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Adventure Sports - A culmination of the Sports Meet

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Hello Dear Students & Parents!!!

Last three weeks have been very busy, beginning with the Abhinav Stars and running into the camp and the sports meet. The last activity for the year (only National Science Day scheduled in Feb if the exam timetables permit) is coming to a close.

We have been holding the adventure sports each year for the last 25 years, with the last 15 years being done with professional help. Each student who has passed out of this school from std X or XII has (at least twice) did the variety of activities. The purpose of these events is simply - Make one extremely confident. 

Fear pulls you back from many things in life and the greatest fear is to hurt yourself or die. These activities make you realize that with a little science and technique one can achieve the impossible. Every one must do this at least once in their lifetime. We even encourage each of our teachers to do it. In fact even 50+ teachers have tried it for the first time in their lives at Abhinav.

This year we are lowering the bar for entry, down to std III. Earlier it used to be only for the G3, but as the instruments to allow younger students to do it safely, have become available, viz., free-size, full body harnesses, we are taking this a step further.

So, what are these adventure activities?

Rapelling
​The student is put on a harness so that there is one person holding the rope of the harness from above and releasing it as the student slides down. Also the rope on which the student is sliding down (secured to the harness) is held by two people (belay). If either the bottom belay person or the student chooses to tighten their grip on the rope, the student is locked in place. Thus with this 3-point safety, the student climbs down fro the second floor. This technique is used to climb down steep faces of mountains.

Fox Jump
Observe how the student is strapped to the rope which is string across the distance (on 28th it will be from second floor above the Offices down and across to the stage). There is a movement rope to which the students harness is tied. A rope around the harness is held by people on either side of the rope. Plus there is a safety rope above the main rope to which the student is tied to a pulley. Thus there is a 4-point safety here. This technique is used to travel between valleys or rivers.

Burma Bridge
A bridge made of ropes is tied between two ends of the quadrangle on the first floor. You can see a rope tied across the student's waist to hold him. This is held by people at both ends, in case the student stumbles. The student has to hold the side ropes and walk on the bottom rope. This time, since we have young students we will tie them with a body harness instead of the waist rope (this is more secure). Also, we will have a net placed below them like in a circus, which will ensure more safety. This sort of rope bridges are regularly used by village people in the hilly areas, including small kids and old women.

Commando Net
This is a standard fitness training for the armed forces and the police. One has to climb the net from ground to up (that's the easier route) This requires a bit of muscle control and the technique is to stay in the middle of the net. Hence this is perfectly safe. For younger kids we will employ a waist rope to hold them at the top (top belay) so that there is no risk.

Commando Bridge
I don't have a picture here but its a simple rope bridge built on the ground floor, about 3-4 feet above the ground, between two pillars/trees. Student has to walk across the lower rope while holding the upper rope. For the younger students we will lower the ropes to be just a foot or two above ground. This is the simplest bridge to build in the outdoors across a valley or river.

Shooting

Our professional friends demonstrate the right posture and how to take aim. Adventure sports are not complete without a little practice on the gun.

The reason why we hold these activities indoors is that it is difficult to transport the students outdoors, although the feel of doing this outdoors is always fantastic. Also, the younger students cannot bear the harsh sun and the weather outdoors for the long time that it takes to complete these things. What we ask of our students is to learn the techniques rather than do it as a fun-thing. Once you master the technique your confidence and skill grows.

Students from std III onward up till college are allowed to participate in any of these activities. We are having requests from parents of std I and II for the same. In principle a kid above 4-5 years of age should be able to do this safely. However, our concern is time mgmt. As the professionals are here only for 1.5 days and I cannot allow various age groups to intermix. (for reasons of safety) I have hardly a slot left.

The slots will be announced depending on the entries. So students of std III above, please make sure you have enrolled for these events before Thursday. If there is room I will take in students from std I & II. Parents are requested to visit the event, so that you realize how useful it will be in your child's development. I will try to make more coupons available on the day of the event, if entries are limited.
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