Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Monday, January 1, 2018
Resolution success!
409 miles completed for 2017. It would have been more if I were not sick these past 2 weeks. Either way, Resolution success. New year.. new miles.
Friday, February 17, 2017
Belay Certified!
My computer has gone kaplutz... since November. So, posts are now sporadic, along with life just being life and busy. However, a recent highlight is that this girl is now belay certified! See that green card that is attached to her harness? That's her belay certification card. Anyone need a belay?
And here's another video of Liam climbing from back in September..
And here's another video of Liam climbing from back in September..
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Winning or Learning
In competition, there will be a winner and a loser, but there is no losing (unless you quit), only learning. This was a lesson from a recently kids library book that we picked up and read. The simple point of the story followed the emotions and thoughts of two young siblings' journey into competitive sports as they joined a soccer team. It went through the ups and downs of emotions, thoughts, insecurities, and struggles of the siblings as they learned about perseverance, to work hard to develop in skill, and to understand a bigger, personal concept of competition and winning through the game of soccer. They were guided by their dad to view each challenge and loss as an opportunity to learn, and that true winning is about what you can gain through attitude and perspective. Great simple kid story that was so direct with the message.
When my kids struggle, whether they are frustrated with not being able to do something right, or they want to give up, I remind them that there is no losing, just learning and to find what they can learn from the situation to become better.
The story we read coincidentally came at a great time, a few weeks before Emilia's first jiujitsu competition!!
Let's start at the beginning. Our dojo hosted a local jiujitsu competition and encouraged the kids to participate. It would be good experience in a kid-friendly format and have more kids from our own dojo attend. I thought it was a great short term goal for Emilia to keep focused on as we encouraged her to practice and learn in her BJJ classes.
One of the moms at the dojo made signs for all the kids.
Competition experience is so different than regular practice at the dojo. When we walked into the gymnasium, there were so many people there - People in the stands, kids in their Gis warming up or playing on the 6 competition mat areas, people going about with a purpose, getting ready for the competitions... the referees, the coaches, photographers, nervous kids, parents, etc. The feeling in the air was that of excitement and nervous anticipation. I could see my kids looking around and observing, taking it all in.
Emilia was simply being Emilia.. which I love! I tried to get her to warm-up, maybe spar with some of the kids that she knows, but she was really just taking in the surroundings, eating some snacks, and practicing her version of "cartwheels". Competition environment? It didn't change how she goes about things.
Emilia's version of "Cartwheels"
The competition was soon starting, and the kids were lined up and sat on the edge of the mat where they would be competing on. Emilia's bracket was the TODDLER DIVISION, AGES 4-5. We did not sign up Liam for this because even though he qualifies in age, Liam just doesn't have the base concept down yet. However, he wanted his Gi on and wanted to be a part of this too.. so we let him sit with the rest of the kids.
Emilia's first match was the 2nd one on the mat. The first match were two kids from her dojo, Henry and Cohen. This is representative of what I expected from kids in the TODDLER division. Well.. okay.. maybe not as much spinning around...
Henry and Cohen's Match
Then Emilia was up. Her match was with an unknown kid, not from our dojo. I had watched the kid during pre-comp practice and was already nervous because the kid seemed more serious and aggressive than the kids Emilia is usually paired up with in class. I was hoping that it would be a good learning experience that would drive her to understand why she goes to practice and learns these skills.
E's Match
The match, actually most of it, turned out to be quite unexpected. Emilia impressed me as I can see her focused determination. Kudos for trying! However, at the end of this video, I stopped filming because I could her her little voice crying. It was just loud enough where I could hear how hurt she was.. combined with gasps of breath in between, I also knew she was trying so hard not to cry. What happened was the boy did an arm bar maneuver on her and the referee did not stop it in time. The arm went into full extension, and hyper-extended the elbow joint. Actually, even when the ref did stop the match, the boy didn't let go. The ref had to pry the kid's hands off of Emilia's arm. I have never had an arm bar done to me before, but from what I hear, it is pretty painful.
Luckily Ryan was there to help check on Emilia. That particular sound of Emilia's cry, one that she rarely ever makes, hits a deep mama instinct. In fact, the mama next to me put her arm around me. No parent wants to see their kid hurt.
At TODDLER bracket, I thought it was ridiculous that someone teaches a kid that's only learned bladder control for 1-2 years, how to do a highly skilled and potentially harmful move, and to use in competition. Emilia has not learned the arm bar move nor how to defend it or how to get out of it.
