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Building a team

Yosemite High School Cadet Corps work together at camp

Carmen George

(Updated: Thursday, February 16, 2012, 2:45 PM)

Standing on a high wire 40 feet off the ground is one way to learn fast about how to really believe in yourself.

That was the aim of a "Challenge Course" at Camp Oakhurst that 32 Yosemite High School Cadet Corps members got to push themselves on earlier this month -- a high ropes course with obstacles including a swinging log, zipline, and a jumble of suspended ropes that got many temporarily stuck like flies in a web.

"You learn to have patience and it builds trust," said freshman Isaiah Forney.

"This course encourages them to have more faith in themselves and to stretch their limits," said Dan Brackney, a Camp Oakhurst team member who coached cadets through it from the ground.

"It was intense," said freshman Dallas Gray. "It makes you weak."

The day trip also included a team building exercise where cadets had to find a way to move as a group between three platforms without touching the ground, each about a foot off the ground, using only two long wooden boards -- neither long enough to span the length of the gap between each. The platforms got increasingly smaller as they continued, and certain members were given limitations like being unable to speak.

"It's definitely a lot of problems you need to work out in advance," said C/Sgt. Adrian Baker, public relations for the YHS cadets. "All the stuff in here is about team building."

"It's a dream come true to just keep doing great team building things like this, and we're heading to the USS Hornet Feb. 18 and 19," said Capt. Ellen Peterson, Cadet Corps commandant and Yosemite High School history teacher.

"They are learning how to trust themselves and each other," said Yosemite Cadet Corps instructor Col. Bruce Derry, USMCR, Ret., about the day. "It's about teamwork and boosting self-confidence."