Hand Over Hand: A True Underdog Story
Hand over hand, I am nearing the top of The Kroc Center Rock Wall. I am not thinking about the color of the hold. I am not thinking about ‘what if I slip and fall.’ I am thinking about what my instructor taught me. I am thinking about always maintaining three points of contact with the wall, and I am concentrating on my goal of getting to the top.
With each strained movement upward, and with heavy breath, I am resilient. I am one or two holds away from the top now and as I pause, I hear my instructor yell from way below… “Touch the top!” I reach up for one last stretch of my arm and grasp top edge of the wall. I did it! I climbed the rock wall at The Kroc Center for the first time.
Elated, I look all the way down to the ground. I see and hear my instructor cheering me on and suddenly I feel overwhelmed by the height of a potential fall. I think about the machine holding me up, and I must measure how much faith I have in the machine holding all my body weight and allowing me to not instantly plummet directly to my doom when let go of the wall.
And just before I allow myself the time to panic, my instructor yells up at me in assurance, “Just let go and belay like I taught you.”
So, I close my eyes and say a quick prayer and push off the wall and fall backwards. I wish I could say that I gracefully swung down, pushing off my feet. It was less like a belay and more like an awkward head-first dangle. I was an upside-down spider, flailing along the side of the wall until my feet touch the wall again and I push off. I laugh as my head and back hit the pad. I lay there for a minute longer laughing and joking with the instructor.
Looking back at my experience climbing rock wall at The Kroc for the first time, I can honestly say that it was fantastic. I had a fun, patient, climbing instructor, who told me exactly what I needed to do to be successful and I it was a blast. I highly recommend checking out the rock wall at The Kroc Wellness Desk if you have not already. I know that I will be back to climb again.
Cheers! And happy climbing!
-Kroc Man