Mr. Roberts joined St. Gregory in September 2000, following seventeen years in outdoor education 
with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Between 1983 and 1990, Mr. Roberts
spent over 200 weeks in the field in Wyoming, Washington and East Africa conveying his 
passion for the wilderness and outdoor education through teaching his students wilderness 
living skills, technical mountaineering skills, wilderness risk management, leadership, and how 
to work effectively with others during extended expeditions. In 1990, Mr. Roberts became 
the director of the NOLS East Africa Branch, a position he held until 1999. Mr. Roberts
and his wife Elizabeth Goodwin have three children, and when he is not at school or with 
his family, he is training for his next ultramarathon.

Adventure Education
Adventure education is a productive venue for improved group performance and personal growth.  Based on the premise that cooperative, challenging work in a supportive atmosphere improves self-confidence and creative approaches to problem-solving, adventure-based curricula have expanded from the school setting to corporate training and use as a therapeutic device. Challenge courses provide powerful and enjoyable means to encourage adaptation to change, leadership, risk-taking, and the development of a strong group dynamic.

Facilities
The St. Gregory Challenge Course contains extensive low and high element facilities. The course is spread out in the reaches of our thirty-three acre campus to allow for enjoyment of the local natural environment and solitude while teams work on the individual elements. Nestled in groves of mesquite trees, the thirteen low-course elements are spread throughout the southern limits of the campus mesquite bosque. The high course is set in the northern athletic fields with a breathtaking view of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The high course offers a six element high circuit that culminates in a zip line and two stand-alone elements with poles reaching over thirty feet in the air.

Program Description
The Challenge Course curriculum is designed to enhance communication, strategic thinking, trust, leadership, and group dynamics within an enjoyable yet intensive, structured program. Faced with a series of outdoor scenarios of escalating difficulty ranging from field-based initiatives to group challenges and individual tasks, group cohesion is enhanced while participants devise solutions with limited resources and time. Creative thinking, resourcefulness, persistence, and trust are rewarded as participants hone their abilities to strategize, collaborate, and adapt in the face of obstacles. Programs can encompass a broad range of activities, and are tailored by St. Gregory staff to meet the unique needs of organizations and individuals.

Program Content
A range of program opportunities exists on the St. Gregory course, and experiences can be scheduled from a brief half-day program to a full three-day session. Training initiatives in open fields present the group with collaborative projects and develop foundational skills and concepts. Low ropes elements are characterized by two sets of challenges: those that place a premium on group problem solving, planning, and decision-making, and those where individual accomplishments enhance trust and confidence. As a culminating experience for a longer program, the high ropes elements build upon earlier group successes as a springboard for individuals to overcome challenging obstacles and attain seemingly unreachable goals. Time is set aside in all programs for debriefing, discussing, and linking the various activities with "real-world" situations, thereby fostering collaboration and continual improvement within a tangible context.

Outcomes

• Working with limited resources and time to attain specific goals illuminates individual accountability, highlights the need for succinct and accurate communication, enhances group cohesion, and improves performance.
• Being faced with, and achieving, seemingly unreachable goals improves planning and strategizing, risk assessment, and efficient action that incorporates all members of the group.
• With improved group cohesion, participants gain an appreciation for the benefits of a team approach and an improved knowledge of how to operate within the team dynamic and optimize the utilization of resources in their organization.
• Placed in an unfamiliar arena with varied challenges, participants explore unexpected or hidden strengths and gain appreciation for the diverse skills of others in a challenging yet enjoyable and collegial atmosphere.

Programming Arrangements / Group arrangements
The course can accommodate a minimum group size of eight to in excess of one hundred, with special arrangements. Participants negotiate the course in groups of eight to twelve people with one or two facilitators per group. The minimum participant age is eight. There is no maximum age. Catered lunch for the group can be arranged in advance for an additional fee. Please call for additional information on catering services or large group arrangements.