The Deeper Meaning, Part 3: Respect
Posted in Editorials, Featured Climbers, Media, Photos on 09. Jul, 2010
Melissa is currently competing in SCS Nationals down in ATL. She is undoubtedly pulling hard, and all of us here up north are wishing her all the best…
Melissa going to work with some extra weight.
The Deeper Meaning, Part 3: Respect
When it comes to climbing, the role of genetics in helping to pull through a crux is always debatable. I believe genetics plays a part in the way one climbs, but, as I said before, I consider myself to be average; nothing out of the ordinary is pushing me past others. Actually, I am at a disadvantage because I have a disease called Hypothyroidism. When not treated, this disease causes fatigue, depression, cases of being overweight, difficulty concentrating, and feeling cold all of the time. There is no cure, but there is a pill that has to be taken every morning in order to sustain normal thyroid levels, and keep the symptoms at bay. If I miss a pill, my body is out-of-whack for an entire week. Throughout my diagnosis, I tried to push through my pain, and climb. It was impossible to send anything due to my disease. Two weeks after receiving my medication, I began to feel like my normal self. Now, I have the discipline to push beyond my limits, because I have the energy and willpower to succeed.
Just recently, I have taken six weeks off from climbing due to an unusual injury. While warming up at nationals, I slipped off the wall and my elbow smashed into a huge plastic hold. This caused a contusion, or severe damage to my “funny bone” nerve in my right arm. My entire forearm went numb, and so did my pinky and ring fingers. Even though I couldn’t feel much, I still went out and climbed. Before nationals, I was training four hours each day, four days a week, in high hopes of placing well. All this was crushed when I fell warming up, something that seems so dumb, and would make for an even dumber story. Although I couldn’t climb well at Nationals, I gained a lot from those six weeks I didn’t climb.
Sometimes, things happen in our lives that we cannot control. It is how we deal with these situations that determines how people see us. A person can have respect for themself, and the respect of others, but it may come quickly or slowly. Through this disease, I gained respect for my body’s needs, carefully tending to them to keep healthy through the grueling training I do for climbing.
Melissa, and teammate Kevin. I guess conditioning is fun...
~Melissa G.
