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PC STUDENT HELPS SKYVIEW STUDENTS
MAKE IT TO THE TOP
Alex Morris hangs from a cliff. His right hand is far above his left and
he struggles to find a foothold.
Sara Wolfe watches from below. "Move your left foot up about a foot," she
says, guiding him to safety by pointing out footholds she can see from the
ground.
 He continues to climb until he reaches the top and yells, "Yeah, I
did it!" He falls back gracefully, allowing Wolfe, who is attached to
him by a series of ropes and harnesses, to bring him safely to the ground.
Morris and Wolfe, seventh-graders at Skyview Charter School, along with
five other seventh and eighth-graders, are learning how to rock climb. Today
they are at the Prescott YMCA climbing wall, learning how to effectively
move along the rocks.
(Alex Wolfe belays Sara Wolfe as she climbs.)
Chip Hosfeld, a Prescott College senior studying wilderness leadership,
is their teacher for the two week, seven-session class. The class, which
is part of Hosfeld's senior project, is designed to teach the students about
climbing and focuses on self-growth, group support and trust, gear placement,
knots, anchor building, gear care and safety.
"My goal for this class is for the students to gain a higher awareness
of themselves and others," said Hosfeld, who will be graduating on May
7. "I hope the students will come away with new knowledge of climbing
equipment and how they may use it to facilitate their own growth, learning
and fun. It's also a great chance to provide a challenging, fun, and safe
adventure education atmosphere for kids that might not otherwise have exposure
to climbing."
Not all students thrive well in organized sports, explained Erin Lotz, a
Prescott College climbing instructor and the educationalcoordinator between
the College and Skyview School, who participated in all of the class sessions.
 (Chip Hosfeld demonstrates climbing techniques to his class.)
"Climbing gives students an opportunity to participate in an individualized
sport, which is what many of them need," she said.
Before actually climbing, the Skyview students had several different lessons
on knots, climbing gear and safety.
"We learned how to tie a figure eight knot, water knot and clove knot," said
seventh-grader Chris Miles. "The figure eight knot holds you safe in
the harness."
Working in pairs, they then spent two afternoons at the Prescott YMCA climbing
wall, learning how to belay and move on the rocks. They also learned the
proper terminology to ensure safety.
"We say things like 'on belay,' 'belay on,' 'climbing,' and 'climb
on' to make sure everyone's ready for the climb and safe," explained
Wolfe. "When I'm belaying and Sara is climbing, I make sure she doesn't
fall."
Hosfeld, who had worked with Skyview students previously during a class
through the College, wanted to provide students with an opportunity to learn
more about rock climbing.
"The personal growth associated with climbing is virtually endless.
Students have the opportunity to safely stretch their comfort zones and build
trusting relationship with one another. The challenges typically are more
personal, with a great emphasis on support from the entire group," he
said.
Skyview students joined for a variety of reasons, from improving their physical
fitness to making new friends to simply having fun.
"I wanted to learn more about rock climbing because I like the sport.
I did it before seven months ago during a field trip to Chino Valley. I'm
learning a lot," said Miles.
In order to qualify for the class, Skyview students had to write letters
explaining their previous rock climbing experience and what they hoped to
gain from the class.
Marti Lofgren, mother of eighth-grader Skylar Lofrgen, said her son was
very excited and worked hard on his letter.
"He really wanted to expand his knowledge of rock climbing. In his
letter he explained that he loves rock climbing and is a responsible, trustworthy
and honest person," she said. "It's a wonderful opportunity for
him and I'm so glad he's able to do it."
Once their training was complete, Hosfeld, who has worked for Pacific Crest
Outward Bound and hiked the 2,156 mile Appalachian Trail from Georgia to
Maine, and Lotz took the group of two guided rock climbs.
The first trip was an overnight with two days of climbing in Chino Valley;
the second, an afternoon climb at Thumb Butte. Two additional Prescott College
students, experienced in climbing, accompanied the group on the Thumb Butte
trip for added support because it was a more difficult climb, said Lotz.
 "It was an extremely windy day on the Butte, which made for an intense
climbing adventure. Everyone seemed to have a great day. Even in the wind,
the students were enthusiastic to climb," said Hosfeld.
(Students demonstrated their skills during a climb of Thumb Butte.)
"In all, I believe the course was very successful," he said. "I
achieved my goals of providing a safe and fun experience for the Skyview
students while learning more about how to be an effective instructor for
adventure based curriculums like climbing."
Lotz agrees. "Chip was very professional from the moment he proposed
the course to Skyview. He represented himself with an air of confidence and
competence and was very personable with the students - a very good balance
for an instructor."
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