By Greg Ackerman
CSU - Sacramento
A day in the Sacramento Valley began with a cloudy, overcast sky, but soon after the short forty-five minute drive to the foothills, the clouds lifted and there was nothing but sunlight. On this particular day though, the sun could ha e been in a total eclipse and the day would have turned out just as rewarding. The day's activities included the "On Course" ropes course for professional CPA's and Beta Alpha Psi members. Both students and professionals were present for the festivities of the day. There were many difficulties and challenges to overcome, but the day was rewarding. We felt a sense of fullness and completeness at the end of the day, described by the acronym CCTPPL.
The acronym CCTPPL is an acronym that was devised to guide and characterize the efforts of a group at the "On Course" ropes course. The "On course" Guides asked each group, at the end of each task, to pick a word that would best characterize that group's efforts. The acronym contains the first letters of the following words: commitment, communication, teamwork, planning, pride, and listening.
The morning started with role playing and team effort games. One such event was the hilarious and highly entertaining game of "chicken tag." That's right, chicken tag. Everyone paired up with a buddy, bounded themselves together in a bicycle tube, and then chase other bicycle bound groups around with a chicken puppet. All the while, we had to sing "Old McDonald had a farm...and on this farm he had a chicken...with a cluck cluck here and a cluck cluck there..."
The role playing exercises were followed b the entire group being separated into smaller groups of eight. Then, each group was given a guide to help direct the scenarios each group had to solve. There are 10-12 possible scenarios at the course to choose from. The guides chose the order in which their team would follow. Some examples of the scenarios are The Web, The Whale, and The Jewels.
The Web consisted of two trees with ropes twined between the, which took the appearance of a large spider web. The object was to get the entire team from one side to the other. Sounds easy, but the web itself was approximately 6 feet tall. The requirements were that each person had their own "hole" they had to go through, no two people could use the same hold, AND while going through your hole (whether on the ground or in the air - being carried by your teammates) you could never rattle the rope. If the rope shook the spider would know you were on his web and after 6 touches (as a team) the spider would come eat you (you would have to start all over again).
The Whale was a 12x5 foot platform. The platform was flat on top, but had a see-saw affect (bowed on the bottom). The object was first, to get the entire group on the Whale's center, without letting either side touch the ground. The idea was to balance the Whale in its center section. Then, the guide would ask the team to perform other acts while still keeping the Whale balanced at the same time. For example, once the group was in the center, they had to get every member out to one side or the other on the edges. This was done by deciding which team members were of approximate equal weight and have those pars move simultaneously to opposite sides (to balance the weight).
The Jewels was a scenario consisting of two platforms (3x3), a rope, and a bucket of golf balls (the Jewels). The object was to get the entire team from one platform to the other, along with the jewels, while never touching the ground in between and never letting the jewels fall out of their bucket. The problem was that the platforms only held about 5 people comfortable (and we had 8 people). Another problem was the rope was dangling between the platforms. We had to figure out how to get the rope using what ever the team had in their possession. One team used two shoes (tied together by their shoelaces) and a belt. They swung their contraption around until one shoe hit the rope hard enough so they could catch it as it swung toward them.
The ropes course was an absolutely fantastic event. The problem solving process proved very successful as each team member triumphantly overcame and conquered all challenges that the ropes course offered. As an individual, I must strongly admit that I have never felt such a strong sense of commitment, dedication, and enjoyment to the task that was at hand. In future semesters, we hope to bring more members and professionals to this incredible event to share with us the ultimate experience we encountered on that sunny day in the foothills, far above overcast sky and darkness.
