Friendships, Math, and Sending the Proj: Dealing With Being the Only Climber in Middle School

Watching an autumn waterfall during a hike on my rest day. Also a good opportunity to get away from piles and piles of school homework!

Life as a 7th-grader isn't easy. And when you add competitions, wacky boulders on the new set, and a whole big load of chalk - you'll get the ideal recipe of craziness.

Well, being an adult isn't any easier - plus all the responsibilities like driving, paying bills, and dealing with angry supervisors at work.

However, over time I've learned a few handy life hacks for putting up with being the only climber kid at school, and still getting straight A's in almost every subject.

Honestly, this blog post is just as much a story about me as it is a letter of encouragement to all the young climbers out there. Specifically to those tired of hearing from their friends, "Quit talking about climbing already!!"

My 6 "Life Hacks" of Surviving Middle School as a Climber

1. It doesn't matter if your friends climb or not!

   
   

   You can still hang out. Really. I mean, I do get bored when they all start talking about all their dance performances and figure skating - but it's my job as a good friend to listen. Just listen. I don't need to like whatever sport or hobby they're talking about - but by treating them how I want to be treated, I'm showing myself as the better friend. (It's true words; not just a wise saying!)

And yes, they have the right to NOT LISTEN when you drone on and on about "that route I sent last week at the crag with the chalky slopers and the mantle over the rail to the top-out and blah-blah-blah." But my trick is to make agreements with my friends about what we talk about and when. I'm extremely grateful for my amazing Kingfisher grade 7 "circle-table-lunch-group," who I eat lunch with every single day - and guess what? We all play different sports. We've got horseback riders and dancers and piano players and soccer goalies and swimmers - but we take turns. That's the most important part - to just take turns.

We have fun together, even though I talk about climbing and they talk about whatever afterschool activity they do. The biggest thing is to TRY - just try, please - not to scoff at their explanation of ballet and say, "ew, climbing so much cooler than that." Because, well - how would you feel if someone said that about your project on the new slab set?

Have fun with your friends, even if they're not climbers, too! Balance how much time you spend with your climbing friends and your school pals.

2. Climbing is cool and don't let anyone tease you about it!

   
   

   It's true that climbing isn't quite as popular as soccer or dance, because it's still a very developing sport, being relatively new to the public and the media. However, that doesn't mean it's not as cool, fun, amazing, and difficult, too. Don't let anyone make you feel otherwise! If someone tells you that climbing is "so not cool" or something else along those lines, make sure to tell yourself that it IS cool. Trust me.

   
   

   Just like the best of us, I get annoyed when my classmates deliberately tried to convince me that their sport is harder than climbing. But remember, they just don't know what it's like, and instead of wasting your time arguing with that person, just let it be. This is a little connection to the previous point: if you want to be a good friend, acknowledge their opinions fairly.

   
   

3. Your homework is ten times more important than your project in the gym.

   
   

   We all know that occasionally, climbing is all you have on your mind. Your project seems like the most important thing in the whole wide world; whatever training your coaches made for you is the only thing you want to do.

   
   

   However, try to remember that you're still a kid who needs to go to school and do all your chores, homework, and other daily duties. Climbing can seem like the most important thing in your life at the moment, in reality - your school grades are what will get you farther in life.

   
   

   Your biggest priority at the moment should be to make sure you graduate high school with good results, so that you can continue on successfully in life. It doesn't matter whether you want or don't want to go get a PhD in Quantum Mechanics or something, but your education is what shapes your future - and not your latest boulder comp scores. That being said, sometimes it's important to take climbing a little slower and focus on what NEEDS to be done.

   
   

   After all, the teachers that decide whether you passed or failed a subject really don't care about that V6 you flashed at the crag last weekend.

   
   

   So, remember that it's okay to miss a session in the gym to finish a school project or study for a test - and even when you REALLY want to go climb, think about what will matter in the future, not right now.

Image credit: Deposit Photos

4. Your teacher might not climb, but they understand you more than you know.

   
   

   Yes, I realize that not all of our teachers are the best at teaching kids - and we don't always like every single one of them. You don't have to - it's okay to have personal preferences. However, your school teachers aren't just there to make your life harder by loading your already-too-full schedule with piles of homework. It's just that they know you need to practice and study in order to succeed school.

   
   

   It's fair to say that sometimes it's hard to "understand" our teachers when it seems like they don't care about your climbing and they're just "evil souls who want to make you miss the last day before reset, and not send that crimpy V7 you were projecting." But really - believe it or not - your teachers DO care. They might not climb themselves, but they understand that you've got other important things going on in your life.