I was beyond mad and upset, not because she lost, but because she was hurt in such an unprepared and unfair way. I could hear the other kid's dad in the background yelling "Arm bar! Arm bar!" while my brain was processing "Wait... kids do arm bars at this age? Emilia doesn't know arm bar!".
However, Emilia amazed me. This is PROUD MAMA MOMENT... she obviously didn't win, in fact, she was utterly crushed...(had to forfeit her 2nd match). But after we iced her elbow, filled her with the best medicine - candy, and gave into her every request the rest of the day, I asked her what she thought of the day's event and how she felt. She said to me "My arm hurt a lot. I really tried my best, but I didn't know the arm bar. I'll need to learn more and maybe next time I can win a gold necklace. Can we go to the beach?" (Note: She wants the gold medal because it is a pretty necklace!)
That's it. She didn't blame me, nor her instructors, nor the boy, nor the unfair match-up, nor the boy's parents that kept yelling for the arm bar during the match (and again at the sandbagger's 2nd match!), nor the judge (who felt really bad), AND she didn't blame herself (unlike me with lots of guilt). She was happy with her effort, and the rest of the situation, she accepted it as "it just is" and moved on to enjoy a beautiful sunny beach day.
As for mama, I learned as well. I spent the next week researching the culture of jiujitsu, learning about the different dojos and their teaching philosophies. Many dojos, non-Gracie affiliated, are geared towards sport jiujitsu, which is winning competitions versus a more practical nature of self defense in a nurturing environment. The dojo we go to is more focused on character development, which is why Emilia has not learned arm bars and chokes yet. This puts the kids at a disadvantage for competitions. That should have been stressed and made aware to the parents! However, apparently the topic of teaching young kids technical and potentially dangerous moves of joint locks and choke holds are highly debated, even though it is common in sport jiujitsu.
My kid's journey and experiences will be her own, no matter how much I try to control the situation and protect her, life is life. It will be unfair and unexpected. Situations like this only help prepare her better to face the unknown future. Somewhere, somehow... my little girl already inherently has the right attitude and perspective. She takes a loss as an opportunity to learn. In fact, she was mimicking the arm bar move at home the other day, solely learned from watching and observing because again, she hasn't been taught. Her heart, her mentality, her attitude.. is pure gold. She doesn't need to win one. She knows how to approach life, at 6 years of age, more than most people. Way to go baby girl!
When my kids struggle, whether they are frustrated with not being able to do something right, or they want to give up, I remind them that there is no losing, just learning and to find what they can learn from the situation to become better.
The story we read coincidentally came at a great time, a few weeks before Emilia's first jiujitsu competition!!
Let's start at the beginning. Our dojo hosted a local jiujitsu competition and encouraged the kids to participate. It would be good experience in a kid-friendly format and have more kids from our own dojo attend. I thought it was a great short term goal for Emilia to keep focused on as we encouraged her to practice and learn in her BJJ classes.
One of the moms at the dojo made signs for all the kids.
Competition experience is so different than regular practice at the dojo. When we walked into the gymnasium, there were so many people there - People in the stands, kids in their Gis warming up or playing on the 6 competition mat areas, people going about with a purpose, getting ready for the competitions... the referees, the coaches, photographers, nervous kids, parents, etc. The feeling in the air was that of excitement and nervous anticipation. I could see my kids looking around and observing, taking it all in.
Emilia was simply being Emilia.. which I love! I tried to get her to warm-up, maybe spar with some of the kids that she knows, but she was really just taking in the surroundings, eating some snacks, and practicing her version of "cartwheels". Competition environment? It didn't change how she goes about things.
Emilia's version of "Cartwheels"
The competition was soon starting, and the kids were lined up and sat on the edge of the mat where they would be competing on. Emilia's bracket was the TODDLER DIVISION, AGES 4-5. We did not sign up Liam for this because even though he qualifies in age, Liam just doesn't have the base concept down yet. However, he wanted his Gi on and wanted to be a part of this too.. so we let him sit with the rest of the kids.
Emilia's first match was the 2nd one on the mat. The first match were two kids from her dojo, Henry and Cohen. This is representative of what I expected from kids in the TODDLER division. Well.. okay.. maybe not as much spinning around...
Henry and Cohen's Match
Then Emilia was up. Her match was with an unknown kid, not from our dojo. I had watched the kid during pre-comp practice and was already nervous because the kid seemed more serious and aggressive than the kids Emilia is usually paired up with in class. I was hoping that it would be a good learning experience that would drive her to understand why she goes to practice and learns these skills.
