SWEBOP IS THE AWESOMEEEE

HAVENT UPDATED IN AWHILE! AHHH!

So us SWEBOPERS have been up to a TON! From climbing at the indoor rock gym Rise-Up climbing to multipitching at Seneca with SENECA ROCKS CLIMBING SCHOOL and the awesomeness that is Massey Teel. Had a rollicking time!

We also went hang gliding with KITTY HAWK KITES in the Outer Banks! How awesome! Great Time on the dunes! Then went out for Ice Cream and saw an awesome impromptu magic show!

Melaina and Ellie passed their Belay Certification! W00t!

CARLISE is back from Senegal and lending her awesomeness and organization skills to SWEBOP! YESSS!

WE HAVE NEWBIES! lots of new instructors got hired! THEY ARE ALL AWESOME!

COME ON TRIPS WITH US!

Back to School...Back to school.. to prove to dad that I'm not a fool...

Hellllloooooo!!!
SWEBOP is in the full swing of things with classes already started and our trip sign up being today. There are going to be some ridiculously sweet trips. Such as rock climbing at Seneca, backpacking, kayaking, indoor rock climbing, night hiking, fly fishing, hang gliding and SOOO much more. I know all of the instructors are stoked and so are many of the students. There are more updates to come so keep your eyes out!!
Rach :0)

River Rat Induction Ceremony: Beginner Kayaking

Last Sunday Swebop had the pleasure of taking 4 new kayakers on the Balcony Falls section of the James. Three Sweet Briar girls and one lucky UVA alum launched early in the morning for an exciting day. The river was high and running quick and we hit it hard. These pictures don't do it justice because I am not coordinated enough to run the rapid, safety boat and be the paparazzi all at once. But here are some of the best eddies on the river!

The Launch

Off to Great Start

The Lake. After t-rescues, eddy turns, peel outs and ferries we got to spend some quality time with nature in the slack water of the James River Dam. We saw plenty of basking turtles, some interesting birds and swam with the local fish:-)
















Careful Jenna, that primate looks rabid! Oh, my bad it's just on of the instructors...

I'd say my four years as a Swebop instructor couldn't have ended in a better scene.

Keep paddling Sweet Briar,
Sara

Riding in West Virginia, SWEBOP style...

Hey! Jenna here. I'm just chilling in the office right now, there's not really anything to advertise for. So I thought I'd talk about the past few trips I've been on...

We went horseback riding and camping in West Virginia from April 17th-19th. The trip was the first of it's kind that SWEBOP has ever sponsored. It took a lot of work to get this trip off the ground, and I am so proud that my co-leaders and I were able to make it a dream come true for me.

We had 15 participants and 5 leaders on the trip (wow...talk about a huge group)! I'm ecstatic that the trip was as amazing as it was...

There were two groups of riders: a beginner group for those with limited riding experience and an advanced group, which was mostly girls who have been riding for more than few years. The beginners got to ride for about 2.5-3 hours and enjoyed a delicious fresh cooked lunch on the trail, and the advanced group rode for about 5-6 hours, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say we all ate way too much of the delicious food on the trail. Although I've been riding for 13 years, I haven't had time to ride since Christmas break, so my butt was pretty sore for a few days afterwards... We galloped down the trail and through open fields!

This is the advanced group heading back towards the woods

The advanced group got started riding a little late, and by the time we got back to camp, Sara was almost finished cooking us a fabulous dinner! I think the participants were a little skeptical about our one-pot wonder meal, probably because it's called "Shit in a Pot". But everyone seemed to LOVE it (I knew they would!), I'm pretty sure I saw people going back for thirds! So a special thanks to Sara for cooking for us... it's not easy to figure out how to cook food for 20 people in two pots (one vegetarian, one with turkey), with only one propane stove! mad props on that, plus it was delicious.

While we cleaned up dinner, Debbie rounded up some of the participants to help make a fire. Then we all enjoyed S'mores!

I think it's safe to say that everyone had the time of their life on this trip, and we look foreward to doing it again in the future! If you want to see where we went, check out Equine Adventures at http://horsebackwv.com/

That's all for now!
Jenna

Everyone should come to "Mountaintop Summer: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail Lecture" being given by Mike and Corbin Hayslett tonight at 7:30 in Heuer Auditorium!

"Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible." —Doug Lawson.

"The difference between a mountain and a molehill is your perspective." — Al Neuharth.


"Line of weakness: long involved explanation for not attempting a route."

"Blood /n./ substance commonly used to mark a climbing route."


"The best climber in the world is the one who's having the most fun." — Alex Lowe.







"But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or live. Chained by his servitude he is a slave who has forfeited all freedom. Only a person who risks is free. The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; and the realist adjusts the sails." — William Arthur Ward.

