UF students can climb to new heights Sunday all by themselves.
The Gator Open Climb high-ropes course at Lake Wauburg will allow students who aren’t affiliated with a group to use the course, a set of obstacles that promotes teamwork. Usually, the high-ropes course is only available for students in organizations who signed up in a group of 12.
The course has been open since last January, but the open-climb event is different this year. Rather than being a two-day, all-weekend event, Gator Open Climb will be spread over the course of two Sundays: this Sunday and Oct. 4, said RecSports assistant director for marketing and communications Andy Howard.
This will allow more students to attend, he said.
The event is something you can’t do every weekend, said Michelle Langkop, the RecSports coordinator for parks and outdoor recreation.
"For many people, it’s a brand-new opportunity to come out and try something different," she said.
As of press time, 11 out of 132 spots for students were left, Langkop said. To avoid lines, students should register online. However, students can also show up the day of to replace possible no-shows.
Robert Kail, an economics junior, said he is looking forward to the event and registered alone through the UF RecSports website.
"I really like climbing, and I think it’s great that it’s free to students," the 22-year-old said. "It’s really an exciting way to meet more people."
The Gator Open Climb will allow students to register in advance through recsports.ufl.edu. The event will be from 10:45 a.m. to 5 p.m.