Overcoming Fear: My Rappel Off TechWorks in Waterloo for Cedar Valley United Way

The Cedar Valley United Way put on another great event to help support the local community. On Friday, September 26th a whole slew of individuals and organizations came together in Waterloo to help the CV United Way raise money by going 'Over the Edge.'

These daring people rappelled down the historic TechWorks building.

A friendly reminder that the building is 93 feet tall!

The funds raised are going to the Cedar Valley United Way's strategic investments and initiatives. This helps support local programs and organizations in the Cedar Valley.

See how you can support the Cedar Valley United Way here!

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Going 'Over the Edge'

We were very fortunate to be able to do some cool work with this organization before. During their first ever time hosting an 'Over the Edge' event, my co-host and I were invited to rappel off of the TechWorks building.

In the week leading up to this event, I started to rethink my decision to do this.

If I was meant to climb down a building, then God would have given me Spiderman powers not sweaty palms!

The fear and anxiety just kept building over the week. I knew deep down that I would be safe, but I had never done anything like this before.

Growing up, I was never the adventurous kid who would climb to the top of the jungle gym or jump off the HIGH diving board at the pool. I was always the one who would be too fearful to do something that adventerous.

Honestly, there was a part of me that thought that as soon I got to the top of that building in Waterloo, that I would take one look and turn around.

The Lead Up...

The anticipation of flinging myself off of a building might have been the worst part for me.

Before heading to the roof of the TechWorks building, we had to get set up with a harness, gloves, and helmet.

At this point, with all of the gear on, I started to get excited. The whole getup that they set me up with made it feel real.

Next, we are taken up a few flights of stairs and things start to get a bit serious. I was a bit winded after climbing these steps, so by the time we were let out on the roof I was just focusing on keeping up with our guide to the edge.

As we were steered across the top of the TechWorks building, I felt a slight breeze start to blow against us. I kept my eyes on the ground during this little walk to the edge.

There were two reasons behind this...

Reason #1:

One of my superpowers is being able to trip over literally anything in my path. I blame the large flippers at the end of my legs that most people call feet AND my bad depth perception.

Reason #2

If I looked out over the building, I know I would get a bit dizzy and chicken out.

So, it was full steam ahead at that point.

After a bit of training on the ropes and equipment, my co-host and I were sent over to the edge of the roof. I insisted on going first out of fear of overthinking and bailing at the last minute.

The volunteers/workers were incredibly kind when setting me up on the ropes. They told me to sit down and get comfy while they readied me to rappel. They could tell that the nerves were beginning to really hit me.

Just a few moments ago I was boisterously joking about how silly I looked in the harness, but as I sat still as stone on the precipice my heartbeat started to speed up.

I could only speak in a weak whisper because the rest of my energy went into focusing on the task at hand. As I attempted to stand up along the edge, an older man working there took my hand to help me up.

He looked me right in the eyes and told me exactly what I needed to do. Stand up, step back, and get ready to lean.

Even with the clear directions, my brain had started to malfunction, and my left leg began to shake. I apologized for trembling and taking so long to step off.

This man shook his head and said, "you are alright. You can do this."

I shook my head right back at him and whispered that I didn't think I wanted to do this anymore. The wind felt like it was picking up and my legs would not stop quaking.

This stranger looked into my eyes again and insisted,

"I'm going to be holding on to the other end of this rope and I will NOT let you fall. I've got you."

To be quite honest...I didn't believe him.

So, I went to step forward back onto the roof, essentially giving up but I mis-stepped and dropped backwards. The drop made me feel like my stomach flew all the way to my throat.

But after regaining my bearings and getting my feet set up, I was able to rappel down.

As I descended a few feet I shouted, "I'm doing it! OH MY GOD! I'm doing it!"

Then I realized I still had a few stories to go. Once I got the hang of it, it was so easy and fun! I got to look through the windows and wave to all of the people on the floors as I passed.

I refused to look down to the ground because I didn't want to freeze up. I focused on looking at the bricks of the building in front of me and the sounds of the crowd cheering me on.

Once I touched back down to the ground, I stood in shock. Looking up, I couldn't believe that I had rappelled down a nearly hundred-foot building.

Take a peak at my journey going 'Over the Edge' down below!

If you have the guts and have a chance to do this, PLEASE DO! It was such a rewarding experience!

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