E's Match
The match, actually most of it, turned out to be quite unexpected. Emilia impressed me as I can see her focused determination. Kudos for trying! However, at the end of this video, I stopped filming because I could her her little voice crying. It was just loud enough where I could hear how hurt she was.. combined with gasps of breath in between, I also knew she was trying so hard not to cry. What happened was the boy did an arm bar maneuver on her and the referee did not stop it in time. The arm went into full extension, and hyper-extended the elbow joint. Actually, even when the ref did stop the match, the boy didn't let go. The ref had to pry the kid's hands off of Emilia's arm. I have never had an arm bar done to me before, but from what I hear, it is pretty painful.
Luckily Ryan was there to help check on Emilia. That particular sound of Emilia's cry, one that she rarely ever makes, hits a deep mama instinct. In fact, the mama next to me put her arm around me. No parent wants to see their kid hurt.
At TODDLER bracket, I thought it was ridiculous that someone teaches a kid that's only learned bladder control for 1-2 years, how to do a highly skilled and potentially harmful move, and to use in competition. Emilia has not learned the arm bar move nor how to defend it or how to get out of it.
I was beyond mad and upset, not because she lost, but because she was hurt in such an unprepared and unfair way. I could hear the other kid's dad in the background yelling "Arm bar! Arm bar!" while my brain was processing "Wait... kids do arm bars at this age? Emilia doesn't know arm bar!".
However, Emilia amazed me. This is PROUD MAMA MOMENT... she obviously didn't win, in fact, she was utterly crushed...(had to forfeit her 2nd match). But after we iced her elbow, filled her with the best medicine - candy, and gave into her every request the rest of the day, I asked her what she thought of the day's event and how she felt. She said to me "My arm hurt a lot. I really tried my best, but I didn't know the arm bar. I'll need to learn more and maybe next time I can win a gold necklace. Can we go to the beach?" (Note: She wants the gold medal because it is a pretty necklace!)
That's it. She didn't blame me, nor her instructors, nor the boy, nor the unfair match-up, nor the boy's parents that kept yelling for the arm bar during the match (and again at the sandbagger's 2nd match!), nor the judge (who felt really bad), AND she didn't blame herself (unlike me with lots of guilt). She was happy with her effort, and the rest of the situation, she accepted it as "it just is" and moved on to enjoy a beautiful sunny beach day.
As for mama, I learned as well. I spent the next week researching the culture of jiujitsu, learning about the different dojos and their teaching philosophies. Many dojos, non-Gracie affiliated, are geared towards sport jiujitsu, which is winning competitions versus a more practical nature of self defense in a nurturing environment. The dojo we go to is more focused on character development, which is why Emilia has not learned arm bars and chokes yet. This puts the kids at a disadvantage for competitions. That should have been stressed and made aware to the parents! However, apparently the topic of teaching young kids technical and potentially dangerous moves of joint locks and choke holds are highly debated, even though it is common in sport jiujitsu.
My kid's journey and experiences will be her own, no matter how much I try to control the situation and protect her, life is life. It will be unfair and unexpected. Situations like this only help prepare her better to face the unknown future. Somewhere, somehow... my little girl already inherently has the right attitude and perspective. She takes a loss as an opportunity to learn. In fact, she was mimicking the arm bar move at home the other day, solely learned from watching and observing because again, she hasn't been taught. Her heart, her mentality, her attitude.. is pure gold. She doesn't need to win one. She knows how to approach life, at 6 years of age, more than most people. Way to go baby girl!
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Hueco Tanks III : East Mountain
Our 3rd day climbing at Hueco, 2nd day with a guide, we parked and hiked in towards the Mescalaro Canyon from the Pond parking. This day was a perfect day. Weather in the 70s with no winds!
Warm up climbs were on the Kid's Stuff boulder, southeast of the Warm Up Roof boulder.
Various warm up climbs on Kid's Stuff boulder are Tiger Beat V1, Juvenile Offender V0, Jiffy Lube V0+, Young Guns V4, and Greasy Kid Stuff V4.
--> NOT YET UPDATED ...INSERT FAST MOTION VIDEO
The Sakurada clan scattered along Kid's Stuff.
Next on the list today was to hit Roger's project climb, Dragonfly V5, located on Hardman Rock boulder, South Dragon's Den. Dragonfly was much harder than expected. It is quite finger intensive with some big moves, and the foot holds are small along the rail. Once you reach the arete, the scare factor (at least for me) kicks in. I didn't make it that far. Ryan was the only one that completed it on his second try. Unfortunately I didn't video that one. On his first try, he just missed the critical heel hook position and came off.
