The Deeper Meaning, Part 2: Stress Relief
Posted in Featured Climbers, Media, Photos on June 15, 2010
In case you didn’t know, there are a ton of strong teenagers these days whose climbing accomplishments are held back only by their learners’ permits and nonexistent spending power. Hopefully the youngsters out there find this well.
On May 15th, Melissa competed in the SCS Regionals, where she placed 2nd in Juniors. Also, she may be the first competitor in history to Z-clip in the middle of the competition, causing her to lose first place by one hold. WTH…
Despite her competition shakes, she trains ridiculously hard and keeps a good attitude.
- Melissa shows off her paws…
The Deeper Meaning, Part 2: Stress Relief
My 13th year seems so long ago, but in only those few short years, I’vegrown into an average-height, average-looking person (except, maybe, for my bicep veins), who is in the middle of High School. Climbing became my security blanket as I got older. I came to consider it a separate, better life; I had school, and then climbing. They were both carefully separated, so school never ruined climbing for me.
My two worlds combined when I got my drivers’ license, which brought with it a greater level of independence, and important choices. With this new privilege, I was able to part with my school and go climb every day after classes were over. Every decision I make, whether it is simple or complicated, depends on climbing. If the decision is going to hurt my progress in the sport, I don’t go through with it. Climbing hard relieves the stresses I face at school, and I want nothing to tamper with that.
Keeping my stress levels low allows me to be happy and content, even when facing math class in a room full of vicious cheerleaders. I could never imagine my world revolving around high school, Instead, I feel like a commuter student every weekday morning with my day revolving around climbing. The stress relief that climbing offers me is important because it keeps me away from my high school and puts me into the “real” world.
~Melissa Godowski
Getting dusted...
Continued in Part 3…
