Winnipegger overcomes fear at Drop Zone

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/04/2019 (2537 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Allie Szarkiewicz from Winnipeg won the 2018 Easter Seals Drop Zone event national grand prize from Breakaway Experiences and is about to break away on another amazing experience.

Drop Zone, a signature nationwide event of Easters Seals Canada, takes place in major cities each summer. In Winnipeg, individuals who raised a minimum of $1,500 were able to rappel a whopping 272 feet down the Manitoba Hydro building. Allie, along with 70 other amazing rappellers, raised over $136,000 which goes towards children, youth and adults with disabilities in Manitoba. 

When Allie found out she had won, she was thrilled. 

“Breakaway Experiences have some amazing experiences all over Canada, from Vancouver where you can do whale tours to the east coast where they have beautiful wine and gourmet food tours,” she said.

This was the second year the recently retired middle school teacher of 30 years has done Drop Zone. When asked what compelled her to do it the first time she replied, “I was celebrating a milestone birthday and a friend of mine dared me to do it. He pointed out the event looked exciting so I said OK… I’ve also had many students over the years with various disabilities, so I’m doing it for them as well.”

The key piece of advice she received when she approached the top edge of the building was, “Don’t look down! Instead, look left, look right, look forward… just don’t look down.” 

Only once she made it to the halfway mark did she dare to look down and, to her surprise, “Then it became fun, I just loved it and now I’m addicted to it. It’s an awesome adrenaline rush which I look forward to doing again.”

Like most people, Allie is not immune to the fear of heights. 

“I was afraid of heights or at least I thought I was afraid for many, many, many years, until I did Drop Zone and once you’re over that ledge and not looking down it’s just an amazing feeling. To be up there that high and look at the beautiful city we live in, it’s an experience I would recommend to anybody… even if they’re afraid of heights, just do it.” 

For Allie, Drop Zone has become an annual event where she plans on fundraising more and more each year. When asked what she thoughtof  the prize she says: “It’s a great idea, it gives people an opportunity to have mini-vacations in other cities and try something that you normally wouldn’t do.”

Registration is open for the 2019 Drop Zone event. For more information, visit www.thedropzone.ca

To view the many experiences offered through Breakaway Experiences check out www.breakawayexperiences.com

— Society for Manitobans with Disabilities