After Dragonfly, we went to scout a future project for Ryan, UltraMega V8. Located on Backdoor/Homeboy boulder, between Dragon's Den and the Dark Heart.
Ryan figured out the sequence and moves for the first 1/3rd of the climb easily on the first try.
It took me a handful of tries just to figure out the starting move.
The video above highlights what actually happens when we "work" a challenging climb. It's about figuring out how to do each movement.. strength, body position, push/pull of certain muscles, twisting, etc. The beta that works for one person may not work for another. Rock climbing is like a puzzle, and the fun aspect of it is figuring out the puzzle with friends - working together, trying different moves, and laughing at each other too. Pure natural fun in the simplest form!
No video proof, but I have a photo proof that I finally made the first move at least twice out of my many attempts!
While the adults were playing down low in the cave, the kiddos were climbing and playing on the rocks above the cave.
It is so dusty and dry in Hueco, dessert environment, Emilia and I had to keep our hair tied so it wouldn't get too tangled.
I did a pretty decent job on her french braids!
Liam finds a climb to climb on.
Emilia mimics how to be a good spotter, except for the sticks in her hands...
After thoroughly exhausted by UltraMega, we moved onto climbs in The Dark Heart, at the Something Different boulders. Ryan and Brandon worked on Something Different V8. Roger and I worked on the Swirl Wall V3.
Roger on Swirl Wall V3.
The height was my nemesis again as I failed to go higher up, but isn't this wall so unique and pretty?!
Roger handles it smoothly! See how precise and controlled his movements are..
Ryan on Something Different V8.
The kids amazingly had an abundance of energy as they continued climbing and playing well into this later afternoon.
By the end of today, I think we were all tired. Hueco has so many interesting climbs to explore... but the fingers are raw and the muscles are fatigued. One more day of exploration! Still not enough...
Pre-Climbing - El Paso Zoo
Climbing Day 0
Climbing Day 1
Climbing Day 2
Warm up climbs were on the Kid's Stuff boulder, southeast of the Warm Up Roof boulder.
Various warm up climbs on Kid's Stuff boulder are Tiger Beat V1, Juvenile Offender V0, Jiffy Lube V0+, Young Guns V4, and Greasy Kid Stuff V4.
--> NOT YET UPDATED ...INSERT FAST MOTION VIDEO
The Sakurada clan scattered along Kid's Stuff.
Next on the list today was to hit Roger's project climb, Dragonfly V5, located on Hardman Rock boulder, South Dragon's Den. Dragonfly was much harder than expected. It is quite finger intensive with some big moves, and the foot holds are small along the rail. Once you reach the arete, the scare factor (at least for me) kicks in. I didn't make it that far. Ryan was the only one that completed it on his second try. Unfortunately I didn't video that one. On his first try, he just missed the critical heel hook position and came off.
After Dragonfly, we went to scout a future project for Ryan, UltraMega V8. Located on Backdoor/Homeboy boulder, between Dragon's Den and the Dark Heart.
Ryan figured out the sequence and moves for the first 1/3rd of the climb easily on the first try.
It took me a handful of tries just to figure out the starting move.
The video above highlights what actually happens when we "work" a challenging climb. It's about figuring out how to do each movement.. strength, body position, push/pull of certain muscles, twisting, etc. The beta that works for one person may not work for another. Rock climbing is like a puzzle, and the fun aspect of it is figuring out the puzzle with friends - working together, trying different moves, and laughing at each other too. Pure natural fun in the simplest form!
No video proof, but I have a photo proof that I finally made the first move at least twice out of my many attempts!
While the adults were playing down low in the cave, the kiddos were climbing and playing on the rocks above the cave.
It is so dusty and dry in Hueco, dessert environment, Emilia and I had to keep our hair tied so it wouldn't get too tangled.
I did a pretty decent job on her french braids!
Liam finds a climb to climb on.
Emilia mimics how to be a good spotter, except for the sticks in her hands...
After thoroughly exhausted by UltraMega, we moved onto climbs in The Dark Heart, at the Something Different boulders. Ryan and Brandon worked on Something Different V8. Roger and I worked on the Swirl Wall V3.
Roger on Swirl Wall V3.
The height was my nemesis again as I failed to go higher up, but isn't this wall so unique and pretty?!
Roger handles it smoothly! See how precise and controlled his movements are..
Ryan on Something Different V8.
The kids amazingly had an abundance of energy as they continued climbing and playing well into this later afternoon.
