2018 World T.E.A.M. Annual Review 2018 World T.E.A.M. Annual Review | Page 18

BELOW TOP >>
Team members assist their hand cyclist up a
steep hill in the first stage of the Challenge.
BELOW BOTTOM >>
An athlete is carried on a stretch
too rough for a hand cycle.
RIGHT >>
Paddling on the Colorado River with a hand
cycle strapped in the middle.
Isolated from today’s modern
distractions of the Internet, social media,
and the outside world, life at Rancho on
the Colorado River returns to a simpler
time when conversation, interaction
with colleagues, and nature itself is
important and meaningful.
At World T.E.A.M.’s Adventure
Team Challenge Colorado, athletes
experience the wilderness in its purest
form. During the weekend, athletes
pedal mountain bikes along single and
double-track trails, raft through rapids
on the Colorado River, hike unmarked
trails with only a map and compass to
determine their route, and climb and
descend jagged granite outcroppings
on slender nylon ropes.
As a team challenge, athletes are not
on their own during this wilderness
adventure. They join in teams of five
athletes, two being adaptive. Each team
includes a wheelchair user. Through
close collaboration, understanding, and
trust, athletes work together to solve
technical and terrain challenges. Each
team member has unique skills and
abilities that can help the team succeed
where a single athlete might fail.
Experienced adventure sports
participants and organizers annually
create a unique experience for athletes.
There is an element of adventure
and danger in each Challenge, and
athletes must take special care in this
high mountain terrain. Manned and
unmanned checkpoints keep athletes
on mostly the same route, and program
officials monitor progression by radio
and volunteer reports from the field.
For most participants, simply finishing
the course is an accomplishment.
More experienced athletes help their
colleagues to finish each segment in
the shortest time. Overcoming technical
questions and issues that arise on the
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WORLD T . E . A . M . ANNUAL RE VIEW 2018