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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 15, 2006 - 03:26pm PT
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A Lotta' Rock Has Passed 'Neath The Feeties of These Fair Sweeties!
Many, most, um, well ALL of these threads are worth a second look, you know, like a double take as it were...
Women Rock! : Time to Celebrate, (round 1)
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=233770&f=0&b=0
Women Totally Rock! : Pix of Chix, (round 2)
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=234994&f=35&b=0
Women Rock On! : Viva Grrrl Power, (round 3)
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=236344&f=0&b=0
Women Rock! : Keep That Majik Alive, (round 4)
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=237388&f=0&b=0
Women Rock! : Dance On, (round 5)
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=238490&f=0&b=0
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 15, 2006 - 03:30pm PT
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Mt Sneffels
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 15, 2006 - 03:49pm PT
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Selkirks.
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Wes Allen
Boulder climber
KY
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Aug 15, 2006 - 04:01pm PT
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Aug 15, 2006 - 11:11pm PT
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gill ASSesing the little ladies, uh, technique, yeah that's it....
the 'natrix hucking laps on blackfinger, woodson:
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Aug 15, 2006 - 11:23pm PT
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Aug 15, 2006 - 11:24pm PT
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BPorter
Big Wall climber
Quartz Hill, Ca
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Aug 16, 2006 - 12:23am PT
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No Pics but a story.......and let's make it Girls Rock!!
It was the last week of school and time for the second annual rockclimbing competition at the middle school where I am principal. A year ago, I purchased a portable climbing wall for my personal use and to share with students at my school. Each year, every student at my school gets an introduction to rockclimbing where I take a class a week and talk to them about the joys of climbing, along with basic equipment and technique. We then have a classroom competition where points are awarded for # of students who attempt to climb, # of students who reach the top, # of students who reach the top of the dreaded Center Route, and extra points if the teacher attempts or makes it to the top. I always make the claim that girls are better natural rockclimbers than guys to the delight of the girls and utter disgust from the boys. At the end of the year, I have a school wide competition where all can sign up to participate.
The competition includes the preliminaries where the top two performers from each subgroup advance to the finals. Reaching the top of the 30 ft high wall with the quickest time advances participants to the finals. Adolescent boys always crack me up as they strut about, puffing out their chests claiming superiority and guaranteed victory, while secretly they're absolutely paranoid about being "outed" by a girl.
After a week of preliminary competition, 12 finalists emerge...
4 7th grade boys
2 7th grade girls
4 6th grade boys
2 6th grade girls
A fine hot summer day appears in the Antelope Valley on the second to last day of school. The wall is set up in the center of campus with banners proclaiming the Climbing Championships. The entire school assembles for the Final Competition. The finalists are introduced with roars of applause and "hooting" from the respective grade levels and classrooms of the finalists. The rules are explained and prize money announced which is $100 for first place, $75 for second, $50 for Third, and $25 for Fourth. The order of climbers is established by picking numbers out of a hat.
The competition begins and the first climber is a 7th grade boy who excels at basketball, soccer, track & field, and baseball. He is clearly more physically developed than most of his grade level peers and, of course, ranks high on the popularity charts.
He starts up amid cheers from the crowd (mostly 7th grade girls!), gets to the first difficulty which is a dynamic lunge to a huge jug (which students know to be "Big Mutha") hurries the move, lunges, slaps and peels !!! The crowd groans as he shuffles off with head hanging. The next contestant is a 7th grade girl, a soccer star, who stares at the wall for a full minute, takes a deep breath and then launches upward. She gets to the lunge move, realizes her sequence is wrong, downclimbs a bit, reapproaches the move, focuses on the move, lunges, and slaps and holds "Big Mutha"!! The crowd roars and anticipates her next move. She gathers herself and preapres for the "crimper" sequence of the upper overhanging wall to the top. She is focused and clearly concentrating on her breathing (typical female......no offense gals and sorry guys!) She splays out her feet to reach a crimper handhold, hangs on, and moves up another four feet. She then sets up for the finishing hold sequence which calls for another dynamic move. Suddenly, she pops off the wall a good ten feet from the top and lowers to the ground. The crowd cheers as they acknowledge the best performance thus far. The next three competitors, all boys, one 6th and two 7th grade, can't figure out how to set up for the first dynamic move and fall early to the moans of the crowd. No one has made it to the top, and the anticipation builds as the next competitor is announced.
Up steps Rudy, the "Cassanova" of the 6th grade. The crowd goes wild and Rudy is clearly caught up in the moment; so much so that he doesn't have a prayer of getting off the ground !! Rudy steps up to the wall, playing the crowd, grabs a large positive hold and throws in a dynamic move where one is not necessary. He lands the handhold, and continues to lunge for the next hold without figuring out where he is going. His feet skate off the footholds he is on and he "faceplants" into the wall with a resonating "Thud", a mere 8 feet off the ground. Again, you hear the sympathetic moans from the crowd as Rudy walks off staring at the pavement!!
Next up, a 7th grade Tomboy named Sam. Determined, driven, and ready to "out" the boys, she starts into the face proper, climbs up and makes the dynamic move to "Big Mutha", hangs there for a while and then decides that this is not the best approach. She downclimbs, traverses over to the arete, starts moving up meticulously, reaches center height, sees an opportunity to reach higher by stemming on two marginal footholds, gains a positive handhold, hangs on it for a good thirty seconds as she analyzes the finishing holds, repositions her feet on questionable footholds, slaps at a crimper, holds on, brings her left foot up to a positive hold, and then lunges for the cowbell hanging from the top and "nails" it !!!! The crowd goes absolutely wild !!!! She acknowledges the crowd with a modest head nod and takes a seat.
