Why I gave up rock climbing and became a dancer instead

When I was at NYU I worked at the Palladium Gym and I took ballet classes. It was fun, but after a while I kind of stopped doing both. I don’t rock climb anymore and I take ballet class about once a week. It’s so depressing how life gets involved.   I worked at the rock wall for a while and would go climbing frequently but I quit after graduation and I haven’t looked back since till this past week when I tried to climb again.  Ballet I try to somehow fit into my schedule each week, and even played a ballet dancer in a movie. I don’t have the perfect feet, never studied at ABT, and didn’t have the strength but I still love it.

My competitive nature makes it hard for me to continue sports or group classes.  When you dance from the age of three years old you’re always competing, and it gets exhausting. You never feel good enough or perfect enough because basically you have been staring at the mirror trying to get rid of your flaws.

Buns on your feet and buns on your head.  Pointe is so very very painful. Unbelievably, there are people who have feet built for dance – I wish I did. I also injured my back and how to get physical therapy from dancing too much.  Sometimes my ankles are killing me and I hate that too.

I loved rock climbing and the severe upper body strength I developed. The feeling of accomplishment when you got to the top.   The different routes you could go on.  I got good at rock climbing but I knew that wasn’t going to go anywhere.  My competitiveness took over and I felt like I wasn’t climbing enough. I was certified to belay others and I was getting better but I didn’t like the idea of falling. After work I would climb on my own or talk with my friends about the climbs they were doing that weekend but I would never love it as much as dance.

I’d rather dance once a week because I love it – even though it hurts me.