UN I V E R S I T Y D A I L Y K A N S A N
Wednesday, June 18, 1997
11
Groups take Adams challenge
Obstacles help create bonds communication
Bryan Christensen, director of KU Challenge Course and KU graduate student, points at the rope net that people must pass through in the "Spider Web," an obstacle on the KU Challenge Course.
By Gale Garber
Kansan staff writer
"It was like being a kid again swinging through the trees."
Located on the Adams Campus, 12 miles southwest of Lawrence near Clinton Lake, the KU Challenge Course provides rigorous obstacles for ambitious KU students and local groups.
The challenge course is a 220-acre training ground that facilitates team building and cooperation. Its 17 obstacles, which range in difficulty levels, challenge groups to use various problem solving skills.
Bryan Christensen, challenge course director and KU graduate student, said the course was a good way for groups to work on teamwork and communication skills.
"It is interesting watching the various ways each group takes on the different tasks," Christensen said.
Janae Hanna, Edmund, Okla., senior, went through the course with the KU cheerleading squad. Hanna said the experience was valuable.
"It was like being a kid again—swinging through the trees," Hanna said. "But there was no way that a person could go through the course without helping each other."
Some of the obstacles included in the course are two climbing walls, one 10 feet high and another 14 feet high; the web spider, a large rope net through which group members lift each other; and the "land ski" challenge, two long wooden boards on which group members stand to cross-country ski across the woods.
Groups have four hours to complete the course. During that time,
Edmund, Okla., senior
each group member must success-
fully complete an obstacle before
moving on to the next. For
instance, if one person falls,
touches a rope, or peeks through a
blindfold, the group must start
again.
After successfully completing an obstacle, the group and its facilitator discuss what the group members learned about themselves and each other.
Christensen said that groups such as University clubs, student government, fraternities and sororities, residence halls, athletes, and local and regional businesses have completed the course.
Reservations are required to participate in the course. Groups of any size can participate; however Christensen said that he recommended no groups less than five participate.
Proper summer attire for the course summer is comfortable, cool clothing with hiking boots or tennis shoes and mosquito repellent. After a rain, groups should be prepared to get a little muddy.
The cost for groups of 15 or fewer, which require one course facilitator, is $90. Groups with more members, which require more course facilitators, must pay $90 for each additional facilitator. A deposit also is required. Call 864-0794 for more information.
Gale Garber / KANSAN
Students beware: sun dries summer fun
Dehydration affects anvone at work, play
By Kirsten Havner
Kansan staff writer
"I have to think about the campers and myself," LaPoint said.
For Mitch LaPoint, KU sports and fitness counselor, summer means being aware of his health as he faces afternoons in intense sun and humidity.
As summer approaches, students spend more time in the sun. With the increased exposure comes the threat of dehydration.
Candye Waitley, nurse health educator at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said that many people are unaware of the dangers of not having enough fluid in the body. She said that when someone feels a little under the summer weather, the best remedy may be a glass of water.
"Even during colder months students are probably dehydrated everyday, because most don't drink near enough water," Waitley said.
When people are indoors, the body needs at least eight glasses of water a day, Waitley said. When exercising, people should drink four to eight ounces of water before, and four to eight ounces of water every 30 minutes while exercising. If exercising for longer than 50 minutes, the body needs a sports drink or orange juice to replace the body's electrolytes.
Waitley said that when people are outdoors in the summer, they become dehydrated faster and to a more intense degree. When outdoors, people should drink water before they are thirsty. If they wait until they are thirsty then they are already dehydrated, Waitley said.
LaPoint said the sports and fitness counselors encourage the campers to bring water bottles.
"We want them to stay hydrated and full of energy," he said.
Keith Woods, Lawrence Landscape employee, works outside all day. He said that when he was working he tried to stay in the shade and drink water.
"I probably go through at least a two-gallon jug of water a day," Woods said.
Symptoms and severity of dehydration vary. Waitley said warning signs are a dry and fuzzy tongue, a decrease or halt in sweating and fatigue or lethargy. If urination ceases or is concentrated and limited in volume, that also indicates dehydration, Waitley said.
Alcohol and caffeine consumption also can deplete the body's fluid.
"I usually try to drink water while I am working because the soda and coffee really doesn't help when you're in the sun," said Chris Horon, Kansas Union grounds keeper.
Waitley said the best way to prevent dehydration is to always keep full of liquid and practice prevention by staying out of the heat and trying to keep cool. It also is important to wear cotton clothing, which helps keep body temperature down.
"I probably go through at least a two-gallon jug of water a day."
Keith Woods
Lawrence Landscape
She said staying out of the intense heat as much as possible is a key factor in dehydration prevention. Dehydration can occur in or out of the sun.
"College students like to be in the sun for a long time," Waitley said. "Because of this increased exposure and the high level of physical activity, students really are at risk."
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