Yesterday, Wednesday 27 May, i had my Adventure Club CCA training.
Rock Climbing is part of Adventure Club, fyi. ;P
It wasn't our normal climbing session for yesterday but instead, we had our
Adventure Training Course. We had physical training for like one and a half hour.
We ran 2 rounds around the running track before having our warm-ups. Once done,
we ran around the school. Unlike last week, we ran up the stairs to 6th floor and ran back down.
In simpler words, we ran around the campus, but, in the mean time, running up and down the stairs as well. It's very tiring though but still, good exercise! :D

After the runnings, we had our 1st Adventure Training Course.
We learnt CampCraft.
It's a basic knowledge for campers to know and master before going on expeditions.
We learnt to tie different knots and the different ways to build a shelter or tent.
It's a very interesting but tiring session.

I'm having my Rock Climbing training tomorrow.
It will be a training for all RockMaster competitors.
:D

With Pride and Determination 4:48 AM

Yesterday, Monday 25/05/09, i had my Rock Climbing Training. Due to the tiredness i faced after the training itself, i had no time to update on my progress on that night itself. Since i have time now, i'll update it now.
It was an ordinary training for yesterday. I had difficulties climbing the 3rd wall which is the 1st incline wall, few weeks ago. I failed to reach the top which i was one tile away. Maybe, on the day itself, i was tired after climbing for 4 to 5 times. However, for yesterday, when i reached the sports hall, the first wall i climbed, was the 3rd wall. With all the energy i still had in me, i climbed the wall and successfully reached the top. I was surprised though. Another wall, accomplished.
Out of all 5 walls, i've completed both the straight walls and both the incline walls.
What's left is the Roof Wall.
I did tried climbing it again yesterday.
Once again, i was halfway there. I can't pull myself up from the roof itself. I kept struggling.
When i was hanging freely with only my hands on 2 tiles, dangling freely from the roof, the whole Adventure Club members were screaming and cheering for me. It was so pressurising. =/
Again, i failed.

Minutes later, there was this year one student, who most of us called him 'Boss'.
They called him that because out of all the year ones, he's probably the best. He has completed all 5 walls in the sports hall. The first year one climber to do so. What he did was, he challenged me to a speed climb on the incline wall. Without thinking twice, i gave him a 'Yes' as my answer.
We prepared ourselves for the speed climb challenge. Both of us were at the feet of the incline walls, while 2 seniors were also getting ready for a speed climb at the 2 straight walls. The whole sports hall turned their attention to these 4 walls. The funny thing was that, the seniors were speed climbing on the straight walls while the year ones were speed climbing on the incline walls. That isn't fair. Back to the story. When the commands were given, we sped our way up. I was nervous that time and it caused me to slip off halfway from the wall. I have to admit that the guy who challenged me, is good. Good for him. He's way better than my standard.

I will be looking forward for tomorrow's training.
^^V
GoodNight.

With Pride and Determination 7:42 AM

Here I am again! :D
Today was the Adventure Club training once again.
However, every Wednesday's trainings, are more to
the physical fitness where we did some running around
the school campus. That's what we did today.
We were at the school's stadium at 3.30pm and started
off with a slow jog around the campus.
Once done, we played a little group games such
as Fire, Hunter, Squirrel. Or even Island Game.
Never heard of it? =P
It's a group game, some sort as icebreaking.
Oh! Did i mention, there were like 70 over students
present. It was more than the attendance on Monday.
It's because that Wednesday's trainings are for the whole
Adventure Club whereas Monday's trainings are for Rock
Climbings.

After playing those games, we proceeded to the Sports Hall.
We learnt basic Rock Climbing procedures -
Belaying, How to tie the double 8 knot and how to wear the
different harnesses. Different group started with different sections.
After 3 and the half hours, then we started climbing.
We, year ones, were the one belaying our own friends who were
climbing. It's for us to get used to the system and yet, trained
ourselves. I really enjoyed it (:

Oh yes, i've sign up for the RockMaster Competition which will
take place at Singapore Poly this June. It's a standard bouldering
competition. It will be my first ever Rock Climbing Competition.
Just to gain some climbing experience. And yeah, i will be training for it soon!
Wish me luck! =)

With Pride and Determination 7:43 AM

It was the first official Rock Climbing training for the year ones today.
Upon stepping into the hall after school which ended at 6pm, Danial and I were
shocked to see that huge number of year ones present. Even the seniors didn't
expect this huge number of attendance. We started off with a light warm up before
we were seperated into four different groups.

Different groups will be starting off with different section before they will rotate.
Round Robin to be exact. I was in the group 1. Group 1 started off at the straight wall.
Straight wall is the easiest among the other two walls. It didn't took me much time nor energy
to complete it. After a few minutes later, we rotated.

After finishing the straight wall, we proceeded to the ice breaking games. That is where my group managed to know one another by playing different ice breaking games. There were a few common games used in this round. I made myself a couple of new friends today. I have to congratulate myself for that :) It's fun to get to know people from different school and courses. Nevertheless, it wasn't that difficult for us to click with one another.