   
   

   Relating to Point #3, school teachers have a LOT of students - and sometimes, you'll have a better connection with them if you explain your climbing commitment situation. However, don't use this as an excuse for your own benefit - completing an assignment late is not worth any regular projecting session in the gym.

   
   

   A good tip is to approach it open-mindedly. Of course, your Social Studies teacher won't let you skip a class to go climb in the gym, but there's more chances they'll give you a deadline extension if you ask them. Nicely. Not by rolling your eyes, or using the kind of slang you use with your friends - but by openly, politely asking them and truthfully explaining your situation. You could say that your coach wants you to make progress on a climb, and that you're worried you won't have enough time for training AND the schoolwork you're getting.

   
   

   Trust me, your teachers were also once kids and also had their own sports and hobbies, too. So even if it may not seem like it, your worst, grumpiest, meanest school teacher can understand you if you try to tell them about climbing. You might even be surprised that you'll find 'common language' with your teachers when you start telling them about all your goals and ambitions in climbing.

5. Acknowledge other people's sports, because they acknowledge yours.

   
   

   We all have that one friend who never seems to understand anything about climbing - no matter how much you tell them, "IT'S DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU THINK!!!"

   
   

   However, instead of calling that person your "official arch-enemy" and walking around glaring at each other's backs - try to see their point of view. Perhaps they're trying to acknowledge climbing, but because they don't climb - and that's okay - it's not how you thought it would be.

   
   

   Yet really, if you were trying to find some sort of common language with whatever hobby that person has, you're probably also going to get a few things wrong at first.

   
   

   Sometimes, school friendships can be challenging - but coming from someone who climbs 5 days a week and only ever talk about climbing, my friends have been doing an epic job at not rolling their eyes when I start on projects and 5.12s and so on. They hear me out and give me their suggestions for the climbs I struggle on, laugh with me about my rocky friendships in climbing (which I actually am WAY worse at making than at my school). In return, I try to pay them the same respect - by acknowledging their sports and listening to their highs and lows in soccer, dance, figure skating, and so on.

   
   

6. Don't let climbing take away your other life!

   
   

   As one of my coaches once told me, "climbing will eventually lose its thrill if you do it too much." First of all, rest is important. Working that project you have in the gym won't do you any good if you over-trained and earned yourself an injury.

   
   

   And also, you're still a kid. You're not supposed to worry about sponsorships and climbing gear costs and cancel school hang-outs for team try-outs, if you're like me. Your climbing is important - but please, don't forget to enjoy your OTHER life beyond the gym or the crag.

   
   

   Just let it be and go have fun at the movies with friends, watch their siblings' dance performance, bake some cookies, play Minecraft - whatever you and your friends have been planning to do together. Actually, they're going to not want to be friends with you if you keep cancelling hang-outs for your climbing. Stick to your word - if you're going to a competition, you're going. But - if it's just a spray-wall boulder session you were planning on, don't let your other friends down a second time.

This SCBC competition caused me to miss my school vocal ensemble's performance, but I "payed them back" by attending the next one. All about the balance!

And Finally... A Shout-Out From My School Friends

Writing this blog post, I included my amazing friends in the process - well, it only makes sense, doesn't it? It was a cold Friday afternoon when we were having our free in-class block, and my best friend Kal and I were working outside on the class balcony. As you can see, a "formal" shout-out quickly turned into something other (as it usually does with best friends):

Kal's shout-out:

"A big yay to Soph for her dedication and hard work in climbing! Also, 'Soph' is not a name! Also-also, Keeper of the Lost Cities is the best book (romancey!) And one last also, it's really cold right now!!! And this book smells like Harry Potter - yes, it has a smell! Now just take the bouncy ball!"

"You have one more sentence," I told my friend.

"Can it be a run-on sentence?!"

"Aaaand... That's your sentence!! Wait - gimme that bouncy ball back; I need it!"

"Without "back", cuz that sounds weird."

"Quit criticizing my work!! And stop rocking the bench, the teachers will hear your earthquakes!"

Image credit: Deposit Photos

Sometimes, we don't care that I'm obsessed with climbing and Kal isn't. What matters is that we know how to respect each other's sports (climbing versus badminton and volleyball) and still have fun together.

So, remember these wise words (well, not-so-wise as they're coming from a 12-year-old), and whoever your friends are, have fun with them! Reach your goals in your sport, but stay on top of your schoolwork, make new friends, and keep climbing!

Thanks for reading - I know we got a bit off track there! :)