Our day began promptly at 830 as we left our hotel in OKC and drove the quick trip to Norman to attend the ropes course located at the University of Oklahoma! The forecast predicted rain. We were prepared for rain. OU was prepared for rain. But by the grace of God, the rain rolled through before we even left our hotel, leaving us with a beautiful day to spend outside. We were outside adventuring from 9am-330pm, so yeah. It was perfect.
Ropes courses are great for leadership development. And the people at OU do a great job facilitating. To begin, the students started with some low-level elements to build trust and learn more about each other. Mind you, these 50 students only met yesterday, and now they are being asked to trust each other with outlandish stories, games of "never-have-I-ever," and even major problem solving. I don't know if you have ever tried to solve a complicated puzzle or issue with 50 other people, let alone leaders, but it can be quite a struggle. These kids, however, made it look easy. Even though there were mistakes made along the way, the completed every challenge they faced and were granted permission to go to the high elements.
After a great lunch provided by Jason's Deli, we were off to zip-lining and wire walking, which was easily 30 feet high. For these elements, teamwork is a must. If you have never done a ropes course, you are essentially tied to some security measures by a rope. The rope is monitored and managed by the people on the ground who are helping you by "belaying" (that's just a fancy climber term that means someone or something is watching your rope, giving you slack when you need it and taking it out when you don't). This is why teamwork is so important, because your life is LITERALLY in the a groups hands. It basically goes like this: not only do you have to overcome your fear of heights, but you have to trust these people you met yesterday to keep you safe. Have fun!! And fun was had by all. We also had several people overcoming their fears, and we have pictures to prove it.
Once our fears had been faced and we enjoyed the glorious outdoors, we made the short trip to the Sarkeys Foundation to learn about their endeavors and learn about ourselves. The Sarkeys Foundation was created over 50 years ago by Sarkeys J. Sarkeys (I know. His first name is also his last name. What.) to provide "grants to a diverse group of nonprofit organizations and institutions, almost all of which are located in Oklahoma." The quote is directly from there website. You can check me on that. They are one of our gracious sponsors and have made an unbelievable difference to Oklahoma.
While we were there, Hideaway Pizza gave us some of the fantastic pizza and we got to meet the amazing Kristen Partridge. As the Director of Student Life at OU, she has the opportunity to impact a lot of lives, and she does so with a certain grace, challenging students to become the best they can be and make the world a better place. She put on a leadership exercise for us called "U Zoo." This program breaks personalities into four categories which are all paired with animals: Lions, Porpoises, Koalas, Eagles. To fully understand it, you have to go through the program, but it is hilarious and educational all in one. The students learned about themselves as well as others and how different personalities don't have to clash, but can work together in harmony, with a little effort.
From there we made the drive to Lawton where we visited LOL (Laugh Out Loud) which is an arcade-style gaming center with skating and laser tag! It was a great time that led to many laughs. Okay now that we're past my lame pun for the post, the night was funded by Cameron University. Cameron, located in Lawton, invited us to their campus and the new McMahon Centennial Center for ICE CREAM!!! and to learn about programs offered there. It was a great close to the evening of the second night of the trip. Once we were finished, we scurried off to our hotel and quickly hit the bed as we were leaving the hotel at 5:20 for more adventures!
Andy Stewart
Student, Optimist, aspiring Catalyst
ps.. I apologize for the lateness of this post. Wifi has been in and out all day. I'm already typing up the next post which will be posted tonight!
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