The next competitor, a rather gangly 7th grade boy who does not figure on the popularity charts, calmly walks up, takes a quick look at the wall, and then launches into a series of moves which puts him within 8 feet of the top in no time. Suddenly, the crowd recognizes his performance and starts to get behind him. This spells doom for the boy who then hurries a finishing move and flies off the overhanging wall to the utter disappointment of the audience.
The next three competitors, two 6th grade boys and one 6th grade girl, seem extremely intimadated by the setting and, although getting off the ground, can't reach the first dynamic move to "Big Mutha". The crowd remains supportive and provides "courtesy" applause as they await the last competitor... a demure, petite and softspoken 6th grader by the name of Rosemarie.
As Rosemarie's name is announced, she cowers and appears to be ready to bolt! Her demure, petite and softspoken 6th grade female friends rally to her support, and after surrounding her in a formation that could best be described as a Rugby Scrum, she appears and approaches the wall. The crowd senses her anticipation and anxiety and suddently erupts with a chant of Rose Ma Rie.....Rose Ma rie......Rose Ma rie, led by the 6th grade teachers.
Rosemarie was no fool, and had been watching attentively the progress of previous competitors. She was extremely short in comparison to other competitors, and knew she had to approach things a little differently. She slowly and deliberately placed her left hand on a hold to the left, her right foot on a hold 7 inches off the ground, and her left foot on a positive hold two feet off the ground. She slowly raised herself off the ground, "locked off" on the hand hold and studied the next move. She then moved left where others had moved right and found an undercling handhold that enabled her to work her feet up high and then lunge for "Big Mutha". When she stuck the "Big Mutha" hold the crowd went absolutely wild and started up again with the chant.....Rose Ma Rie...Rose Ma Rie.....Rose Ma Rie !!!
This appeared to give Rosemarie a boost of confidence and she hung on "Big Mutha" while fully scoping the upper wall. She then mantled onto Big Mutha, reached up and left for a small but positive hold which enabled her to place both feet on "Big Mutha". At this point the crowd, both boys and girls, were clearly behind Rosemarie. The entire student body was suddenly united behind the efforts of this "nobody" !!!
Rosemarie then took a deep breath, stepped up and rolled her foot onto a small foothold, balanced on that foot and leg in reaching up to another crimper, clamped down on the crimper for the time it took to again work her feet up to another positive foothold, splayed her legs out "frog style" and slowly pressed upwards to a doorknob jug on the overhanging upper wall. And then, amid loud cheers of "jump for the top", she did just that and caught the cowbell with her index finger. The crowd went absolutely wild with students throwing sweatshirts, backpacks and paper into the air in celebration!! Rosemaire hit the top with the best time of 53 seconds.
Sorry Guys, but girls really do Rock !!!!
Principal Cracko
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
Otto, NC
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Aug 16, 2006 - 04:09pm PT
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Wow,cracko, what a great narration. I can't believe I was so eagerly reading for details of the middle-school plastic-off. Great story!
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lazide
Big Wall climber
Bay Area, CA
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Aug 16, 2006 - 04:39pm PT
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Wes: that wouldn't happen to be Tegan in the bottom kentucky sport climbing shots, would it?
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Wes Allen
Boulder climber
KY
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Aug 16, 2006 - 04:55pm PT
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Nope that would be Jen S cranking on paradise lost, 13b. I think she is in Rifle these days, or out that way somewhere. I know I should caption the shots better, but I guess I am just lazy...
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matisse
Trad climber
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Aug 16, 2006 - 05:15pm PT
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Bvb nice woodson pics.
Starving in Stereo second to last one right?
What is the name of the problem in the series with Blackfiinger that is 5th in the series? isn't that just above baby robbins? If I'm thinking of the right place there's a problem with face moves to a big fat rail that I think is seen two pic's below it...any idea what that's called?
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bringmedeath
climber
la la land
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Aug 16, 2006 - 08:39pm PT
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Makes sh#t out of animal skin prints and is one hella ugly chick!
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WBraun
climber
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Aug 16, 2006 - 10:27pm PT
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BPorter
Wow, yeah! that was a great narrative. Thanks
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 16, 2006 - 11:38pm PT
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Yes, agreed: nice post BPorter and a fun read.
photo by Ric Stoval
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blackbird
Trad climber
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Aug 16, 2006 - 11:53pm PT
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 17, 2006 - 12:00am PT
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Nice photo B Birdie.
The gals have been light on photos the last couple beats,
So welcome back!
I highly doubt you intended this,
But is that Aron Ralston's hand in the lower right?
(see caption on magazine above)
(I know, eeeuwah)
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 17, 2006 - 12:08am PT
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Here's a personal fave mountaineering shot,
Nicky Clough,
Mattherhorn N Face:
From Hazards in Mountaineering, Paulcke/Dumler
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blackbird
Trad climber
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Aug 17, 2006 - 12:18am PT
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Gee, Tar... You know better than to ask a lady to tell her secrets... That would make ner not a lady, now wouldn't it?!?! hehe!!
Thanks for the compliment! That was a particluarly proud send of a problem for me. It was up at Rock Town, GA (huge bouldering area about an hour outside of Chattanooga). Unfortunately, I have no clue as to the route - I mean problem (argh!) - or even the area in which it is located... Can ya tell I do a lot of bouldering? HA!
More pics for ya soon, Dearie!
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 17, 2006 - 12:23am PT
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Excellent news.
I mean, shucks,
BVB and Wes are doin' a great job,
But I was gettin' that forlorn feeling...
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