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Wrestling Kicks Season Off with Outdoor Adventures
10/13/2011 12:42:00 PM | Wrestling
DURHAM, N.C.-The Duke University wrestling team kicked off the 2011-12 season with a few outdoor adventures this week. The Blue Devils took advantage of fall break on Duke's campus and took a short trip for some camping, rock climbing and whitewater rafting as a team.
The two-day trip gave the squad a chance to continue to build relationships and work on team building all while having a good time away from the wrestling room. The excursion started on Oct. 10 at 6 a.m., as the team departed campus for Crowder State park for camping.
"We had a great two-day trip," head coach Clar Anderson said. Crowder State Park was a great park with primitive camping. We carried our food and gear in about two miles and then starting putting together the campsite. Assistant coach [Glen] Lanham crushed the meal preparation. We felt we were eating in a five star restaurant and at night we had a goal setting activity for both our individuals and the team around the camp fire which was very beneficial."
The true camping experience was a first for many of the wrestlers and they got a taste of all aspects. Once arriving at the park, the team had to carry all of the food and supplies for nearly two miles until arriving at the campsite. Next up was putting up the tents, which assistant Matt Morin made more difficult by adding in some exercises along the way. The final touch was starting a fire so the team could get ready for dinner. The runs and the workouts mixed in with the camping portion proved the be the easiest part of the day for the squad.
"The next morning everyone hiked to the highest point in Gastonia County," Anderson said. "Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate as the view was reduced due to a light rain, but fun was had by all playing lava floor. We only had a couple crash and burn on the way down."
With some great team building exercises and outdoor adventures already under their belts, the Blue Devils ventured out for their next challenge at the U.S. National Whitewater Center for some rock climbing, zip lines and whitewater rafting.
"The Whitewater Center was awesome," Anderson said. The guys had a blast on climbing walls, zip lines, mega drop and whitewater rafting. It was an amazing chance for the guys to get out of the gym and the weight room where they have been working so hard and develop a sense of camaraderie as they work towards one common goal in making it down the rapid and to the top of the climbing walls."
The rapids where Dan Adamo's, who was camping and rafting for the first time in his life, fondest memory of the trip was formed as they developed some competitions on the rapids.
"I was a little skeptical at first because I've never been camping before, but I ended up having a blast," Dan Adamo said. "The highlight of my trip was racing the heavyweights down a class four rapid during white water rafting and making their raft flip."
"This trip was a first for several members of the Duke Wrestling team, which, of course, is the point, Morin said. "The coaches want our athletes to be pushed beyond their limits, to do something new and challenging-something that they haven't done before, maybe even something they didn't think they would want to do. Taking risks is a very important part of forging future success. So the message of our camping trip was simply - 'We are doing new things to get new results. The Duke wrestling team is going to win more dual meets this year.'"
Duke held its first official practice of the year on Oct. 12. The Blue Devils first compete on Nov. 6 at the Citadel Open and Hokie Open.
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Duke Wrestler Quotes
Freshman Marcus Cain
It was my first time camping, as well as, going whitewater rafting. This weekend instilled a sense of belonging and sought after community. As a senior last year, I was looking at many different programs and ultimately I wanted a program where the wrestling team bonded and conducted family-like events. Quite frankly, it is difficult to assess whether or not that is true about a wrestling program at any school, because as a recruit, you only see a facade of the team and school as they want you to perceive it.
However, this weekend we bonded as a team as we camped at Crowder's mountain. We shared goals and aspirations near a campfire, and I witnessed countless of acts where individuals of the team supported each other throughout their strenuous endeavors during the mountain run. This is why I love being a part of an uprising wrestling team at Duke University! Family-like support from the coaching staff and the wrestlers is paramount in order to achieve the many goals established during the weekend. This is why I chose Duke! After our weekend of camping and rafting, I am positively certain that I made the right decision to be a Blue Devil Wrestler!
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