Climbing The Ladder

Jack has tried a few of the rock climbing walls that you see at carnivals and festivals and we have noticed that he has some talent for climbing. But most importantly, he really likes it, so I signed him up for rock climbing camp at a local climbing gym. From the moment we walked into the gym he was in love! The walls looked menacing to me, but he looked at them with lust in his heart! I asked his instructor after his first session of camp about the rock climbing team. Apparently the rock climbing team is not like signing your 6 year old up for T-ball. It is not as simple as signing a release and paying your money like I had anticipated. The instructor told me that if he liked camp then he should join Kids Climb which is once a week and similar to a camp type atmosphere. Being at Kids Climb will make him more likely to be noticed by the coaches of the team. If the coaches think he is good enough he will eventually be invited to be on the Junior Team. My understanding of the Junior Team is that the kids go to 'practice' but they don't compete. From there he would need to qualify to be on Team Canyon, which goes to competitions. When I went to pick Jack up on day 2 of camp the instructor pulled me aside and told me that the coach "noticed" Jack and would like to invite him to be on the team. Do not pass go, do not collect $200...he is on the team if we want him to be. I don't know if the coach needs to make a boat payment and is looking for one more sucker to pay $75/month for their kid to climb or what. But, I do know Jack is stoked! And, Travis and I are really proud of him. I am so happy that he has found something that he is good at and enjoys! When I was about his age I started competitive swimming and I loved always being a member of a team! This is a great sport, just like swimming, because he is a part of something bigger, but he is always trying to better himself! When I went to pick Jack up today I wanted to take some pictures of him on the wall. When I turned around Ben was gone. I found Ben on the other side of the rock wall about 6 feet off the ground with a huge smile on his face, but without a harness. I plucked him off the wall waiting for CPS to pop out from behind the corner and take him into custody. The thing I found most alarming were the teenagers who work at the gym who were working on the ropes didn't do a dang thing. They must have been thinking, "Wow, I hope that little dude doesn't fall"! In a couple years Ben can give rock climbing a try, until then I would prefer him to keep his fat little feet on the floor!