You walk past it, glance over a little, maybe work up the
nerve to walk over and take a peek, but you never get past the threshold of the
first floor. Today is the day. The day you conquer the massive piece of rock
looming in the corner of the rec center.
You step into the area and feel the floor give beneath you a
bit. Woah, you weren’t expecting that. Sheepishly you walk to the front desk
and ask what you have to do. They give you directions and you proceed. The
woman hands you your equipment and asks you to take a seat on the large piece
of black foam next to the desk. You obey silently and walk over, lacing up your
climbing shoes and strapping on your harness. The nerves start to kick in at
this point. “What am I doing?” you ask yourself as the employee at the base of
the monument ties you in. You look up and see the end: daunting, so far away.
You look over your harness one more time, desperately checking the complicated
buckles and straps as if you know what you’re doing. All or nothing. “Ready
sir? Just don’t look down.” It’s now or never. As you make your ascent you heed
the employee’s warning and keep your eyes glued to the prize, the top. After
what seems like forever you look up half-expecting to see the top…it’s not even
close. At this point you’re ready to give up. “I’m no good at this…” but in the
middle of your half-hearted defeat you hear a voice calling up to you. “You can
do this! You’re half way there! I’ll walk you through the rest of it! I promise
you’ll get to the top!” An OP employee sends up words of encouragement and
suddenly that ascent seems doable. You decide to give it one more shot, because
after all, you are half way there.
The sweat beads from your forehead and your palms begin to perspire
uncontrollably. “I can’t do this…” you mutter. Little do you know you’re ¾ of
the way there. “You have a chalk bag behind your harness! Keep going you’re so
close!” You reach behind you and feel the soothing relief of CaCO3 between your
fingers and suddenly have new life injected into your hands. “Almost there.”
After what feels like 30 minutes you reach a long stretch of an arm up and feel
the top-most rock. You’ve done it! You’re finished! The OP employee slowly
lowers you back to the ground and you await the embarrassing verdict of the
evident time trial you failed. “Be honest with me…how long did that take me…?”
Smiling, the OP employee looks at you and says “about 5 minutes. You did really
well!” Shocked, an uncontrollable grin slides across your face and something
you never thought you’d say escapes your lips: “That was awesome! Can I go
again?”
Too often people are afraid to climb up the giant that is
the UTSA rock wall. Standing at 54 ft tall, it is the tallest collegiate rock
wall in the state of Texas. Yes, that’s a little intimidating, but that is what
the OP staff is there for. As an employee I help UTSA students defeat the wall
every day. More than often I receive students who tell themselves that they
just can’t. After a little coaching they triumphantly slap the top of that wall
and leave with the biggest look of satisfaction on their face. OP staff is
there and ready to help you conquer your fear and get a great workout at the
same time.
Unlike other universities, UTSA’s rock wall is free for you
and your guests to use. After filling out some paperwork, with your UTSA or
guest pass you are able checkout all the necessary equipment to climb the rock
wall. Again, this is all free of charge. Worried about your safety? Employees
who work at the rock wall are extensively trained to keep your safety their
number one priority. We are belay (rope working) certified and ready to help
you reach your goals! No pun intended. Ok maybe a little. Ropes and equipment
are checked weekly and are always going to be safe for anyone of any size, age
(18+ per rec policy), gender, or background to climb on.
Because of the popularity of our rock wall at times it can
become busy, keeping staff occupied. We have a solution for this! UTSA offers
FREE belay clinics Monday-Thursday at 5:00PM for anyone interested in learning.
Our recommendation is to bring along a friend. When staff becomes occupied and
can’t assist you up the wall, after you’ve finished your certification, you and
your buddy can belay each other without the need for staff to help you. If
you’re up for a challenge, we also offer lead climbing clinics once a month.
For more information visit the rock wall’s information page at: http://utsa.edu/recreation/outdoor/rock_wall.cfm
The rock wall is a huge asset to anyone at UTSA who is
willing to have some fun trying something new while getting a great workout at
the same time. This free service is fun and safe to use for students and their
guests. Come by the rock wall and say hi! We’d be happy to help you with any
questions or concerns you may have. We’ll see you soon!
-Aneliz
No comments:
Post a Comment