This is the name of the organisation that is “dedicated to providing adaptive adventure opportunities to anyone with a physical disability“. The Atlanta chapter provides cycling and climbing opportunities and I have been rock climbing with them every Wednesday night. It’s adaptive climbing so they strap me into a pulley system to assist me while I go up the wall and, while a “regular folk” person would normally only need one person to belay (the spotter, if you will, for someone who is climbing), I require 2 – 1 belayer and 1 person working the pulley. Dom has been taking me and he’s observed that they are not working as hard as they did that first day…I’m not convinced. They also have a piece of equipment called the Wellman (system?) that is like a chair (also fitted into a pulley) that someone can sit in and pull themselves up to the top of a wall. The system hangs freely from the top of a wall (it’s not against it) because I suspect that it’s what someone with no or limited lower body strength can use to go up. It doesn’t require actual climbing, u use ur upper body to pull up to “climb” to the top. I’ve used it a couple of times too and I think that I’ll alternate between it and actually climbing the wall weekly. Additionally, one week Huck climbed with me – he was my going to be my “left side” if you will. We got real close real fast…lol. Turned out that he was more than my left side but it worked out very well and we had a great time that night.
you know I have my spiel to explain my issues and I’ve gone consistently enough that the volunteers who are have been there weekly know what I have going on. The first time I used the Wellman, Huck asked me if I wanted to use a strap for my left hand that essentially keeps it in place around the bar that I had to grip to pull myself up (u’d think that because it curls up, it would do so around the bar eh? no that would be too logical…it’ll curl up tight and probably end up on top the bar rendering it just useless). It was very overwhelming for me because I thought, “shit…they have thought of everyfrigginthing!” and I remember blurting out how happy I was that they were in my life…smh. I don’t know who started Catalyst Sports, but boy am I glad they did and I am exteremely grateful for the volunteers who are there every Wednesday night without fail and who are willing to put up with me and my curling left hand, my stubborn left leg and my consistent cussing. My hero days are but a distant memory but when I’m climbing on my own and trying to get the hand or foot to a grip in the wall expletives tend to fly out my mouth. I always have to remind myself that I have limitations and may not be able to do whatever like regular folk, so I need to adjust because generally I don’t remember and that’s when shit starts flying 🙂
anyhoo, enjoy some more pictures…
Allyuh hold it dong till next time – ah gone so!