Looking for an activity that builds trust and encourages teamwork? Find out why the Browns Canyon Adventure Park is perfect for your group or family.
On Saturday, August 26, 2017, seventeen Sports Buddies matches traveled from Denver to Buena Vista, Colorado to spend the day zipping, swinging, climbing, and crawling on the Browns Canyon Adventure Park.
The Sports Buddies Program is one of the core programs offered by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado. The mission of the program is to teach life lessons and build mentoring relationships through participatory and spectator sports. Typical events include playing kickball at the park or going to a Rockies game, but this summer, Mike Fye, the Sports Buddies Program Manager, decided to try something a little outside the box.
“We’re trying to help our kids overcome fears and obstacles and build their self-confidence and belief in themselves and also to learn to trust their mentor – their Big Brother, their Big Sister – and I thought this [the Browns Canyon Adventure Park] would be a great way for them to both be in something new. They’re both kind-of scared and have to rely on each other and build each other up to overcome those obstacles,” said Fye.
Aerial adventure courses have become increasingly popular in recent years as tools for increasing confidence, encouraging teamwork, and building trust. The person who is the most confident in the workplace may not always be the most confident at the top of a 25-ft telephone pole. As Fye noted, “We had some kids that did a little better than their Bigs, where their Bigs were more nervous about some of the aerial elements than some of the kids, so some of our Littles were actually encouraging their Bigs to overcome their fears.” This reversal of traditional roles is uniquely powerful and can strengthen the bond between participants in a way that few other experiences can.
When people are faced with obstacles that scare them, and then they get the chance to overcome those obstacles, it can provide an incredible boost to self-esteem. Fye recalled, “We had one kid that went that said he actually overcame his fear of heights at that event. It had always been a struggle for him, and he said just having his Big and everyone else and the instructors cheering him on and encouraging him that he eventually conquered his fear…and on the way back he was so proud of himself.”
The Sports Buddies matches would not have been able to have such a transformative experience without the fundraising efforts of an adult sports league based out of Denver called Six Pack Sports (6PS). A group from 6PS hiked the Manitou Incline over and over again for six hours (more than 17 miles) to raise money for the event.
Are you ready to experience the power of the Browns Canyon Adventure Park for yourself? Book a teambuilding adventure for your group or family today!