When I walked into our new campus, that wall immediately attracted me. A huge wall, about ten meters high, stands beside the teaching building. Colorful “stones” inlaid among them, scattered all over the place.
This is a formal rock-climbing wall with easy, hard and competitive trails. The top of the wall is installed with three strong slings for students to use; The bottom of the wall is covered with thick mats to protect climbers from falls.
At the school’s ECA Fair, Rock-climbing Club attracted much attention. I pushed my way into the crowd and listened to the teacher talk about rock-climbing. It turns out that in addition to building endurance, coordination and flexibility, rock-climbing is unique in that it allows participants to explore the unknown and strive forward. This is exactly what students who are going overseas need.
One week later, the club began. After the club members had warmed up with the coach, the coach explained the three-point method of rock-climbing. As the name suggests, when climbing, the limbs form four fulcrum points. As long as three points can be fixed, the center of gravity can be stabilized, so that the climbing can continue by moving one hand or one foot. Knowing the essentials, we strapped on our climbing suits, put on our helmets and started climbing.
I started the climb on the hard trail. I wanted to challenge myself because I had experience in outdoor rock-climbing. At first, my hands took turns grasping the blocks and I climbed smoothly. But halfway passed the trail, the difficulty increased dramatically as the protruding blocks became smaller and smaller, and I could only go from grasping to pinching. At the same time, it was getting harder and harder to find a foothold on the wall, and my three-point fixings often became two-point fixings. Eventually, with my arms exhausted, I had to give up. As soon as I put my hands down, I felt the pull of my climbing suit. Because the suit is attached to a sling at the top of the wall, the climber is gently lowered back to the ground as soon as he leaves the wall.
Other students range from experienced climbers to newbies who are curious about climbing. They tried new climbing trails, shared their experiences and encouraged each other. Although not many people make it to the top, everyone involved is trying to overcome their fears, give it their all and climb upwards.
A week later, the club held its second event. The students rubbed their hands and were eager to try. The climb was noticeably steadier this time. We seek the best place to stand, to avoid wasting strength; You can spot difficulties in your route and know where to climb sideways horizontally to avoid them. After warming up, I tried the hard trail again. This time, I pressed my body tightly to the wall, and constantly looking for larger blocks. After several twists and turns, I finally reached the top. The top of the wall is higher than the campus’s overhead track. I looked back and felt a sense of pride.
Several rock-climbing attempts not only let me learn to insist, but also let me realize the relationship between choice and effort. Of course, everyone takes a different path at first, but there are countless choices in each path. Our goal is to get to the top, so we must fight; However, in the process of struggle, more observation, more reflection, can reduce unnecessary consumption. This is not opportunistic, but adapt to changes and act accordingly.
The first two weeks of the club is for students to attempt, some give up and some insist. Now, Rock-climbing Club officially established, and everyone in the team is brave. In order to celebrate the establishment of the club, the school held a ribbon-cutting ceremony under the rock-climbing wall. The dean Mr Mobsby also participated in the climbing, which showed the club is significant to our school. After all, there are only a handful of schools with proper climbing walls.
Finally, welcome everyone to visit SCIE, come to the rock-climbing wall and feel the charm of climbing!
