Published: July 30, 2007 05:23 am         

Outdoor Opportunity

Big city teens get taste of outdoors

MCHENRY - Most teens growing up in urban areas don't get the chance to do real rock climbing and whitewater rafting, but a few dozen from the Baltimore and D.C. area got the opportunity during the weekend.

"Even though most of them have never done this before, if you ask the kids now, most tell you they will do it again," said Roosevelt Abney, educator through the Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation.

Through the foundation, the teens were able to visit the Adventure Sports Center International whitewater course, getting to experience not only whitewater rafting, but on Saturday work with Olympians Bob Campbell and Joe Jacobi on kayak and canoe techniques.

On Thursday, they met Campbell and Jacobi and even got to hold Jacobi's Olympic medal.

Thomas Wooden, 13, of Hyattsville, said how much he enjoyed getting to meet both men. After listening to them talk about their experiences in the Olympics - Jacobi in whitewater slalom and Campbell as an Olympic team coach - he hopes he will be able to one day be in the Olympics.

Jacobi said he'd been contacted by Brian Trusty, executive director of ASCI, about getting involved with youth, a concept that had been a part of ASCI's charter. Jacobi said that though the course hadn't been completed last year, he and Campbell worked with Adventure Sports to have an outdoor program for some of the students from the foundation.

"This is definitely one of the crown jewels of the foundation, as far as doing activities that are out of the box," Abney said.

For students, it was an opportunity to experience something new, meet new people and visit somewhere they'd never been before.

"It's a really good setup," Domonic Lee, 13, of Washington said. "It's good that we get to know kayaking, and it gets you excited to do more."

Wooden said he'd been glad to use some of the skills he'd learned visiting ASCI last year on indoor rock climbing on real rocks and boulders this year. His biggest concern was that a downpour would keep him from actually getting on the course Friday afternoon.

Sue Fowler, program director, said that ASCI is working to ensure that more programs like this are made available for not only children in urban areas but for local students as well. She added that there are hopes to get elementary and middle school students to visit the course in the upcoming year.

Sarah Moses can be reached at smoses@times-news.com.