Adventure Club in its present avatar is started under Youth United at Thapar University.
The objective of starting this club are:
a) To carry out as many adventure sports related activity in a minimal budget as possible.b) To introduce a novice (student or faculty!!) various aspects (planning, training session, first aid, logistics) of Adventure sports, and training those who were serious about it.
c) This would also help us in avoiding mishaps and prepare them for any eventualities that might occur during an expedition.
d) Also it would serve as local hub in the campus for various adventure activities related information and help people to plan their activity in a systematic way right from getting information about the place as well as dos and don’ts on the trip.
Now whosoever desires to be a part of it has to just go through the motions. In a way it has evolved in a unique way of introducing the adventure sports to a novice which is more scientific that what is available anywhere.
STRATEGY AND GOALS
As it is true for any sports physical fitness is of prime importance. And after trial and error it was found that the early morning time was best suited for it. It also helps the individual increase his will power to forgo the pleasure of early morning sleep that is big plus on the expedition as it is always advisable to start early.So our conditioning camps would prepare you accordingly.
More emphasis is placed on completing the course of the exercises than just becoming an athlete. The training schedule would ensure that the individual for the activity attains the minimum requirement.
During the course of exercises, importance is laid to the fact that the fitter athlete helps the weaker one. That way it builds a good bond and develops better understanding between individuals which is very essential in the hostile terrain where tempers can run high under severe stress situations. Most of the training regime helps the designated leader to identify individuals who could form the core of the team and help in man management.
The other aspects involve arranging logistics for the trip, getting necessary clearances well in advance, booking rail tickets and making sure the entire necessary equipments are in place and in working order. Each one has to be trained to handle the equipments and feel comfortable with it.
Also dangers of the activity are also told. And what emergency procedures need to be taken, are drilled into each and everyone. Emphasis is also laid on getting medical fitness and learning the utility of first aid.
In a nutshell besides serving to minimize our expenses on the trip, it also serves to help individual develop his leadership qualities, develop inter-personal skills, work in a group and also learn to give right priorities. This kind of sports rarely gives a second chance to prove one self. And one wrong thing can be very fatal to oneself and there no winners or losers here!! Also care will be taken during all our activity that we do not pollute the environment as we strictly adhere to the “Zero garbage” policy.
So one has to really deeply imbibe the 4P’s:Planning, Preparation, Prevention and Precaution in order to succeed and make the best of it.
Finally let me sum up our drive to do all this by these lines
"The first question which you will ask and which I must try to answer is this, 'What is the use of climbing Mount Everest ?' and my answer must at once be, 'It is no use'. There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behaviour of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it. We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron. We shall not find a single foot of earth that can be planted with crops to raise food. It's no use. So, if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won't see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for." -- George Mallory, 1922
"It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." - Sir Edmund Hillary
