Mendota Heights Dad Among Those Rappeling Down St. Paul's Ecolab Building This Friday

It’s not everyday you get to see your dad rappel down the side of a 200-story building like he’s straight out of a Mission Impossible movie, but that’s exactly what Thomas and Eli Chandler will witness on Friday afternoon when their dad takes on all 300 feet of the Ecolab Corporate Center in downtown St. Paul in an effort to raise money for the Boy Scouts of America.

Not only is the stunt a great opportunity for Mendota Heights resident and Pack 37 Cubmaster John Chandler to get his troops energized for the new school year, Chandler admits there’s also an element of wanting to impress his sons with his daredevil hijinks.

“I think they’re pretty excited,” Chandler says of his first and fourth graders. “I think they would probably think it was cooler if I just jumped off and free-fell though.”  

Chandler will join fellow scout parents Lai Maccarone of Eagan and Alex Szczepaniak of Mendota Heights on Friday afternoon in the Double Dog Dare Off-the-Wall Challenge, a charity event that seeks to bring in funds to the Boy Scout’s Northern Star Council. All three parents had to raise $1,000 in order to participate, a feat Chandler says was possible thanks to donations from friends, family, and other Cub Scout pack families.

Friday’s stunt is hardly the first “extreme” thing Chandler has tackled headfirst in his life. A former military member, Chandler says he’s done some repelling work in the past, but “never to the same extent” as scaling one of St. Paul’s tallest buildings. On top of that, Chandler says he’s also tried parasailing before and has even had the privilege of going skydiving, although he only sheepishly refers to it as something “I guess is pretty crazy.”

Despite his apparent nerves of steel, Chandler admits there might be a bit of fear come Friday afternoon, especially with only an hour to an hour and a half of preparation and training time immediately prior to the trio's big moment

“I haven’t really had time to think about it,” he says. “I think I might find myself questioning my decisions when I’m all the way up there. But how many people can say they’ve done something like this?”

The Double Dog Dare Off-the-Wall Challenge starts at 8 a.m. on Friday, although Chandler says his group won't be taking their turn until around 4 p.m.

Those interested in signing their own K-5 students up for Cub Scouts will be able to next Tuesday Sept. 11 at Garlough Elementary and Wednesday Sept. 12 at Somerset Elementary. Both events are at 6 p.m.