Taking the Ultimate Lambeau Leap ... off the stadium roof

I'm not a football person, but I was definitely feeling plenty of nervous energy as I pulled into Lambeau Field's parking lot this afternoon.

It was my first time setting foot in the legendary "frozen tundra," but my purpose for being there was to leave my footprints where only a privileged few will ever have the chance: down all seven stories of the stadium's outer wall.

Thanks to Special Olympics Wisconsin, I would be spending the next few hours getting a crash course in rappelling, followed by a 140-foot descent down Lambeau's brick façade, in advance of the non-profit's first-ever Ultimate Lambeau Leap on Wednesday, Aug. 3.

The Ultimate Lambeau Leap will be Special Olympics Wisconsin's third Over The Edge event, joining last year's Over The Edge Milwaukee at the Hilton City Center (OnMilwaukee.com's Andrew Wagner did that one) and Over The Edge Madison at the Monona Terrace.

"After those two last year, we said, 'Let's move some around the state.' Obviously Green Bay came to mind, and if Green Bay comes to mind, there's only one building," said Kathy Walker, regional director of development for Special Olympics Wisconsin's Northeastern Area 5.

"It's never been done in an NFL stadium. Lucky for us, Lambeau Field and the Green Bay Packers Association have been huge supporters of Special Olympics Wisconsin for many, many years. Earlier this year, the folks here at Lambeau gave us the OK, and the rest is history."

Securing the stadium may have been history, but my walk down its side was still a way off. The day's events got off to a late start because of the rain, so I and the other guest Leap-ers started the day waiting and making nervous jokes of the "Watch your step" variety.

Luckily the weather – and our nerves – calmed quickly. As we were led to the top floor to gear up, as we ran through our practice rappel inside the stadium and at almost every turn, it was clear there was nothing to worry about. Because the official Over The Edge events are open to anyone who raises enough money, Special Olympics Wisconsin and the industrial rope specialists brought in to handle the rappel cover every base – so thoroughly, in fact, that the Over The Edge events have a zero incident record.

It's a reassuring thought, but I just wanted to make sure I was hooked up to perfection. This, too, wasn't nearly as scary as I had imagined. Even the backup safeties had backups. After the practice rappel, my fear was gone and I was more than ready to take on the main event.

When I first signed on, I was told, "The first step's the hardest." When I got there: "The first step's the hardest." When we were getting prepped on the roof: "The first step's the hardest."

Well, the first step's the hardest.

Of my group of four, I ended up making the trip down last. Each time I watched one of them step up to the edge, I thought to myself, "What's the big deal? Just lean back." Then it was my turn.

I don't have a heights problem. I have a "falling to my death" problem. And while I knew there were more than enough fail safes in place to keep me from doing that, My fight or flight response didn't want to believe it.

Starting on the roof, with my heels over the edge, with no pressure from an overhanging rope to reassure me that I was being held onto, was unnerving. I knew it was there, so I wasn't terrified, but in those couple of minutes when the ropes specialist left me to adjust the main line, I was definitely on edge (pun intended).

Once everything was set and I sat back to start my rappel, I was fine. More than fine, in fact. The descent lasted only minutes and the actual rappelling process was cake. Halfway down the wall I was actually disappointed the gear wasn't set up to allow me to bounce out and drop away from the wall.

But, given the option, I'd rather have the safety line that kept me from doing it. On top of all the safeties on my equipment, I was also hooked onto a secondary line by a special mechanism that would lock if I dropped too fast.

When I got my feet back on the ground, the specialist in charge of the backup belay line told me that he could control everything from that rope alone – including lowering an unconscious adult one inch at a time, if necessary.

There was no need for him to demonstrate, though. I and everyone else that rappelled had a great (and incident-free) time.

The official Ultimate Lambeau Leap takes place tomorrow, but Over The Edge is coming back to Milwaukee Friday, Oct. 7, this time giving thrill-seeking fund-raisers the chance to rappel off of The City Center at 735, 735 N. Water St. Anyone is welcome to register and raise the necessary amount of pledge money to rappel.

All money raised from Over The Edge and Special Olympics Wisconsin's other events benefit the organization, which is 100 percent donor funded.

"This is a really unique, fun way to raise some money," said Walker. "They're kind of like those bucket list things that are just wacky enough that people are willing to do it."