Post by jonsdigs on Dec 21, 2006 1:51:29 GMT -5
Croskrey is a proven 'rock' star in her field
'Caving' teaches lessons about the Earth and self-discipline'
Published December 20, 2006 11:44 pm -
By MARK NEWMAN Ottumwa Courier staff writer
OTTUMWA — A bad hair day for Andrea Croskrey may cause someone to ask if she just crawled out from under a rock. When she says “yes,” she’s being honest.
Croskrey, 25, loves to go caving, both for work and as a hobby, and she shared her knowledge at Horace Mann Elementary School Wednesday.
Currently a resident of Denver, Colo., she was in Wapello County visiting her parents, Kim and Celeste Croskrey of Blakesburg. It was that connection that brought her to Ottumwa: During her childhood in Blakesburg, Andrea had Joan Fall as her third-grade teacher.
Fall saw Croskrey, a geologist with the National Park Service, on the Discovery Channel documentary, “What lies below.” In it, her former student crawled through caves in Iceland and managed to see the underground spot where Europe and North America touch.
“I asked if she could come talk to my class,” said Fall, telling kids in the gymnasium, “she was one of my third-graders when I taught in Blakesburg. Now she’s taller than I am.”
She’s more than tall. She’s well-traveled, too. She’s gone “caving” in China, Greece and on an island off the coast of Portugal. And with her hard-earned experience, she’s become knowledgeable about caving.
She has gotten stuck underground, wedged in darkness between two rocks. But because she follows safety guidelines, she’s always gotten out.
“You have to have three sources of light. You must have two or more friends when you go, so one can stay with you while the other goes for help. And think small,” she said.
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