This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to go to the SCS Adult Open Nationals, to climb and compete against people that I have looked up to in climbing for some time now. Since I racing dirt bikes as a youngster this was the first real competitive thing I have been involved with, and it was one of the most rad experiences I have had a chance to be a part of. First and Foremost I would like to thank Peak Experiences Indoor Rock Climbing Center, for the last 5 years now this place has been a huge part of my life and they single handedly gave me the chance to be at this event. Please check them out, Peak Experiences or on Peak's FaceBook Page.....Once you come to this place, your family forever, and that's what makes it so special, THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR SUPPORT, I am lucky to be a part of your Family.
The weekend started with a pretty seamless plane ride half way across the US to Denver where I jumped on a bus to Boulder, Colorado where the event was being held at Movement Climbing and Fitness. I took a short walk through town to my hotel where after checking in was reminded of just how beautiful of a place this is when I peered out of my hotel window and stood on the balcony.
In the grand scheme of things I haven’t really been climbing for that long, but in the past 5 years I have had a good number of climbing days, in a good number of different areas and gyms. But this was different; nothing to this point could have prepared me for this first date. It was like a date with someone you have been around a few times, and have been awestruck by their presence each time, then suddenly somehow find yourself sitting across the table from them, just the two of you. I walked into Isolation through the back door, chatting with a friend of mine Magnus, who is a seasoned vet with this type of thing and helped easy my nerves as we just chatted awaiting our turns to climb.
This was not my first time in Isolation; I have been coaching Peak’s Team for the last 3+ years and have spent some long days behind the curtains with the kids. But being on that side of the curtain is a little different when you are walking out to do the climbing, let’s just say that I have a completely new level of respect for these kids now, they are truly tuff cookies to pull it together and preform on the regular YOU GUYS ARE MY NEW INSPIRATION, YOU KILL IT!! As soon as I walked out I felt as though I was sweating bullets, this was easily the most people I have ever climbed in front of. I sat in the chair for the first route and started breathing as slow and regular as I possibly could, talking to myself in my mind, relax it just a route all you can do is take it move by move, you’ve done this before. I stood tied in, pulled my shoes on and felt calm, this conscious breathing was working. As I worked my way through the first route with each move I became less shaky and even felt myself smile after sticking the small dyno to a huge rest jug. I shook out looked up and realized that was it, their wasn’t going to be anymore resting till the top. I did some more moves and pumped off as soon as I fell, I was bummed. The scorer said as I landed on the pads, “nice job, that’s a really hard route”. In my mind he was just being really nice, I thought since it was the first route that I would have done a little better, and this is where I let my head get the best of me. Sitting in the second chair I struggled to find that same breathing pace, but I was having a hard time mentally overcoming what felt was an ill performance. This was the wrong attitude, with a new task so close at hand the only way to be successful is to brush off these thoughts and zone back into that conscious breathing to calm the body. But I have said this once and will say it again, hindsight is 20/20 and if nothing else chalk it down and learn from the experience. After my minute transition, I was flustered and standing under a route that unlike the first I felt unconfident in, I paddled my way through the holds working my way up one by one, unconscious of my breathing and slightly out of sync with my movement, not as strong as I felt previously. My performance showed this, I fell lower than I probably should have, but it was an important stepping stone. No cowboy ever got through a full 8 seconds on a bull without being thrown to the ground at least once, and I had taken my first step in learning about climbing competitively, what an opportunity.
And as the sun set over the mountains so, did my climbing for the trip. I didn’t make it to finals; however the trip was far from a failure. I can’t wait to sit and talk with the kids, show them the pictures I took and talk to them of all of this, the mindset that I have learned is necessary. From one route to the next depending on your attitude, directly reflects your outcome, this is true for all of life and from now on my attitude will be reflecting the outcome I would like to see.
Soon I will be back into the Short story, and I am in hopes that you will be back around to check it out…until then may the road rise up to meet you, and the wind always be at your back.
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