The Outdoor Club goes indoors

For many MBA students, getting away from the classroom and connecting with fellow students is one of the biggest takeaways from the program. Find out more about how a student club is building bonds and a feeling of togetherness.

Between snowboarding on the White Mountains and tubing down the Salt River, I’ve had a lot of fun with the Outdoor MBA Club the last few years. Being part of the club has been one of the highlights of my MBA experience because I’ve had the opportunity to experience new sports that I’ve always wanted to try and also get to know my fellow classmates in a completely different environment. This past weekend I joined the club for a little indoor rocking climbing, when as club president Harrison Putman put it: “The Outdoor Club lost its mind!... and went indoors."

Before last weekend I had never been rock climbing. For that matter I hadn’t even trekked up a small hill. So you can imagine how intimidated I felt when I walked into Phoenix Rock Gym and saw 90 degree floor-to-ceiling rock walls all around me. It didn’t make me feel much better that I was with a group that had been involved in the sport since childhood. Although I took orientation training immediately after arriving, at first just hanging off a rope seemed daunting.

As with any new sport fear dwindles with practice; I started at the beginner level and worked my way up to intermediate stages within a few hours. But the best part was being part of a group who kept motivating me step by step. At each point while climbing people below were yelling at me to guide my next move. Whether they were novice or experts, they did not make me feel as if I was keeping them behind and constantly pushed me to keep going.

For instance, even when my energy was drained and there was a rope supporting me in case I let go or slipped, others kept convincing me to take a breath and keep going instead of returning to the bottom. Overall, towards the end I wished I had started this sport earlier and plan to go visit the climbing gym more often. I’m looking forward to what the Outdoor Club offers next.