On Tuesday, staff from Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School (CBOBS) travelled to Movement climbing gym in Crystal City, VA. Located on the border with D.C , the gym will allow CBOBS to incorporate a key component of our curriculum into our growing DC day programs: rope elements. At our Leakin Park location, team belay activities are commonplace. Students work in small teams, holding their climber’s line steady. This exercise puts an emphasis on trust, responsibly, and courage.
As we plan for further programming with our DC partner schools, our staff took the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the gym. They took the time to review key safety processes and had some fun on the wall to help familiarize themselves with Movement’s systems. The crew is now officially certified for the gym’s belay protocols (see if you can spot their red check tags in the photos!)
“Our hope is that our students will have an introduction to not only Outward Bound programing, but also to Movement and the climbing world in general, so that if they enjoy their experience, they have an opportunity to come back to this climbing gym or any other gyms that are nearby.”
Lainie Gray, Associate Director of Programs (Insight)
In addition, our staff were afforded the valuable opportunity to practice group instruction in a new and unfamiliar area. After completing belay checks, they were given a tour of the gym by Program Manager KJ and a safety briefing by the gym’s Director, Nick. Movement Crystal City is located just south of the DC border, minutes from a Metro station and several city bus stops.
Outward Bound Programs operate rain or shine, but it will certainly be nice to have a warm, dry indoor area for the climbing portions of our day programs. We’re excited for our DC programming to continue expanding and provide more District residents with the opportunity to step outside their comfort zone and learn alongside their peers.
After a break for lunch, the group descended back in to Movement for some more policy and safety briefings. Next, the instructors split up in small groups to practice integrating the gym equipment into their learning plans. After everyone had enough wall time to be comfortable, it was time to visit the second critical piece of our DC programming. It was pouring rain by this point and after a quick headcount and rain gear check, everyone headed outside towards Long Bridge Park. A large outdoor space is essential to CBOBS programming, and this park will serve as a convenient (10 minutes away from Movement) location for all non-rock wall day program activities.
Despite the rain, everyone’s spirits were high. They were all excited to have been able to learn, climb, and experience firsthand our new mission-aligned partnership with Movement. If you want to help us continue to grow and provide for local communities you can always donate, buy some merch, or just tell a friend!