Bested by a 12 year old
Sometime in September I was finally able to find people to go rock climbing with. It was so nice to be able to get back to climbing. So out of shape.
Over the past few months I’ve been going enough to warrant getting a membership at the gym. Now that it’s not costing me 15 bucks a go, I’m going more often and definitely getting better. I am, however, reaching a plateau and I need some technique classes to move on. This was proved to me today at the gym. By a 12 year old.
Theres no shame in being bested by a 12 year old. After working on a V7 for 15 minutes or so, this kid comes up with perfect technique and finishes the boulder problem like it was nothing. Grab, foot, foot, foot, switch, grab, foot, grab, switch, switch, done.
No worries, he’s been climbing since he was a little kid. Longer and more consistently than I have. So I try the problem a few more times and come to the conclusion that I need the fancy footwork. The core body strength will come too. I am out of shape.
Bouldering is funny in a way. You sit and stare at the problem more than you spend climbing it. You sit there, watching the wall. You look over and see other people wathcing the wall. Then you go back to watching wall. You notice other people watching you watch the wall. Then they notice you watching them watch you watch the wall that you’re not really watching anymore. Every now and again someone get up from the ground to try a problem. Sometimes they finish, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes someone falls and everyone feels the pain of the smack on to the ground.
And then the 12 year old gets up and kicks all our asses on a problem we’ve all tried. multiple times. No struggling. Tons of fancy footwork. He makes it look easy. He finishes and looks at all of us for approval [not that he needs it].
As proud and in awe we all are of him, I know I’m not the only one whose a bit jealous.
