THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 5, 1995 TAG: 9502030264
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 09 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAM STARR, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
I have never wanted to bungee jump, hang glide, jump out of an airplane or dive off a cliff. Rock climbing? Forget it.
The highest surface I ever climbed was a backyard oak tree when I was 8. I scaled the tree all right, but panicked at the thought of going back down. I sat there until my dad came to the rescue - by calling the fire department.
The humiliation still stings.
So when I watched the climbers at the rock gym, I was startled when one suggested that I try it.
``I think it would give you a better perspective for the story,'' said red-haired Steele McGonegal.
``No, I don't think so,'' I answered. ``I'm not scared to climb, just to fall.''
That didn't deter him.
``C'mon, you'll love it,'' he assured me. ``You can use my harness. What size shoes do you wear?''
Aha! Got him there. ``Eleven in men's.''
``Well, here you go,'' he said, untying his rented green and yellow climbing shoes.
I stared at the shoes, then at the 30-foot wall. Just do it, I thought. Quit being such a wimp.
``OK, I'll give it a try.''
Steele demonstrated a few techniques. Your left foot goes here, your right foot there, grab hold of a rock and push off with your right foot. Find more holds and start the whole thing over.
I obliged but didn't get very far. Veteran climber Chris Novellino, a 27-year-old who looks more like a high school senior, then joined us. Chris tied a thick blue rope to the front of my harness. He would ``belay'' me, he said, or be my spotter while I climbed, and pointed to the first foothold at the beginner's wall.
I balked.
``You have to trust me,'' he said firmly, steadily holding my gaze. ``I'm not going to let you fall. You just have to let go of your fear and trust someone. You can do this.''
Somewhat heartened, I jumped up on the first foothold and grabbed at two rocks. Hey! I thought. I'm still standing! I listened to Chris' and Steele's instructions and climbed. My arm muscles started aching and my hands trembled but I continued, until I realized what I was doing and stopped.
And made the fatal mistake of looking down. I was about 20 feet in the air. All I could see were the lower branches of that old oak tree. Talk about regression.
``I can't go any further,'' I said in a quavering voice, hugging the wall. ``I can't move.''
``That's OK,'' Chris yelled. ``Just let go of the wall and drop.''
What? Was he crazy? ``No way!'' I yelled back, gripping the handholds even tighter.
``C'mon, I got you,'' he urged. ``I'm not going to let you fall! Keep your feet on the wall and just release your hands.''
I closed my eyes and shook my head. He and Steele waited. So did several of the other climbers who had stopped to watch. A couple of minutes passed.
Finally, I let go. Don't ask me why. My stomach lurched as I plummeted about 2 feet, but I was alive. Chris eased the rope slowly as I descended, my heart pounding. The nauseousness hit me when I reached the bottom.
``That wasn't so bad was it?'' Chris asked. ``You did great!''
``No, I guess it wasn't,'' I admitted, catching my breath.
``Next time we'll get you up to the top, no problem.''
Next time? MEMO: Main story on page 8. by CNB