By the end of today, I think we were all tired. Hueco has so many interesting climbs to explore... but the fingers are raw and the muscles are fatigued. One more day of exploration! Still not enough...
Pre-Climbing - El Paso Zoo
Climbing Day 0
Climbing Day 1
Climbing Day 2
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Hueco Tanks II : East Spur & East Mountain
Day 1 of our guided tour started at the East Spur and finish at the East Mountain. Our guide, Brandon, was seriously the best guide ever. With a calm disposition and extensive knowledge of the climbs, he provided helpful beta, an extra spotter, and extra crash pad.
Day 1, again had severe wind advisory, with some of the weather sites stating gusts were up to 60+mph. Having a guide was definitely valuable since Brandon knew of areas that were more protected from the winds.
From the parking lot of the campgrounds, we hiked in through the Tabloid Pass in the direction of East Spur.
For warm-up, Brandon brought us to an area of wind-protected boulders (Not definitive on the exact boulder.. but I think it's The Beehives?) with a bunch of easy climbs, several V0s, V1s, a V3, and also an overhung V6. The kids were just as excited as us to get climbing.
Here are Emilia and Liam both climbing a V0.
Even the easy rated V0/V1 climbs felt a level more difficult than the V0/V1 ratings at the gym.
Here I am working the V3, all good except for the top out. Still sketched by big movement at the height of the top out.
Ryan and Roger have no problem with the top out. Ryan's send:
E just hanging out.
Next we continued across the Tabloid Pass and to the East Spur Maze (southeast). We re-warmed up on some easy routes on the 10ft Wall --> Clumsy Plumber, V0 and Udder Destruction, V1 and a few climbs on Dihedral Rock --> The Flexin' Texan, V1 and worked the main focus climb here, Jigsaw, V5.
Roger working the crimpy start of Jigsaw.
Check out Ryan's half crimp!
While we climbed, the kids were playing really well of imaginative play with the surroundings. At times they were taking food orders and "cooking" for us with the dirt, rocks, sticks. Other times, they took our shoes and lined them up, and proceeded to sell shoes. Here, they were playing superheros and wanted me to take photos of their superhero poses. Notice their "aprons" are on from their previous "cooking" play. =)
Our fingers could only handle working Jigsaw for a finite amount of tries. Crimps are hard on the finger joints. We moved on to scope out one of Ryan's potential future projects, Javelina V8, on the northwest section of the East Spur, on The Bomb Boulder.
Interesting side fact, Javelina, is the name of a wild pig, aka skunk pig or peccary, that lives in Hueco Tanks. Brandon and Roger actually spotted one while we were hiking, but the pig hid before the rest of us could catch a glimpse.
Ryan's first go on Javelina and makes great progress!
Javelina is also one of the projects Brandon is working on.
Hueco Tanks park closes at 6pm. That is, all cars that plan on coming (campers) or going (day visitors) need to be in or out of the park by 6pm. The gate does not re-open until 8am the next morning. We had just enough time to hike over and check out one more climb for the day. A hike away, was my objective project of this trip, Moonshine Roof, V4, located near the middle-southern part of East Mountain.
By this time of the day, the winds were howling and our fingers were tender. It took a couple of tries to figure out the start of Moonshine Roof, as it is not an easy start. There is a small nub to place your left foot, and then a toe hook for the right foot that was better suited for taller people. The first move is a power core move to a nice jug, but quite reachy. I surprisingly had no problems with the start or the roof portion to the surf board. The moves out of the surf board though was again reachy and I couldn't figure out short person beta to continue on. =P
Roger though, crushed it! It was the end of the day, we were tired, but he gave it max effort. With mad gusting of winds, Roger even did the full top out.
Check out Roger's send of Moonshine Roof.
Perfect way to end the first of the guided days...
(Day 2 To Be Continued in Next Post..)
Pre-Climbing - El Paso Zoo
Climbing Day 0
Climbing Day 1
Climbing Day 2
Day 1, again had severe wind advisory, with some of the weather sites stating gusts were up to 60+mph. Having a guide was definitely valuable since Brandon knew of areas that were more protected from the winds.
From the parking lot of the campgrounds, we hiked in through the Tabloid Pass in the direction of East Spur.
For warm-up, Brandon brought us to an area of wind-protected boulders (Not definitive on the exact boulder.. but I think it's The Beehives?) with a bunch of easy climbs, several V0s, V1s, a V3, and also an overhung V6. The kids were just as excited as us to get climbing.
