves in order of our shoe sizes without falling off the log. If one of us falls off the log, we have to start all over. We start to call out our shoe sizes, and it’s a medley of numbers.
“Okay, I’m a 6!”
“I wear 7 ½!”
I call out 9 ½, I’m the largest size and I’m already standing on the end, so I don’t have to move, thank goodness.
But then Sami falls, and everyone has to start over. The log isn’t thick enough for everyone to move at the same time, so we have to call out “moving!” Unfortunately, it still took us a good 10 minutes to finish the challenge.
After we completed it, we were asked what we learned. After much thought, I piped up with “teamwork and communication.”
We moved on to our second challenge: cables attached to giant, upright logs. The challenge was called “floating islands,” and our goal was to help each other get to the end of the islands without falling in the water. We had to hold hands and grab onto the logs, balancing on the wires until we get to the end. If one of us falls, we have to start all over again.
We grabbed onto the islands for dear life, and I grabbed onto Sami and Kayla. Our guides made balancing on the wires look so easy, but it was an uphill battle for the rest of us.
Once I completed the course, I was cheering on the people who hadn’t, giving them tips about how to finish, the things I did that helped me through.
Like our last challenge, we were asked what we learned.
We all settled on leadership and encouraging others.
Then it comes time for the high course, they taught us how to put on our harness and use our ropes, how to fall, and how to get back onto the wire if we fall.
I start to panic, they don’t joke around when they say it’s the high course. I choose to climb the rope ladder last and cheer on my team as they went up.
When it’s my time to climb the ladder up to the first obstacle, I start to really panic. The wind is blowing hard and the ladder is shaking, and I’m not hooked to anything, so I feel really insecure.
By the time I get halfway up the ladder, I’m ready to come down, but our guides convince me to finish climbing. I would have to climb back down the ladder, which would be the full length anyway.
My fight or flight instinct hits when I get to the top. I can see the wire and rope shaking when I get to the top, and when I climb onto the wire and hook onto the rope, I can feel myself swaying. I try to convince myself that I’m not going anywhere, but every time I try to walk, I stumble. I get halfway through the first high course challenge and walk back to the platform.
I didn’t finish the course, even though I wish I did. But I’m proud of myself for trying, but there is also nothing wrong with shouting words of encouragement to my friends from the bottom.
I learned a lot of valuable lessons on the Challenge Course. I learned that a leader can be someone who cheers and encourages, not someone always someone who does. I discovered when to step up and use my voice and when to step down and let others talk. I learned everything from how to be an efficient team player to effective communication. Most importantly, I felt closer to my team. I began to understand that I would always someone to support me and cheer me on if I needed it, and how to be an encouraging friend for others.
The ropes course fundamentally changed my leadership style and the way I operate in my day to day life.
