NMMI Yates Leadership Challenge Safety Outline Sheet
Spotting
Spotting is defined as breaking a person’s fall in such a way as to prevent injury either to the
person who falls or to the spotter. It is the primary means by which safety can be managed and
shared by a group on the low course. Spotters are not expected to catch a falling person in midair,
something that is impossible in most cases, but to slow a fall down to safer speeds.
 Appropriate commands and skills will be taught and reviewed prior to attempting activities
requiring “spotting” and/or where falling may occur.
 No individual will be placed in a position of having the responsibility for another’s safety without
having first received specific instruction and having demonstrated to the Ropes Course Facilitator
the ability to perform the necessary skills.
 A safety briefing, which sets an appropriate tone, will be part of every activity. This briefing
should discuss site–specific hazards, restrictions on solutions (i.e., no jumping, etc), and a
reminder for participants to be responsible for each other.
 Ropes Course Facilitators are expected to make conservative estimations of the skill levels for the
participants as well as the Ropes Course Facilitator’s own ability.
The ABCD Method
INTRODUCTION
• Explain why spotting is important
A–ATTITUDE
• Check your attitude and the attitude of each other. Focus on the participant and do not be
distracted by anything while spotting.
B–BODY POSTURE
• All jewelry and other valuable items are to be removed.
Spotting Posture
•
•
•
•
•
Knees and elbows bent
Feet apart, both side–to–side and front–to–back
Fingers together, palms slightly cupped
Stay alert and entirely focused on participant being spotted
Review the verbal commands
Falling Posture
• Hands crossed, fingers intertwined
• Feet together to prevent falling to the side
• Head slightly back
• Back slightly arched
• Entire body straight and stiff
C–COMMUNICATION
• Each person involved must invoke a verbal contract that is encouraging.
Participant
Spotters
“Spotters ready!”
“Ready, Name”
“Trusting (or Falling)”
Meaning
“I am ready to start.”
“I am ready to protect you.”
“I am ready to proceed with this action as
soon as spotters give the go–ahead”
“Trust Us Name (or Fall–On)” “Go–Ahead”
D–DECISION MAKING
• Each person must decide to be consistently safety conscious and deliberately focus on the
participant throughout the activity and on the ropes course.
ASK FOR QUESTIONS
• Have the group practice each spotting posture.
NMMI Yates Leadership Challenge – © Eric Evertson
Outline of Safety Parameters for Low Course Elements
All low element safety specifics listed here are abbreviated and will be elaborated upon during training.
All Aboard
●S.O.S.
●No standing on other’s feet
●No stacking of people
●No interdigitation or locking elbows
●Facilitator spots with most lean
Port Hole
●Do not grab hardware
●Minimum of 4 hands spotting
●Monitor accidental clothing removal
●Use Zipper Spotting
●Facilitator spots the side with the
least amount of participants
T.P. Shuffle
●S.O.S.
●No wrapping ropes around arms or body
●No stacking
●Move slowly across log
●Use participants for spotting if needed
●Facilitator will spot movements on log
Cable Traverse
●S.O.S.
●No lunging/running
●Minimum of 2 spotters for ea. Participant one spotter on each side of element
●Use Bump-and-Go-Spotting
●Monitor falls in all directions
No wrapping ropes around arms or body
Spiders Web
●No jumping through element
●No passing over the element
●Set participants on the ground
despite touches
●Use Zipper Spotting
●Facilitator spots the side with the
least amount of participants
Triangle Traverse
●S.O.S
●No wrapping ropes around arms or body
●No lunging/running
●Minimum of 2 spotters for ea. Participant
●At least 1 spotter inside and 1 outside –
preferably the more spotters the better
●Use Bump-and-Go-Spotting
●Monitor falls in all directions
NMMI Yates Leadership Challenge – © Eric Evertson
Mountain Tops / Islands
●S.O.S.
●Use caution moving boards
●Do not throw boards
●Monitor boards when crossing
Team Wall – see pg 36
●CRASH Test each participant
●Semi-circle the spotters at the
base
●Do not put fingers in the cracks
●No one’s head should be below
their waist
●Use two spotters on the ladder
Trust Fall – see pg 37
●Crash Test each participant
●Make sure zipper length is
adequate for participant’s body
●Everyone is using a proper
spotting stance
●Discuss importance of proper
falling stance
●Fallers should be in a ‘sniffing
position’
Nitro Crossing
●No wrapping ropes around arms or body
●No jumping out to rope
●Monitor rope hitting participants
●Lift with legs and not back
●Facilitator and 1 participant spot swinger
●Place Knee (preferable) or tip of foot in loop
Teeter Totter
●S.O.S. ONLY at the fulcrum point
●No stacking
●No running / lunging
Wild Woozy
●S.O.S
●No interdigitation or locking elbows
●No lunging/running
●Minimum of 2 spotters for ea. participant
●At least 1 spotter inside and 1 outside –
preferably more spotters the better
●Use Bump-and-Go-Spotting
●Monitor the falls that can happen in all
directions