Adrenaline junkies, take note.There is an outlet locally for those Alpha-personality types who like to live life on the edge, literally, and for those who want an alternative to fitness in a traditional gym setting, then this adventure-based training is for you. Set in a tranquil, picturesque setting in St Joseph, with lots of lush foliage and greenery which hides the poles suspended 30-feet off the ground, the mult-vines suspended high off the ground and several other training mechanisms, that make your heart take a couple of extra beats, but also inspire you to ignore that voice in your head and live a little. Please keep in mind that this adventure-based training is not for the faint in heart or weak in spirit. But you do have to be willing to throw your fears aside to embrace your inner wild child. The whole idea of this adventure-based training facility is the brainchild of Barbadian Ondene Kirton who stumbled upon the idea and worked tirelessly to make it a reality. “I think the concept probably found me. I was searching for a long time because I felt people weren’t really making a lot of choices and I didn’t just want another classroom scenario to say to persons ‘why aren’t you doing something, ‘why aren’t you stepping out of your comfort zone’,” Kirton said. “I searched for maybe a year or two to find the best methods to really get people moving. Then one day I remember sitting in my boss’ foyer and flipping through a magazine and I saw a man harnessed up and he was ready to leap off a pole, and I said ‘that’s it’. I just started to read and read and that’s how I got hooked.” For Kirton starting this endeavour meant that she too had to take her own personal leap of faith. “Believe it or not I took about a year. I quit my job and told my Mom don’t cry which she did and I left and went to the U.S for training” she recalled. “This was my passion and I meant that I was going to do it.” According to Kirton, this type of training came out of the U.S military and they really put the theory along with the extermal challenges to come up with adventure-based training. After acquiring all the training, Kirton then had to find the right location in Barbados to execute her vision. “I started off at Codrington College. They didn’t have a facility but they had a view so we did a lot of portable elements,” she said. “We did a lot of low elements and medium-based elements, we weren’t going 30-ft off the ground. One of the things I found that with most Bajans I knew that we needed to start on the ground level.” But when Kirton found the St Joseph location they worked tirelessly to make everything come together. “We have about 13 highs, we have an incline and decline log, we also have a swinging log, we’ve got the steps or multi-vine as people go across and trust me it moves like crazy,” Kirton told EASY showing us the different challenges. “We’ve got our tyred two-line bridge, our zip lines and heebiegeebee, our rock-climbing and our power pole, where you stand on a 30-foot pole and jump off. Oh yeah, now that’s a rush. I’ve done it and you have to do it. People come here and they want to feel comfortable. They don’t know you, but you’ve got to be able to build that trust and rapport in a shot space of time. You also have to be able to make them understand it’s alright to feel the fear but go for it. I tell people it’s really a better experience than talked about.” The training isn’t just confined to St Joseph, according to Kirton who says they also work off-site at other locations around the island. Whether it’s at the St Joseph facility or around the island, Kirton just is happy to see people concerned with their health and wellness. “I wanted to see people go beyond their own comfort zone, I wanted to see people do well but I didn’t want to be in a classroom,” she said. When you see the problems people are faced with here and in the Caribbean with hypertension and non-communicable diseases on the increase, I get really really concerned. “For me I feel that the rest of my life is devoted to health and wellness and really helping people to get in touch with themselves and begin searching. I get really concerned when I see people not well, not being able to live fulfilling lives, not being able to go to work, not being able to take care of their kids, and not having basic things such as energy, a simple component that you need everyday. Right now it seems Kirton is changing the lives of people in brave new ways. “I’ve actually found that the adventure based-training has been very good,” she said. “I think sometimes many people are searching for something else. I found myself in this. I just want to be out here, it’s just important for me.”
