Team Work Makes the Dream Work, Especially When it Comes to Group Elements

After eating breakfast this morning, I had the chance to join a group of counselors to participate in group elements. Group elements is a part of the adventure program here at Camp ASCCA, and I was excited for the opportunity not just to go through the elements but to meet some of the counselors that will be working this summer at Camp. My group was led by Outdoor Education Director Cody Graham, who led us through some different obstacles that we had to do as a group.

At first I was a little nervous because I was the new guy in the group, but Group A treated me like I was one of them the entire time. It all started when we had to get from one island to another. The islands were just wooden squares placed in a line but unfortunately far enough apart that we could not jump from one to the other. Cody gave us a 2×4 piece of wood and a thinner piece of wood, and we had to use the wood to create a bridge to get from island to island, all ending on the last island. When someone falls off the island they have to start over, and they also lose speaking privileges. Unfortunately, I fell off and had to start over, and I could no longer talk.

We completed three other obstacles other than the three island obstacle. They consisted of the spider-web, which is when you try to get through multiple ropes that are interlocked with each other without touching the rope. Another one was the wall. The wall had to be climbed by everyone, but once someone was at the top of the wall, they could help their other team members by pulling them up and over the wall. The final obstacle was standing on a log and trying to communicate to one another non-verbally to get everyone in order by their birthdays.

Going through the group elements course was a lot of fun and very challenging at times, but the important part of the course is what Cody told us after we completed each obstacle. Cody would tell us what we should have done after every obstacle, and he would leave us with a camp lesson. One part that I will remember is his talk after the island obstacle. Cody talked about the importance of communication, and how at Camp we all have to be on top of our communication skills, especially with each other. Another lesson was when we were climbing the wall. He told us that we all have that wall that we have to climb at Camp, so we need to pick one another up to help each other get over that hill. It was a great experience being able to join Group A today. Thank you to Outdoor Education Director Cody for teaching us how to work as a team but even more so for teaching us valuable lessons that will help us throughout the summer.

Be sure to check out our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for news about this week’s training session as we prepare for another great summer here at Camp ASCCA.