Why am I surprised?

I was pleasantly surprised two weeks ago when I decided for the first time to hang a climbing rope in the gym.  I used the tug of war rope from Field Day and looped it up and over the basketball support allowing us to actually have two climbable ropes.  I put several knots on one end of the rope to allow for easier hand and foot holds and left the other side knot free for a tougher challenge. I thought we'd have some fun swinging on it like Tarzan and maybe a few students in each class would actually be able to ascend to the top of the knotted end but by the end of the week almost 80% of students in grades 1-4 were able to climb to the top of the knotted rope.  After a student proved he/she could climb up the knotted rope, I let them have a try at the unknotted rope.  Again, to my surprise, we always seemed to have a few standouts in each class that could make it to the top of unknotted rope.

It didn't take me long to figure out why the kids were so successful at the climbing rope.  All it takes is a trip outside during recess to understand.  During recess, our kids fill up the playground equipment climbing, swinging and hanging all over the place.  I've seen them even create "Ninja Warrior" type courses on equipment that isn't even intended for climbing.  We did too when we were kids.  As we get older, we forget how much we used to love climbing up ladders, swinging on monkey bars and hanging upside down from or legs.  Climbing, swinging and hanging usually fades away as we get older and we pick specialized sports or begin more sedentary lifestyles. It doesn't take long for our upper body and grip strength to diminish to the point where we can no longer hang our body weight, perform a pull-up, climb a rope or keep proper posture when sitting or standing.

In conclusion, get out there and climb.  Whether it is in a gym or in nature get back to your childhood roots and hang.  Get your kids out there also to show you how it's done.  You'll be helping yourself by regaining some strength but also showing your kids that staying strong and healthy as you grow older is a must!

I have lots of pictures from the week of climbing that I'll be posting on a new page.  Click on the tab at the top to see all the amazing climbers.

Sincerely,

Jordan Wallin