Here are Emilia and Liam both climbing a V0.
Even the easy rated V0/V1 climbs felt a level more difficult than the V0/V1 ratings at the gym.
Here I am working the V3, all good except for the top out. Still sketched by big movement at the height of the top out.
Ryan and Roger have no problem with the top out. Ryan's send:
E just hanging out.
Next we continued across the Tabloid Pass and to the East Spur Maze (southeast). We re-warmed up on some easy routes on the 10ft Wall --> Clumsy Plumber, V0 and Udder Destruction, V1 and a few climbs on Dihedral Rock --> The Flexin' Texan, V1 and worked the main focus climb here, Jigsaw, V5.
Roger working the crimpy start of Jigsaw.
Check out Ryan's half crimp!
While we climbed, the kids were playing really well of imaginative play with the surroundings. At times they were taking food orders and "cooking" for us with the dirt, rocks, sticks. Other times, they took our shoes and lined them up, and proceeded to sell shoes. Here, they were playing superheros and wanted me to take photos of their superhero poses. Notice their "aprons" are on from their previous "cooking" play. =)
Our fingers could only handle working Jigsaw for a finite amount of tries. Crimps are hard on the finger joints. We moved on to scope out one of Ryan's potential future projects, Javelina V8, on the northwest section of the East Spur, on The Bomb Boulder.
Interesting side fact, Javelina, is the name of a wild pig, aka skunk pig or peccary, that lives in Hueco Tanks. Brandon and Roger actually spotted one while we were hiking, but the pig hid before the rest of us could catch a glimpse.
Ryan's first go on Javelina and makes great progress!
Javelina is also one of the projects Brandon is working on.
Hueco Tanks park closes at 6pm. That is, all cars that plan on coming (campers) or going (day visitors) need to be in or out of the park by 6pm. The gate does not re-open until 8am the next morning. We had just enough time to hike over and check out one more climb for the day. A hike away, was my objective project of this trip, Moonshine Roof, V4, located near the middle-southern part of East Mountain.
By this time of the day, the winds were howling and our fingers were tender. It took a couple of tries to figure out the start of Moonshine Roof, as it is not an easy start. There is a small nub to place your left foot, and then a toe hook for the right foot that was better suited for taller people. The first move is a power core move to a nice jug, but quite reachy. I surprisingly had no problems with the start or the roof portion to the surf board. The moves out of the surf board though was again reachy and I couldn't figure out short person beta to continue on. =P
Roger though, crushed it! It was the end of the day, we were tired, but he gave it max effort. With mad gusting of winds, Roger even did the full top out.
Check out Roger's send of Moonshine Roof.
Perfect way to end the first of the guided days...
(Day 2 To Be Continued in Next Post..)
Pre-Climbing - El Paso Zoo
Climbing Day 0
Climbing Day 1
Climbing Day 2
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Hueco Tanks I : Intro & North Mountain
Hueco Tanks is known for being one of the best spots in the world, top-notch for bouldering (rock climbing), and a desired destination of ours for a while. But it is not a short trip, and takes a bit of effort for us to get there especially with kids in tow. In the past, weather, time, and misc things just didn't align for a trip to Hueco... until now. We had our first family adventure to this bouldering Mecca and an amazing natural playground of Hueco Tanks.
View from Atop of northeast side of North Mountain
Hueco Tanks is not only a first class bouldering spot, but also a very unique and sacred historical place with many remnants of prehistoric life. There are historical artifacts, petroglyphs, and unique plants and wildlife. Because of the fragility of this place, there are rules to follow and a limited number of visitors are allowed. The North Mountain is the only self-guided area with a limit of 70 people a day. The East and West Mountains are only accessible on guided tours.
Prior to our trip, all the reservations for North Mountain were already taken, and so we arranged 3 days worth of guided tours for the East and West Mountains. To add to the fun factor of this adventure, our trusty climbing friend, Roger, decided at the last minute to come out and join us for the guided days!
We arrived in El Paso a day and a half prior to the tours. So on Day 0 (pre tour day) we headed out bright and early to line up at the park entrance in hopes of scoring a walk-on spot for the North Mountain. I believe they have 60 reservations and leave 10 spots open for first-come-first-serve walk ons. Luckily this is end of the climbing season at Hueco so there are less people, and we were first in line (~7am) before the gates opened at 8am. We easily scored the 4 walk-on spots. Once we were in, I packed us all snacks and a sandwich to put in our daypacks, grabbed our crash pads, and off we went to hike up and spend the day in the North Mountain.
