Do You Have a Passion for Climbing? Then the Make a Wish, Rope for Hope is the Event for You!

The Toronto area comes alive with a myriad of exciting athletic events during spring and summer.� As part of our commitment to raising awareness of several of these, let�s discuss one that has become a traditional and popular favourite: The Make a Wish Foundation.

The Make a Wish Foundation Canada has worked tirelessly for more than thirty years to grant the wishes of children who have life-threatening medical conditions. Their work brings strength, hope and joy to the children who need it most. In the past 30 years, more than 280,000 children around the world have watched their dreams come true, thanks to The Make a Wish Foundation.

This coming June, The Make a Wish Foundation is hosting its first ever Make a Wish �Rope for Hope�. The Rope for Hope event is unique because it challenges participants to raise pledges in exchange for the opportunity to rappel over the edge of the 30-storey Toronto City Hall. The Rope for Hope event is limited to 90 participants who must raise a minimum of $1500 to participate. If you have a passion for climbing then this is the event for you. If you want to take part in the Rope for Hope there are three categories to consider: single participant; team; or as part of the �Toss Your Boss� colleague group.

The Rope for Hope event takes place on June 19^th 2012 at Toronto City Hall, but you need to secure your enrolment by both pre-registering on The Make a Wish Website and doing your fundraising ahead of time.

If you have a passion for climbing please remember that while climbing can be a fun, exhilarating experience, it can also result in injury.

Rappelling is not just the process of sliding down the rope, but also incorporates a lot of other climbing skills. You need the ability to create anchors, tie knots, manage the rope, rig the rappel device, use safety back-up systems, and retrieve the rope.

Safe rappelling is totally dependent on your equipment and your skills. If you�re a novice climber then you can be easily lulled into a false sense of security when you rappel.

Climbing and rappelling injuries frequently arise from repetitive stress on the muscles, joints and tendons which leads to tendonitis, strains and sprains. While physical rehabilitation can often treat these injuries, if they�re not fully healed, they may still be serious enough to keep you from climbing during recovery.

Climbing and rappelling can also pose risks of a second and more serious kind of injury: falling.� There are also less serious consequences, such as dislocated shoulders, sprains and strains which can have long lasting effects requiring treatment for full recovery.

Climbing equipment like knee pads, elbow pads and helmets will go a long way to reduce injury in the event that you fall.

If you have a passion for climbing and rappelling, then consider The Make a Wish Foundation Rope for Hope event June 19, 2012. Unlike mountain or cliff climbing and rappelling, this is a supervised event where precautions are taken to ensure participant safety.

Many people enjoy safe, injury-free climbing and rappelling.� But the reality is that no sport is without its own inherent risks to stress, strain or injury.� When injured, professional help can help you recover properly and within a reduced amount of time. If you are a climber who is recovering from a climbing or rappelling injury, contact Athletic Edge Sports Medicine at 416-800-0800 or visit www.aesm.ca.