The Heist

In a previous post, I wrote about The Heist, an all-women's bouldering competition, that I was going to compete in. I had pretty low goals for myself (I'm much better at sport climbing than I am at bouldering), but I wanted to go for the experience. 

What I didn't expect was to have an amazing time, in addition to pushing myself out of my comfort zone and succeeding. 

Bouldering, for those of you who don't know, is a form of rock climbing that requires one to ascend or traverse the wall (or rock) without any sort of safety gear. Usually in indoor rock climbing gyms, the wall height rarely exceeds 15 feet or so (unlike the one these crazy kids are climbing on the cover of Dead Point Magazine):

However, the gym that was hosting the competition (Central Rock Watertown) had a bouldering wall that you had to top-out on; meaning you climbed over the top of the wall, simulating an actual boulder. This means you are required to hoist yourself over a thick ledge 15+ feet off the ground, after your fingers and forearms are swollen from a strenuous bouldering problem. Woof.

The whole toping-out thing was especially scary for me, considering I went to the ER on a  bad bouldering fall not two months ago. Still, the whole point of me competing in The Heist was to push myself out of my comfort zone, so I stuck with it.

But let me tell you something about bouldering comps. It is intimating as all heck to have a dozen other girls (including professional climbers) watching you attempt to flash a problem for maximum points. My hands shook on every single problem I did, even though I wasn't competing for points. 

My main goal for the whole competition was actually just to complete one route cleanly. Not a lofty goal, for sure; but my climbing buddy Abby told me they bumped up the difficulties for competitions. 

In the end, I surpassed my goal by more than I even imagined– I completed 10 routes cleanly, with the hardest being a clean, first-attempt V2 (something I've never even done practicing in the gym). I guess that's one good thing about having low goals– it's really easy to meet them!

However, this was a great lesson in learning how to believe in myself. In fear of disappointing myself and my friends, I set really low goals that I felt confident I could meet. But I am so much more capable than that. In a recent yoga class, we meditated on how each and every one of us contains a reservoir of grace, light, and strength that is waiting to be tapped into. We, as individuals, have infinite possibilities within us. Having faith in that potential is (for me) a continuing practice. 

I'm so glad I competed in The Heist, even though I was nervous. It was an incredible learning experience that I'll never forget. And seeing all those amazing girls climb was incredibly empowering. Women are amazing and multifaceted (and can apparently amass more muscle than your average male). Seeing what my competitors were capable of only inspired me to work harder at my training and become a better climber.

Abby, Erika, and I goofing around

(Also, a HUGE shout out to Abby, who won THIRD PLACE in the Beginner's Category! Congrats Abby, you earned it!!)