Leaping for Relief
The university
rope course offered students a chance to jump from a 30-foot pole to raise
money for hurricane relief
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Joseph Vasquez /
The Collegian
Students from the Recreation
Administration and Leisure Studies Program hosted “Leap for
Relief,” a donation-based event where students leapt from
a 30-foot pole to raise money for the hurricane relief effort. Noel
Honey, a senior recreation major, said she leapt to support the
cause.
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By Kirstie Hettinga
The Collegian
Students defied gravity as they
leapt for relief Tuesday. Students from the Recreation Administration
and Leisure Studies Program organized “Leap for Relief” to
help victims of Hurricane Katrina.
For a $5 donation students at the “E.D.G.E.” rope course,
located near the Residence Dining Facility, were able to strap on a harness,
climb a 30-foot pole and leap off while trying to grab a suspended toy
bulldog.
“I’m an adrenaline junkie,” said senior Recreation major,
Josh Calandri, who was the first student to take the plunge.
Calandri was able to snatch the floating bulldog, which means his name
will be entered in a raffle to win donated prizes. The raffle prizes include
a DiCicco’s gift certificate, Jamba Juice mugs and a Nikon camera
donated by the Recreation program’s department chair, John Crossley.
Crossley has been with Fresno State for five years. He credits the students
for making the fund-raiser happen.
Kerry McPherson, a Recreation major who helps run the course, explained
the seven-point harness is the same kind of harness skydivers use.
Every harness, she said, has an anchor and all the equipment is inspected
weekly or monthly as required. Trained recreation studies students also
control the ropes.
“Trust, trust, trust is one of the things we preach out here,”
McPherson said.
The process requires that the jumper climbs the pole using hand and foot
holds. Then he or she has the option to stand on the platform or on the
very top of the pole itself. After the jumper leaps and tries to grab
the bulldog, he or she is held aloft until being lowered to the ground
by recreation students who use a hand-over- hand motion.
“You weren’t lying when you said it wobbled. Holy mackerel,”
Calandri said to the recreation students below as he climbed the pole.
Most of the recreation students who were working the ropes have tried
the jump. Shawnelle Brunger, a senior recreation major recalled her first
jump.
“I had to remind myself to breathe,” Brunger said.
Professor L-Jay Fine has been with the Fresno State recreation program
for 15 years. He said the E.D.G.E. course pays for itself and said it
was President Welty who took the initiative for finding a location for
the course on campus.
Fine said the course, which is utilized by other local organizations under
the supervision of the recreation department, produces a lot of “ah-ha”
moments.
“We push people out of their comfort zones,” Fine said.
After leaping, Calandri said he had been kind of nervous, though he has
been on high things before. He said the best part was standing on top
and getting ready to leap.
“That was intense,” Calandri said.
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