Day 0 : North Mountain
Climbing outdoors is very different than the indoor gyms. The rocks are sharper and harsher on the hands. The route to the top is not clearly marked or defined, and there can be many factors that affect one's mental aspect - the height, weather/wind, surrounding fall area.. whether the landing zone is flat or angled or if there are boulders in the way, and there is limited fall protection.. aka only the crash pads that we carry with us. Day0 and Day1 were both high wind advisory days, with gusts up to 35mph.
Ryan has been to Hueco many many times in the past, so lucky us, he's an old pro at knowing the climbs. Day 0 was more of a warm-up day for me to get my bearings. Ryan took me to try out a classic problem Nobody Gets Out Here Alive, V2. No photos, but the key tip that helped me out during the crux move, which was the transition from the overhang portion to the slab, was to lock and press the right arm. First day jitters, I could do both portions separately, but didn't have enough left to put it together.
Ryan leading the way with reference from the guidebook.
Kiddies doing their thing.. creative play. =)
The winds were way too strong during the later half of the day to make it to another climb that we wanted to check out, Ghetto Simulator, V2, enough that it was hard for the adults to walk and the kiddos would have been easily blown away. Day 0 definitely clued me in that these climbs at Hueco are challenging and awesomely amazing.. and brutal on the hands and fingers! 3 more glorious days...
More to come...
Pre-Climbing - El Paso Zoo
Climbing Day 0
Climbing Day 1
Climbing Day 2
View from Atop of northeast side of North Mountain
Hueco Tanks is not only a first class bouldering spot, but also a very unique and sacred historical place with many remnants of prehistoric life. There are historical artifacts, petroglyphs, and unique plants and wildlife. Because of the fragility of this place, there are rules to follow and a limited number of visitors are allowed. The North Mountain is the only self-guided area with a limit of 70 people a day. The East and West Mountains are only accessible on guided tours.
Prior to our trip, all the reservations for North Mountain were already taken, and so we arranged 3 days worth of guided tours for the East and West Mountains. To add to the fun factor of this adventure, our trusty climbing friend, Roger, decided at the last minute to come out and join us for the guided days!
We arrived in El Paso a day and a half prior to the tours. So on Day 0 (pre tour day) we headed out bright and early to line up at the park entrance in hopes of scoring a walk-on spot for the North Mountain. I believe they have 60 reservations and leave 10 spots open for first-come-first-serve walk ons. Luckily this is end of the climbing season at Hueco so there are less people, and we were first in line (~7am) before the gates opened at 8am. We easily scored the 4 walk-on spots. Once we were in, I packed us all snacks and a sandwich to put in our daypacks, grabbed our crash pads, and off we went to hike up and spend the day in the North Mountain.
Day 0 : North Mountain
Climbing outdoors is very different than the indoor gyms. The rocks are sharper and harsher on the hands. The route to the top is not clearly marked or defined, and there can be many factors that affect one's mental aspect - the height, weather/wind, surrounding fall area.. whether the landing zone is flat or angled or if there are boulders in the way, and there is limited fall protection.. aka only the crash pads that we carry with us. Day0 and Day1 were both high wind advisory days, with gusts up to 35mph.
Ryan has been to Hueco many many times in the past, so lucky us, he's an old pro at knowing the climbs. Day 0 was more of a warm-up day for me to get my bearings. Ryan took me to try out a classic problem Nobody Gets Out Here Alive, V2. No photos, but the key tip that helped me out during the crux move, which was the transition from the overhang portion to the slab, was to lock and press the right arm. First day jitters, I could do both portions separately, but didn't have enough left to put it together.
Ryan leading the way with reference from the guidebook.
Kiddies doing their thing.. creative play. =)
The winds were way too strong during the later half of the day to make it to another climb that we wanted to check out, Ghetto Simulator, V2, enough that it was hard for the adults to walk and the kiddos would have been easily blown away. Day 0 definitely clued me in that these climbs at Hueco are challenging and awesomely amazing.. and brutal on the hands and fingers! 3 more glorious days...
More to come...
Pre-Climbing - El Paso Zoo
Climbing Day 0
Climbing Day 1
Climbing Day 2
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Little Ninja Training
E had the opportunity to participate in a special kids ninja warrior workshop with the pros. Yup! She got to learn ninja skills from Kacy Catanzaro, Brent Steffensen, and Flip Rodriguez! Of course, Kacy is E's favorite.
E was just short of the minimum age requirement by a month, so the gym made an exception and let her enroll for the workshop. The spots were filling fast so I signed her up, though I wasn't sure if she *could* hang with the bigger kids.
