Rocked
I’m athletic but so not sporty.
Defense makes me irritable and offense makes me defensive.
Balls leave bruises and my aim has never been on target.
I’d rather shop for seeds and soil than gear and gadgets.
In 8th grade I got it in my head that I wanted to play basket ball. After one practice I decided it conflicted with dance and hung up my proverbial jersey.
Even the non-competitive, ball free sports have never been my thing. I’ve tried kayaking, skiing, snowboarding, snow shoeing, mountain biking, and rock climbing but honestly the gear is a turn off to me.
At 17 I got my feet wet in the whitewater scene and guided rafts for 4 years but I was always ridiculously minimal with my gear, which mostly consisted of a few hand-me-downs from Tate. I bike but my bike ain’t pretty; after getting sick of having sticky, dirty hands all summer I finally broke down and bought new $1.99 handlebar grips but my seat still lacks any fabric to cover the bare foam.
I’ve been rock climbing about once a year since I was a teenager but it, like everything else I’ve tried, has never been my sport.
Until Saturday’s bouldering expedition.
Classic me, I forgot to grab Tate’s climbing shoes and chalk bag so it was really minimal on the gear!
I had the best time playing around on the rock all morning. My lovely friend Emma and I scrambled up and down and across until our hands hurt and our tummies grumbled.
I had the most fun I’ve ever had on the rock. First of all, I think the lack of ropes and harnesses and waiting around for my turn appealed to me. Second, people change. Maybe I have an inner sporty-girl that I haven’t embraced yet.
I won’t be buying my own chalk bag anytime soon but I am looking forward to getting back out there!