OYE

Why hello there,
Along spring break is over and classes have resumed... SWEBOP still has some kick ass trips coming up. Jenna and I have been working on getting this horseback riding trip up and running with the helps of our co-leaders and God given office angel Keri. What to talk about...that tis the question. I mean, we have some wicked sweet trips coming up aka horseback riding, car camping, beginner kayaking, outing cabin, night hike WITH s'mores. That is not including all the trips we are co-leading with Lynchburg College and all the trips they are doing. I mean what more could you want?
I really have nothing else to say.... so I'm off to reek havoc with Keri. uh.. I mean, we're going to clean. GO ANTI CLUTTER MOVEMENT!!
-Rach

New Favorite Quote

Hey guys!

In all my free Spring Break time I started reading my new issue of Climbing magazine. Whilst reading about Yosemitie's beast rout called El Capitan I discovered a new favorite quote:

"There's a fine line between badass and dumbass; and we're walking it!"

Go out and explore the world, but watch that you toe the line.

-Sarah

Why Hello there!!! Dry Spell but NOT for long ;0)

What'd up?!! Rach here. Bwhaha yes they gave me the password ;0). So its been a little while since the last time some one updated this so here I am. Hi! We've hit a slight "dry spell" aka we have a few weeks were there are no trips taking place. Have NO fear though!!!!! Once spring break is done with, we get back into the swing of things again. What do you have to look forward to you ask? I'll list them for you :0)
-Outing Cabin Certification
-Body Image Trip
-Fly Fishing
-Night hike with s'mores (mhmmmm)
- Horseback Riding/Camping!!

We just finished up the ski/ snowboarding trips sadly but they all went really well. All the participants had a great time and the instructors survived five Friday nights, so all is well. These trips we're a lot of fun and I think every participant and instructor is able to walk away form it with a funny memory. Just ask Keri the next time you stop by the SWEBOP office and she is in. Either that, or next time I update I'll fill you guys in with a story.
Speaking of which, office hours can be a busy time BUT we HEART visitors... they keep us just distracted enough so that we aren't mischievous in our office hours. Well, scratch that, we won't be AS mischievous as we could be. We won't be reaching out full potential ;0). Also about that, come swing by the office and see all random drawings, notes and pictures we have around. I guarantee they'll bring some sort of smile to your face!!


Well, I'm almost done with my office hours so until next week I'll catch you cool cats later. and oh-yes, this will become a weekly thing :0) bwhaha
Rach
aka Instructor
aka Co-Advertising Coordinator
aka the coolest Yankee you'll meet ;0)

The Spring Schedule is HERE

For a Printer Friendly version please click the link to the CCL website and choose Schedule from the links to the left. If you'd like a "perdy" color coded copy stop by the Swebop office and grab one off the bookself by the door. Happy Trails!

Wilderness Medicine

Hello everyone! It's 4 a.m. and I'm tired of studying for mid-terms. Instead, I figured I'd check up on the blog and fill people in on past few exciting weekends. SWEBOP hasn't run any big trips in the past few weeks. We've been pretty busy with skiing, climbing, and training in wilderness medicine.

All of us SWEBOP instructors have to be certified in wilderness rescue and wilderness medicine; this training gives us the skill to rescue you from tricky situations and awesome life-skills we can brag about at parties. Examples: we can do stuff like traction a femur, treat a tooth-ache, survive lightning, and rig our own harnesses out of webbing.

This training is a.)long b.) potentially boring c.) kinda like playing Mcgiver d.) a great way to meet outdoorsy people from other schools. Virginia Commonwealth University instructors came up from Richmond to train with us last weekend. It's always a lot of fun to meet their new instructors, play with their nifty gear/toys and wander the campus. Adventures with VCU usually involve bush-waking across campus at 2 a.m.


Moral of the Story: SWEBOP takes risk-management seriously. We're trained to make smart choices and taught how to get ourselves out of tight spots if necessary. This is really convenient because the trouble we instructors get into is usually some situation we cooked up ourselves!



-Sarah

Under Construction

Welcome to the new Swebop Blog page. This is an attempt to create a space where past and potential participants on Swebop trips may comment on trips, share photo's and stories or simply learn what Swebop is all about. This site is currently under construction but will hopefully be up and running in the near future. Please direct any questions or concerns to swebop@sbc.edu. Thank you for your visit.

Sara Rothamel 09'
Swebop Staff

Gear Rental

Swebop offers students rental gear at dirt cheap prices for both on and off campus use. From tents to climbing shoes we have what you need to start your own adventure. For a list of daily rates please visit the address provided below. If you have any questions or concerns please contact swebop@sbc.edu.

http://www.ccl.sbc.edu/swebop/rentalgear.html?swebop

Spring 2009 Trip Schedule

Coming soon to a computer near you...