Once again, we rotated. Next up, we were taught the basics of climbing and the different techniques used during the climb. I've learnt the names of different tiles such as jug, crimp, contours and even horn. I also learnt the different types of climbs such as bouldering and top climbing which is the same as free climbing. On top of that, i've learnt the different basic techniques such as dyno (a dynamic action where a climber leaps from one tile to another which is way higher than where he/she is). It gets more interesting upon knowing these basics rather than climbing it without knowing any knowledge about it. Also, at this section, we managed to climb the Incline Wall. Incline Wall is the wall that is straight and gets tougher at the angle part which is the top half of the wall. It's also the wall that i've used to get problems completing. Two weeks ago, i only managed to climb till the very last tile before falling off. Surprisingly, i managed to complete this wall! I've made a great progress. I'm happy for myself :D

Lastly, we learnt the theory of Rock Climbing. We were given 10minutes to come up with as many answers for this particular question, "What are the characteristics of a great climber?".
There are many answers for this question. This is just to add a little bit more knowledge and understanding to become one of the great climbers.

One of the seniors persuaded me to climb the Roof Wall. It's the centre wall in the Sports Hall.
The wall has a roof in the middle of the wall, where we will be hanging upside down to get to the upper half of the wall. It was a challenge for me to face as i have never climb this kind of wall. I decided to give it a shot. I slipped off 2 times at the roof of the wall. I was disappointed by then. However, the senior motivated me by giving me directions and tips to overcome the roof. There i went again, climbing the Roof Wall. I got stucked again at the roof but the senior and some other seniors quickly gave me tips to where i should go. Using their tips, i managed to overcome the roof. There i was on the upper half of the wall. Unfortunately, my arms were running out of energy and it was fully pumped by then. I couldn't hang on for that long which made me fell off the wall. The seniors all went 'Ouhhh!!!' which simply means they were putting hopes on me which i failed them. Gosh! I was again, so close =/

It was a great first official training today. Plenty of experiences and different knowledge which i learnt today. I will be looking forward to Wednesday's Fitness Training and Friday's climbing session which will help me train myself.
My next goal is to complete the Roof Wall.
Wish me Luck!
=D

With Pride and Determination 7:35 AM

What is Rock Climbing?
Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up or across natural rock formations or man-made rock walls with the goal of reaching the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route. Rock climbing is similar to scrambling (another activity involving the scaling of hills and similar formations), but climbing is generally differentiated by its need for the use of the climber's hands to hold his or her own weight and not just provide balance.
Rock climbing is a physically and mentally demanding sport, one that often tests a climber's strength, endurance, agility, and balance along with his or her mental control. It can be a dangerous sport and knowledge of proper climbing techniques and usage of specialized climbing equipment is crucial for the safe completion of routes.

A Short and Brief History of Rock Climbing.
One historical evidence is a Chinese watercolor belonging to 400 BC that depicts men climbing rocks. In the 12th century, native Americans who lived in southwest Anasazi, had carved steps and drilled holes to hold post on the steep cliffs in Chaco Canyon. In 1492, Antoine de Ville climbed Mont Aiguille, a rock tower in south of France. He used various skilled techniques to achieve this mission. Later, these same techniques were used to siege castles. In 1695, ropes were used to climb rocks. It was first used by Martin Martin of Scotland to climb St. Kilda. Rock climbing became popular in many European countries during the late 19th century. The first European country to give importance to this activity was Germany. A new trend is indoor rock climbing. Many rock climbing clubs in developed countries have facilities to install artificial rock ranges and cliffs as simulation landscape. A structure of Rocky Mountains is made of wood or resin. Indoor rock climbing eliminates the risks of outdoor rock climbing. Apart from that, in places where there are no natural cliffs, a rock climber could enjoy indoor rock climbing. This has become one of the fastest growing sports of the 21st century.

What are the different types of Rock Climbing?
There are a few types of Rock Climbing in this modern world. However, only a handful of them are commonly used these days.

Free Climbing : the most commonly used method to ascend climbs refers to climbs where the climber's own physical strength and skill are relied on to accomplish the climb. Free climbing may rely on top rope belay systems, or on lead climbing to establish protection and the belay stations. Anchors, ropes, and protection are used to back up the climber and are passive as opposed to active ascending aids. Subtypes of free climbing are trad climbing and sport climbing. Free climbing is generally done as "clean lead" meaning no pitons or pins are used as protections.

Lead Climbing : one person, called the "leader", will climb from the ground up with rope directly attached (and not through a top anchor) while the other, called the "second", belays the leader. Because the climbing rope is of a fixed length, the leader can only climb a certain distance. Thus longer routes are broken up into several "pitches". At the top of a pitch, the leader sets up an anchor, and then belays the "second" up to the anchor. In simpler terms, the climber will hook a clip to a metal pitch and attach his rope in the clip. This attached rope will prevent the climber from falling. Once both are at the anchor, the leader begins climbing the next pitch and so on until they reach the top.

Bouldering : is climbing on short, low routes without the use of the safety rope that is typical of most other styles. Protection, if used at all, typically consists of a cushioned bouldering pad below the route and/or a spotter, a person that watches from below and directs the fall of the climber away from hazardous areas. Bouldering may be an arena for intense and relatively safe competition, resulting in exceptionally high difficulty standards. The climber is only allowed to hold onto and step onto certain tilings. Bouldering is a style that test a climber's strengths, strategy and endurance.


This is just the first part of my blog which is the brief description of my goal. My proper rock climbing trainings are held on Monday and Friday. I will update on my progress probably on the day itself or a few days after my trainings. Do check it up! :D

With Pride and Determination 2:32 AM