Smallest kid on the block.
The workshop started off with 4 main stations that focused on training a few specific obstacles. The kids were broken down into groups of 12 (12 kids per station), which then were broken down into smaller groups depending on the obstacles at that station. E tended to be last or close to last in line for most of the training. I was the helicopter mom that hovered around as much as I could just in case the instructors were not watching closely and/or if E needed help on the obstacles.
Her first station was with Flip Rodriguez and his crew of instructors. Skills learned were climbing up structures, down short walls, rope climbing, and fireman pole slide.
Actually, E's rope skills were not too shabby at all. Not completely assistance free, but definitely she had enough confidence to try it on her own.
This station also had training for the mini-Warp wall. They did a few drills for the kids to get comfortable with forward climbing, backwards climbing on the warp wall. Then moved on to practicing running up and sliding down.
Single file line and on to the next station, with Brent Steffensen.
Station "2" had a version of the Quintuple steps, cliffhanger traverse, and climbing/jumping over barriers. E initially got tripped up on the Quintuple steps, but the 2nd time through, Brent gave her some tips that helped her out.
Station "3" was with Kacy Catanzaro & crew. This had a bar traverse, balance obstacles, and a rope traverse.
Station "4" was trampoline practice and rope swing into a foam pit.
Ryan and Liam show up to watch E ninja.
After the stations were all done, the kids had a break while the instructors set up 2 obstacles course for the kids to line up and try. Kids getting a course briefing.
E's run on the first obstacle course.
E was 2nd to last in line, so she get's lots of spectators and cheering for her finish.
E almost missed running the 2nd obstacle. Of course, she was last in line again. Time was up and the instructors did not realize she didn't get to do the 2nd obstacle course. As they started ushering the kids, good ol' helicopter mom stepped in. Kacy made sure E got her 2nd obstacle course and cheered her along the way.
Super fun event for E and I. She had a great time doing obstacles with the ninja warriors. I loved watching her try the obstacles, figure things out, and really hold her own. That grip strength is definitely coming along!
Ryan's super proud of her too. Happy smiles all around this day (except when we all got pelted with windy rain storm after lunch!).
E was just short of the minimum age requirement by a month, so the gym made an exception and let her enroll for the workshop. The spots were filling fast so I signed her up, though I wasn't sure if she *could* hang with the bigger kids.
Smallest kid on the block.
The workshop started off with 4 main stations that focused on training a few specific obstacles. The kids were broken down into groups of 12 (12 kids per station), which then were broken down into smaller groups depending on the obstacles at that station. E tended to be last or close to last in line for most of the training. I was the helicopter mom that hovered around as much as I could just in case the instructors were not watching closely and/or if E needed help on the obstacles.
Her first station was with Flip Rodriguez and his crew of instructors. Skills learned were climbing up structures, down short walls, rope climbing, and fireman pole slide.
Actually, E's rope skills were not too shabby at all. Not completely assistance free, but definitely she had enough confidence to try it on her own.
This station also had training for the mini-Warp wall. They did a few drills for the kids to get comfortable with forward climbing, backwards climbing on the warp wall. Then moved on to practicing running up and sliding down.
Single file line and on to the next station, with Brent Steffensen.
Station "2" had a version of the Quintuple steps, cliffhanger traverse, and climbing/jumping over barriers. E initially got tripped up on the Quintuple steps, but the 2nd time through, Brent gave her some tips that helped her out.
Station "3" was with Kacy Catanzaro & crew. This had a bar traverse, balance obstacles, and a rope traverse.
Station "4" was trampoline practice and rope swing into a foam pit.
Ryan and Liam show up to watch E ninja.
After the stations were all done, the kids had a break while the instructors set up 2 obstacles course for the kids to line up and try. Kids getting a course briefing.
E's run on the first obstacle course.
E was 2nd to last in line, so she get's lots of spectators and cheering for her finish.
E almost missed running the 2nd obstacle. Of course, she was last in line again. Time was up and the instructors did not realize she didn't get to do the 2nd obstacle course. As they started ushering the kids, good ol' helicopter mom stepped in. Kacy made sure E got her 2nd obstacle course and cheered her along the way.
Super fun event for E and I. She had a great time doing obstacles with the ninja warriors. I loved watching her try the obstacles, figure things out, and really hold her own. That grip strength is definitely coming along!
Ryan's super proud of her too. Happy smiles all around this day (except when we all got pelted with windy rain storm after lunch!).
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