Touching all the Bases

A brave man

Posted by: Jeff Huth

Monday, August 18, 2008 10:29 AM

How did you celebrate your most recent birthday? Bet it wasn't anything like how Warren Hood marked his.

The UI associate athletic director, who is the athletic department's point man on the $120.9 million renovation of Memorial Stadium, climbed one of the two tower cranes outside the west walls on Aug. 12. With the cranes scheduled to be disassembled this week, Hood realized his window to act was running out. And what better day to act than on his birthday?

"I have been talking about it for a long time," Hood wrote in an e-mail, "and since the cranes weren't going to be up much longer I thought my birthday was the perfect time. I also knew this was probably the only opportunity I would ever have to do it.

"I was fine climbing up. However , when I was 30 feet from the top (the crane is 180 feet) the operator started moving the boom and the whole structure started to shake. It is supposed to do that. However, I had to stop and breath for moment before I could start climbing again. The last 30 feet was the most difficult, simply from a mental standpoint.

"The climb down was very easy. I couldn't do it fast enough!

When he reached his goal, Hood sat in the tower crane's cab and walked out partway on the boom.

"The floor is a metal grate so you can see all of the way down. It was exhilarating, to say the least. I'm not great with heights so it was a challenge for me. Most people, including myself, didn't believe I would do it."

But he did, and he has more than just eye-witnesses to verify his long climb.

"They took some photo of me climbing up and also standing on the boom so I will display them proudly on my desk."

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